1 Bowtells Dr, Avoca Beach, NSW

Hallelujah!
I a time of housing shortages, this development will supply at least 57 families with housing.
This site has been a scar on the Avocans Landscape for years.
The development must include, both on site parking for all houses and visitors, in accordance with NCC and Central Coast Council requirements.
It must include essential services such as Fire Hydrant System to AS2419.
It must include landscaping, pedestrian footpaths upgrades and Avoca Lake foreshore retention both internal and external (The Round Drive)
It must account for adequate stormwater upgrade, including gross pollution traps.
Any contractor contributions in Accordance with the EP & A Act Clause 7.11 & 7.22 should be allocated to adjoining park land, be that upgrade of the stormwater creek at the bottom of Laird Drive, additional playground / gym equipment to provide community cohesion
Regards
Glen

I object to this development.

My main concern is the traffic impact and the suitability of the surrounding road network, particularly The Round Drive, to safely accommodate the increased vehicle movements associated with this development.
The Round Drive is a narrow residential road where cars are frequently parked on both sides, effectively reducing it to a single lane in many areas. This already creates situations where vehicles must reverse to allow oncoming traffic to pass, particularly near Avoca Primary School, where traffic congestion during drop-off and pick-up times is already significant. Additional traffic generated by over 60 sites, including vehicles towing caravans, will likely worsen these conditions and increase safety risks.
I am also concerned about the site’s proximity to Avoca Lagoon, where increased development density may contribute to greater stormwater runoff and potential impacts on the surrounding coastal environment.
While there is an existing holiday park nearby, the scale and intensity of this proposal appears likely to place additional pressure on the surrounding road infrastructure and local environment.
For these reasons, I respectfully request that Council carefully reconsider due to the traffic, safety, and environmental impacts of this proposal.

I write to formally object to the proposed development for the installation of 57 long-term sites (moveable dwellings) and 5 short-term caravan sites and associated works.

While I acknowledge the importance of tourism and accommodation within the Central Coast region, I believe this proposal raises several significant planning, environmental and community concerns which warrant careful reconsideration.

1. Overdevelopment and Poor Land Use

The proposed density of 57 long-term sites within a single development footprint represents an intensive use of land which appears inconsistent with the established character of Avoca Beach and surrounding residential areas.

Such a concentration of moveable dwellings risks creating a high-density holiday park style development that is not in keeping with the low-scale coastal village character that the area is known for.

This raises concerns regarding:
• Visual bulk and overdevelopment of the site
• Incompatibility with the surrounding residential environment
• Reduced open space and amenity within the development itself

A development of this scale may represent an inefficient and inappropriate use of valuable coastal land that could otherwise support more balanced residential or community uses.

2. Insufficient Local Infrastructure and Amenities

A development of 57 long-term sites plus short-term tourist accommodation will significantly increase the local population density in the immediate area.

However, there appears to be limited evidence within the application that local infrastructure can support this increase, including:
• Road capacity and traffic movements
• Parking availability
• Waste management services
• Stormwater management
• Pressure on local public amenities and beach access

Avoca Beach already experiences seasonal congestion and parking shortages, particularly during holiday periods. Increasing accommodation capacity at this scale may further exacerbate these pressures.

3. Environmental Impact

Avoca Beach is a sensitive coastal environment, and developments must be assessed carefully for potential environmental consequences.

Concerns include:
• Increased stormwater runoff and impacts on coastal water quality
• Potential impacts on local vegetation and wildlife habitat
• Urbanisation of a coastal landscape that currently contributes to the natural character of the area
• Light and noise pollution associated with a large tourist-style accommodation facility

Given the proximity to coastal ecosystems, a more precautionary planning approach should be applied.

4. Oversupply of Tourist and Cabin-Style Accommodation in Avoca Beach

Avoca Beach and the broader Central Coast region already contain numerous forms of tourist accommodation, including:
• Holiday parks
• Short-term rentals
• Holiday cabins
• Airbnb style accommodation
• Local hotels and motels

There is no clear evidence presented within the application demonstrating a shortage of this type of accommodation that would justify the scale of this development.

Introducing an additional 57 long-term sites risks creating an oversupply, potentially undermining existing accommodation providers while increasing pressure on local infrastructure and natural assets.

5. Impact on Local Community Character

Avoca Beach is valued for its relaxed coastal village character and strong residential community.

Developments of this nature, particularly with a high concentration of moveable dwellings, may result in:
• Increased transient populations
• Reduced neighbourhood stability
• Greater noise and activity levels inconsistent with surrounding residential uses

Maintaining the character and liveability of Avoca Beach should remain a priority in planning decisions.

6. Strategic Planning Considerations

It is also unclear how the proposal aligns with the Central Coast Local Environmental Plan and broader strategic planning objectives for the area.

Large-scale tourist park style developments should be located in areas specifically planned to accommodate them, where supporting infrastructure and environmental capacity have been appropriately assessed.

Without clear justification, the scale of this proposal appears inconsistent with the planning intent for a coastal village environment.

