From his rooftop on Dudley
Street, Gareth Cordingley often begins his day by awaiting the sunrise. Despite
having lived in Coogee for over twenty years, he never tires of the stunning
ocean view.
“I wouldn’t live anywhere else in
Australia—Coogee is quite simply the best place to be,” he says.
But those stunning ocean views
and picturesque sunrises may soon be compromised for Gareth and other Coogee
residents, with talks of the Coogee Bay Hotel redevelopment plan still
underway.
1000 more Coogee residents,
outraged by the lack of cooperation from developers, signed a petition over the
weekend requesting that the State Government refuse approval for any
development on the Coogee Bay Hotel. This brings the total number of signatures
to more than 9,000.
An update on the petition,
organised by the Coogee Precinct, is tabled in both houses of the NSW
Parliament each week.
Member for Coogee Paul Pearce has
asked the developers of the site, Oakstand, and the owners of the hotel, C. Inc
Hospitality, to release plans to the public.
Randwick City Council also
approved a motion to formally ask the developer to release the plans. All
requests have been refused.
“Most people unfamiliar with the
terminology of planning need a ‘pricture’ in order to properly form an opinion
as to the merits or demerits of a proposal,” Pearce says.
Oakstand and C. Inc launched a
website last week announcing three alternative design concepts, but failed to
provide diagrams.
The website, a response to
community concerns over the height of the proposed tower in the original
design, proposes “the Village Coogee, a mix use precinct comprising retail and
entertainment facilities including specialty shops and cafes, restaurants and
apartments.”
Over 1,000 locals attended a
public rally last week to protest the proposed development. Waving banners that
read “Keep Coogee a Village,” residents demanded that Randwick City Council’s
height and density controls for Coogee Beach be strictly enforced.
“The Coogee Bay Hotel already has
such a huge impact on the Coogee community, both socially and physically,” says
Raoul Pilmer, a Coogee resident. “To expand would really chip away at the
family-friendly community spirit.”
The Hotel, a heritage listed
property, has in recent years topped a list of the 100 most violent pubs in the
state, according to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
C. Inc has asked the NSW
Department of Planning to classify the development as a “Major Project” under
part 3A of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act, on the grounds that
it is a residential and retail project with a capital investment value of more
than $100 million.
If successful, all aspects of the
plan would be would fall in the hands of the State Government, leaving Randwick
Council and the Coogee community powerless.
The original development
application, lodged last December, was worth $150 million and would create 1000
jobs during construction and another 300 when the complex opened. The 8,500 m2
proposal included a 14-story building and two other high rise buildings, a
retail precinct with fresh food, fashion, restaurants and cafes, a village
square, apartments and a reduction in the number of bars from nine to three.
The Coogee community quickly
rejected the plan, however, as the proposed tower exceeds Randwick Council’s
height limit of 12 metres by nearly 3 to 1.
Information
on the alternate development proposals can be found at http://thevillagecoogee.com.au/ .
Gareth, who
happily signed the petition in addition to attending the rally, is hopeful that
Coogee residents can make a difference.
“I have
nothing against the Coogee Bay,” he says. “In fact, I quite enjoy a cold beer
on a Sunday arvo. But take away my sunrise—take away my Coogee Beach view—and
there are going to be consequences.”
Gareth Cordingley, Coogee Resident, Dudley Street
0434948253
Paul Pearce, Member for Coogee
02-9389 6669
Raoul Pilmer, Coogee Resident
0401836451
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