Developers are asking for a review of zoning laws within Ramsgate town centre, which would allow them to build three residential towers above a supermarket, specialty shops and a community plaza.
Point Gate Developments—a joint venture between Melbourne-based developer Time and Place, and Fabcot Pty Ltd, Woolworths’ in-house retail development division—say Georges River Council in Sydney’s south has failed to indicate its support for their proposal 90 days after the request to prepare a planning proposal was submitted.
The rezoning review seeks amendments to the Georges River local environmental plan (LEP) to enable mixed-use development and publicly accessible open space on 16 lots with street frontages at 193-199 Rocky Point Road, 66-68 Ramsgate Road and 2-6 Tarago Road, in the heart of Ramsgate.
If approved the $60 million development would include 176 apartments in three towers—two of eight storeys and another of six storeys—with a Woolworths supermarket on a basement level. There will be 20 speciality shops and eating outlets in and around a community plaza, as well as parking for 300 cars.
The developers say the apartments will be a mix of one, two and three bedrooms, and will cater for first-home buyers, young couples and those wanting to downsize locally.
“The overarching purpose of this planning proposal is to facilitate the renewal of the Ramsgate Village site to a mixed-used development made up of specialty retail, a full line supermarket, apartments and a publicly accessible open space for the community,” says Urbis, who lodged the application on behalf of Point Gate Developments.
Specifically, the developers are asking to amend the zoning of the site from what is now partly R4 high-density residential and B2 local centre, to B2 local centre across the whole area. This is the most common zoning for local and town centres in NSW.
And the developers want to amend the building height from what is partly 15m and 21m, to partly 9m, 15m, 24m and 29m, as well as floor space ratio (FSR) changes.
Additionally, they want to reclassify about 76sq m of council-owned land from “community land to operational land”, which the developers say will allow for future acquisition and eventual redevelopment.
Urbis said in developing the original planning proposal for the site, Point Gate Developments had undertaken extensive pre-lodgement discussions with council officers, elected councillors, transport for NSW and the local community.
There had been seven meetings with councillors and council officers in the 12 months to September last year, and another 10 meetings after plans were lodged.
In early meetings the project team was told “height and floor space ratios would need to be carefully considered”. Georges River had also “queried the provision of affordable housing”.
In June this year, the developers delivered amendments to the plan, including reducing the overall building height from nine to eight storeys, reducing the number of apartments from 185 to 176 and introducing a 3m vegetation buffer along the western side of the site.
Urbis said the planning proposal would reinvigorate the Ramsgate town centre, provide greater housing diversity, and add 307 direct and indirect jobs during construction and around 376 ongoing jobs during operation. It expected the project to contribute $96.1 million to the local economy during construction and $33.6 million in each year of operation.
The Sydney South Planning Panel—one of five Sydney and four regional plannings panels across NSW— is expected to rule on the rezoning review this month.
Each panel, set up in 2009 to strengthen decision making on regionally significant development applications, is an independent body and not subject to the direction of the minister of planning and public spaces.
Point Gate Developments’ project is the second shoptop development revealed for Ramsgate this month. Sydney-based Bronxx plans a $78-million, 104-room hotel above a rebuilt Coles supermarket in neighbouring Bayside Council.
Georges River Council was asked to comment on the latest planning proposal.
