Plans for a 42-room boarding house at Thornton have been refused by Maitland City Council.
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The development application, which is located at Burnham Close, sought consent for the demolition of two existing dwellings and associated outbuildings and the construction of four three-storey boarding houses, each with 11 studio rooms.
A council report said the application, which was originally lodged on June 8, 2018, was recommended for refusal for a number of reasons including insufficient information to enable a detailed assessment of the impact of the development; character of the area and over development of the site; amenity; inconsistencies with council's plans and policies, as well as community concerns.
Liberal councillor Mitchell Griffin said he supported the council officers' recommendation for the development to be refused.
"I was quite concerned when I saw this going out on public exhibition," he said. "We need a variety of housing in Maitland but do we need one in Burnham Close, Thornton? And the answer from what I can see is no, we don't.
"It's a very narrow street. It's definitely unsuitable, particularly if you look at the fact that Thornton has enough traffic issues.
"It's not in the public interest in its current form."
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A total of 57 submissions were received during the exhibition period, all objecting to the proposed development.
Following the submission of amended plans and documentation, the proposal was re-notified for a period of 14 days from April 14 to April 26, 2021.
During this exhibition period a total of 31 submissions were received, 28 of which were objecting to the proposed development and three in support.
Some of the concerns raised by the community included noise, parking, garbage collection, security, density and privacy.
Labor councillor Donald Ferris went against the recommendation and supported the motion.
He said he had "agonised" about the development, but acknowledged it was an ideal location for a medium density development.
Cr Ferris added there was a large car park right near the development and said he was unsure why there was so much "hesitancy".
"Affordable housing isn't readily available in Maitland at the moment. We need a diversity of housing," he said.
However fellow Labor councillors Robert Aitchison and Ben Whiting said the development did not fit in the location. Cr Aitchison said a big development of 42 rooms did not belong in a small cul-de-sac in Thornton.
All councillors, except Cr Ferris, supported the refusal of the application.
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