Town Planning Assessment Report · MCU26/0010

        (iii)​   40% for all storeys and floor levels.

Response: Parts of the basement are located above ground level and therefore are required to form part
of site cover. As such, the proposed site cover is:

    ●​ Basement Floor: 24.34%;
    ●​ Ground Floor: 37.87%;
    ●​ First Floor: 31.59%;
    ●​ Birds eye view: 43.26%.


It is important to note that the subject site is characterised by both a fall to the road and an ~3m
cross-grade fall towards the south. The proposed dwelling house results in a suitable design solution that
is driven by the topographical challenges. The First Floor (310.2m²) is significantly smaller than the
ground floor area (371.9m²). By stepping the building back on the upper level, the design reduces the
appearance of bulk to adjacent properties and the street. In terms of privacy, the southern neighbour is
protected by a large void that provides natural separation from the walkway to the windows to limit
overlooking. The balcony on this level is screened by timber battens. The stepping of this level and
articulation through finishes, materials and colours seeks to reduce the dominance of the building to the
southern neighbour. The building also remains within the 8m building height limit, ensuring its scale
remains compatible with the surrounding residential context. The use of varied materials, such as
aluminum batten screens, rendered smooth coats, and painted linea boards, breaks up the facade's mass.
This articulation prevents a monolithic appearance through material and finishes selections.


The design provides 31.64% (310.7m²) soft landscaping throughout the site. In addition, two feature
planters are provided at ground level and a planter is provided on the street facing balcony on the First
Floor, providing additional landscaping opportunities to soften the built form. This high percentage of
landscape and preservation of existing landscaping allows for the retention of site characteristics and
provides substantial green breaks between the building and the property boundaries. Further, by utilising
a basement solely for car parking (with the exception of a powder room, which is NCC compliant to meet
the latest Liveable Housing requirements), the design minimises the ground level footprint that would
otherwise be required for parking, preserving more opportunities for soft landscaping. The design allows
for landscape screening from adjoining neighbours along all boundaries. This is crucial for mitigating
visual and privacy impacts. Consequently, the basement level will not contribute to the visual bulk and
scale that the corresponding performance outcome prescribes.


Along Captains Court, properties are oriented towards the east and step down the slope to the south.
This allows each dwelling to sit above its neighbour to maximise views and light, resulting in a lower
southern elevation and a higher northern elevation, without blocking views. It is noted that 10 Captains
Court (southern neighbour) is essentially closed off to the north, with its main private open space areas
located in the southern portion of the site and a balcony located to the east to take advantage of the
ocean views. Windows along the northern elevation of 10 Captains Court are kept to a minimum (only
two bedrooms contain window openings, whilst the rest of the habitable rooms include windows on other
elevations).


Setbacks in particular to the southern elevation exceed the minimum requirements as noted below:
    ●​ Basement floor: 2m (1.5m required);
    ●​ Ground floor: 2m (1.5m required);
    ●​ First floor: 2.6m (2m required).
The proposal is considered to comply with PO8.



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