DEVELOPER Iris Capital is forging ahead with its plans to overhaul family getaway Raffertys Resort at Cams Wharf.
Lake Macquarie City Council has given it the tick of approval to demolish the existing conference and retail facilities to make way for eight new, two-storey attached villas.
The $4.9 million villa project is just one instalment in a bigger plan to revamp the resort, including a new tavern and function centre, 46 units and a new eight-storey hotel with 141 rooms.
At Monday's meeting, deputy mayor Adam Shultz pointed out that 48 out of 49 submissions were against the project in the first exhibition period from July to September, last year.
"Obviously there's quite a bit of community angst there at the moment in regards to the three proposals, the hotel proposal which is eight storeys, the tavern and then this proposal," he said.
A submission from the Neighbourhood Association, representing a number of property owners, argued the council hadn't given residents sufficient time to respond to the proposal and said the development is "completely at odds" with the wishes of the community.
The application went back out to the public from April until May 2023 after some minor changes to the design.
Each of the villas exceed the council's height limits by 2m at their highest point, which is why the council had to vote on the development application.
Cr Jack Antcliff said he would vote for the development, arguing the height changes came down to architectural features on the building.
"We can only assess or make judgement on what's in front of us, and there's a significant opportunity in this space as we know," he said.
"From the specifics of this one, I see this as a really good outcome for a site that from what I understand is underutilised to say the least, and one of the notes in the report is that it will increase housing stock which we are desperately in need of.
"I see a significant opportunity around this and encourage the community when the opportunity is there to have their say on the specific matters that relate to other DAs [development applications]."
The idea is to turn the site into a 'destination tourist and lifestyle precinct' with the new tavern and function centre at the heart of the village.
According to the developer, the new buildings incorporate 'contemporary lakeside architecture', with folding metal roofs, Australian hardwood timber structures, cladding and natural stone finishes.
An Environmental Impact Statement for the villa project argued the bigger plan would reinstate Raffertys to its former status as a leading tourism destination.
According to the plans, the commercial use on the site has declined over the years and the existing building isn't really used except for small conferences and meetings.
According to the developer, it will have limited visibility from the lake as it's set behind existing vegetation on the western side of the site and won't interfere with views from neighbouring properties.
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