Surely a park would be a much better use of said land for all locals

The 1 Bowtells Drive, Development, is the least of Avoca Beach worries.

For those who have been Avoca Residents, for a considerable time, they may remember the undesirables, that previously occupied this site.
Unfortunately, as Gosford CBD expands and Gosford CBD population increases, we will have many, many more people attending our beach.
The circa 57 families, that may occupy these residents are not a significant impact.
I suggest someone takes time to evaluate the amount of children who attend Avoca Beach Public School who are not from the area (I believe circa 450 students) and the added vehicle movement there.
There needs to be proactive measures implemented by Central Coast Council now, such as greater emphasis on the parking areas in Burns Street and Ficus Ave.
These areas are currently at capacity.
There also needs to be a considerable improvement on illegally parked vehicles on the Round Drive.

A cohesive lake side shared pathway to encourage people to walk and not drive to the village.

There needs to be cohesive shared pathway links between the surf club and village.

The construction will need to comply with current National Construction Codes(NCC), Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulations.
As part of this development application and all other development applications, Central Coast Council must impose community based infrastructure upgrades, such as stormwater trunk drainage, landscaping, parks and footpaths.

If the correct measures are applied, this development could be quite beneficial.

H

Interesting facts (2026 ) about 1 Bowtells Dr, Avoca Beach NSW 'Nominated Integrated & Integrated Development -

1. The former CEO of Gosford City Council is the Applicant. So he knows all the pitfalls of this site and still goes ahead with the development? ?

2. Both a Bush Fire and Flood Overlay currently exist. Why would you want to live on a flood plain??

3. Pretty sure there's a sewer outlet/plant whatever it is called right on the fringe of the lake (part of this development). Is that going to be moved? Relocated? Or will that be included in the view of the lake?

4. A young person was hit by a car within the last fortnight, riding her bike metres from the intersection of Bowtells Drive and Walder Ave, when she failed her pushbike brakes apparently failed. This is a real concern, no more bike riding on The Round Drive please. So if parents are concerned about walking to school because of traffic, it will only increase the traffic, not to mention outside the public school, always been an issue.

5. Please check my maths - so with 57 moveable house and 5 caravan sites with an average of 2 cars per household, that's equavalent to 124 entry and exits TWICE a day on estimate (including caravans)!!!
Warning - this is unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists, not to mention the traffic for bus and truck drivers. 62 x 2 = 124 vehicles TWICE A DAY, EVERYDAY.

Wow, its interesting when you put some of the context of that area of this development, how inappropriate it seems, not to mention what the health of the lake is going to undergo. The runoff will be extraordinary. The mind boggles! We see rain puddles there that exist for weeks and months. Why would you want to live there? ? I'm all for appropriate development to house people - but surely this is the wrong site for prospective residents!!

Hello Planning,
As a long time resident, I remember when the Bowtells site was a caravan park and Donny Bowtell, god bless his sole, would virtually take anyone in.
The site currently, is an overgrown waste land with a dumped car at the entry (Owned by a previous local identity)

In relation to the latest comments, I would like to add the following,

1. If the developer / financier, is a former CEO of Central Coast Council great.
That would bring greater scrutiny to the development and accountability.
The Development application, still has to comply with the National Construction Code(NCC), Current Australian Standards, The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, the Development application conditions imposed by Central Coast Council and Environmental Assessment Impact study, all of which would be monitored by the certifier.

2. I am sure, that the certifier would take in to serious consideration how this development meets the requirements of the above noted standards, for Flood, Fire and Environmental Impact.

3. In relation to the young girl hit by a car on her bike, after her brakes failed, this isn’t an isolated event, however does not have any relevance to the 1 Bowtells Drive Development.
(I certainly hope she is well!)
The issues pertaining to the Round Drive are a much more significant and issue, that continuously falls in the “She’ll be right” complacency department at Central Coast Council.
The footpaths are in a shocking state, they often blocked by vehicles parked on them, they are narrow undulating and also damaged by vehicles on the footpath, creating muddy ruds.
Anyone with a pram, has a real challenge and would be testimony to this.
The visibility, on such a winding road is very limited, with concealed driveways and many vehicles parked precariously within 3 metres of double white lines, or where unbroken yellow lines exist, forcing other drivers on to the other side of the road.
Whilst I have been a strong advocate for improvement to this road and Cape Three Points Road, for years, very little or no improvements have taken place.
I would urge everyone to contact their local MP or the council, for change and Ranger enforcement, to break the inherit complacency.

4. This development to my understanding is affordable housing, comprising with a few van sites.
The number of cars noted in the previous comment, is the presumption that every house has two (2) vehicles, all leaving on or about the same time, twice a day.
I would suggest, that the pick up and drop off at Avoca Beach public school is a much more significant issue that requires police and ranger intervention.
I would also like to know, how many students, at Avoca Beach Public School, are actually from Avoca Beach.
One last comment, is that those who park illegally or those who create the chaos at school times, have little respect for others.