I am generally supportive of the proposal being recommended for approval.
I would strongly request that various landscape conditions of consent be added for reasons contained within.
That ficus pumila is deleted from the plant palette in the landscape plan as it has a record of being environmentally invasive in Australia and its cuttings can readily strike and it may rapidly spread by cuttings and seed. Ficus pumila is also poisionous to humans and pets.
That Rhaphiolepis indica be deleted from the plant palette in the landscape plan as it has a record of being environmentally invasive in Australia and its cuttings can readily strike and it may rapidly spread by cuttings and seed.
That buxus sempervirens be deleted from the plant palette in the landscape plan as it has a record of being environmentally invasive in Australia and its currings can readily strike and it may rapidly spread by cuttings and seed. Buxus species are also poisionous to humans and pets.
That deleted plants are to be replaced only with species native to Australia, preferably of local provenance.
According to the Brisbane City Council, Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica) is regarded as an environmental weed in New South Wales and Queensland and as a potential environmental weed or "sleeper weed" in other parts of Australia. Currently, it is mainly a problem in remnant bushland in the Brisbane and Sydney regions.This species is actively managed by community groups in New South Wales and appears on several local and regional environmental weed lists in the eastern parts of this state (e.g. in the North Coast region, in the wider Sydney and Blue Mountains region, in the Sydney North region, in Coffs Harbour City and in Byron, Warringah, Mosman, Manly and Ku-ring-gai Municipal Councils).
A slight fall across the site from the northern boundary to southern boundary is noted. I would object to consent being given unless a water sensitive urban design plan was advanced including kerb gaps to allow stormwater to enter landscaped areas in the north and east of the site, carpark suitably graded, onsite detention of stormwater as there is a concern that the extensive paved area will discharge excessive volumes of stormwater into the road reserve and stormwater network. Consent condition need to add entry hump or driveway grading in order to reduce excessive discharge of stormwater into the road reserve. Consent condition to be added to forbid lot occupiers or users from washing bins or vehicles upon any of the paved areas in order to protect local stormwater and riparian network from unacceptable effects of pollutants.
That the stairs to the upper level residential quarter provide very poor residential amenity due to the single flight containing an excessive number of risers, request condition of approval to amend architectural plans so that a minimum of one landing, and preferably two landings (if 2 provided then the first at one third height in flight and the second at two thirds height in flight) at approximately halfway up the flight, of 750mm deep and as wide as the risers is provided. To provide as many risers as contemplated in the design for a 4 bedroom residential use is a very poor amenity outcome based on contemporary best practice.
Request consent condition that lighting externally be fully shielded, correlated colour temperatures not exceeding 2700 Kelvin, and internal residential lighting be Tricolour (3CCT) LED downlights initially selected to a 2700 Kelvin CCT. Request condition that business identification signage which is illuminated, to not be illuminated beyond the hours of trade of the business premises, and that interior lighting in the business premises to be dimmed to half luminance level, or turned off, during closure of the business.
Regarding environment and sustainability, I submit that the proposal fails to contemplate climate change, contemporary best practices and request consent conditions be added as follows.
The applicant must, install showerheads with a minimum rating of 5 star (<= 6 L/min) in all showers in residential portion of the development, and in the event of any replacement by this or a subsequent owner that only 5 star fittings be installed.
That all hot water pipes within the development must be insulated to a minimum of 0.6 sq metres per kW using 25mm of foamed nitrile rubber or fibreglass.
The rainwater tank is not configured to collect rainwater from the whole roof, so request noting the low annual precipitation in the LGA that the applicant must install a rainwater tank/s of at least total capacity of 5000 litres on the site, connected to all lavatories, washing machine fixture/s and at least 2 outdoor tap fixtures.
Seek consent condition that the applicant must install a suitably sized air sourced heat pump, or gas boosted solar, hot water system, for the residential premises, in the development, and that in the event of failure or breakdown to replace only with same type.
Seek consent condition that air conditioning systems be inverter type only and that EER for cooling is to exceed 4.0 star as excessive air conditioning use and commercial air conditioning uses both generate unacceptable acoustic impacts especially at the night time when motor traffic volumes are significantly lowered.
Seek condition that the applicant, and any subsequent owner or occupant, must not install or connect any air conditioner that is connected to grid supplied electricity unless the product complies with the demand response capability requirements published in AS4755 as currently in force and that compliance is required with the three DRMs - DRM1, DRM2, DRM3.
Air conditioning proposed by the applicant has not been assessed, by an acoustic consultant, to not generate unacceptable acoustic and amenity impacts for occupants of the site and adjacent residential properties, especially at night.
The applicant must install a photovoltaic system as part of the development - I note that the applicant proposed a PV system but with an output of 1kW peak only which was to me remarkable. The applicant must connect this system to the development's electrical system and make the output of at least 50% of the panels available for use at any time by the residential premises.
The photovolatic system must consist of:
• photovolatic collectors with the capacity to generate at least 20 peak kilowatts of electricity, installed at an angle between 10 degrees and 20 degrees to the horizontal facing north, noting the site's latitude and distance from the equator and need to maintain adequate winter power yields.
That carpark lighting must be oriented downward and no floodlighting or fittings that may cause glare to be experienced withing the proposed residential premises nor adjacent residential premises at night.
That an EV charging outlet must be provided at the carpark to at least one residential parking bay for Electric Vehicle charging based on Single phase up to 7.4 kW / 32 A.
That no occupation certificate be granted by the responsible authority until the conditions requested in this submission been met by the applicant.
