Development is closing in on Anambah House with a show of hands likely to decide whether or not a housing estate will be built in close proximity to the heritage home.
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The Riverview Estate application will be decided by the mayor and 12 councillors at Maitland’s council meeting tomorrow.
The application has been criticised for encroaching on the heritage-listed house.
An eight- to 10-metre dense landscape buffer would be provided to the north-west perimeter of the estate and the Anambah House grounds, not the 30m boundary the owners of the house had requested and which a council officer described as “unreasonable”.
But should the developer clear this final hurdle, up to 80 homes will be built in an area between Abambah House, the Hunter River and Anambah Lagoon.
The development was mooted more than three years ago and has met significant opposition along the way.
Council has received numerous letters of concern and opposition to the development.
Royal Newcastle Aero Club expressed concern that residents of the development would be too close to airport noise.
Anambah House owners Jann and Maurizio Zappacosta, who bought the property at auction for $1.79 million, said the density of the development was too great given the rural outlook, with the lots on average measuring 617 square metres.
“For this sort of area the minimum should be 1200 sq m but the [developers] would laugh at that,” Mrs Zappacosta said.
“Maitland is a semi-rural place and it doesn’t need 450 sq m lots.”
With the final plans in council hands the project could be given the green light tomorrow night.
Town planner Cindy Dickson said the development represented efficient use of land in a sprawling population.
“It is considered that such urban extension development is generally in the public interest due to the proximity to existing infrastructure and services,” she said.