Breaking News
$50m: Currawong plans finally on the table
Andrew Tillett
19 February 2008
DEVELOPER Eco Villages has put a $50million price tag on its controversial Currawong housing project as detailed plans for the popular Pittwater holiday camp are revealed.
With the company wanting to build 25 houses, it means they will start at the $2million mark just to break even. Permission to build a lap pool, children's swimming pool and gym has also been sought.
The company is also promising to refurbish the historic Midholme farmhouse and nine existing cabins, which will be rented for short-stay holidays.
In return, 12.4ha will be added to the national park with a further 0.5ha dedicated as a public beach.
The firm designing the project, Architectus Sydney, claims the houses will be ``a high-quality distinctive addition'' to the communities along Pittwater's western shores.
The new development will effectively quadruple the size of the building footprint, according to concept images submitted by Eco Villages to government planners.
However, the company faces another potential hurdle as the Federal Environment Department examines its plans' impact on Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, which is heritage listed.
Eco Villages has controversially asked Planning Minister Frank Sartor for approval to build 25 lightweight houses ``sensitive to Currawong's ecological values''.
``Houses are to be nestled to minimise disturbance of the natural landscape and vegetation and visibility of buildings from Pittwater,'' the architect's report states.
Eco Villages has revealed in documents to the Federal and State governments that the value ofits proposed construction is $33.7million.
That comes on top of the $15million the company paid Unions NSW for the prime waterfront land. Eco Villages director Allen Linz said the company had compromised on the number of houses, pointing out potentially about 40 could be built if Currawong were fully developed.
He said site constraints, new infrastructure and fixing environmental problems such as overgrown lantana and overflowing septic tanks added up to the high construction costs.
``It's not the pristine site people think,'' Mr Linz said last night. ``From an environment perspective that site hasn't been cared for.
``We want to treat the site with the respect that it is due.''
But the Federal Government's interest in the application potentially hands Environment Minister Peter Garrett a veto over MrSartor on the retreat's fate. The plans are being assessed for their impact on the park and threatened species of marine life such as turtles and seals, and if found to have a major effect it would trigger a more in-depth assessment.
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