Shoalhaven Draft LP335 Big W Proposal Nowra Environmental Study

Transcription

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Table of Contents
1.
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................6
1.1 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................6
1.1.1 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY.............................................................................................6
1.1.2 PLAN AREA AND LOCALITY ........................................................................................6
1.1.3 LAND OWNERSHIP .....................................................................................................6
1.1.4 REZONING REQUEST ..................................................................................................6
1.2 REQUIREMENTS OF LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY ...............................................7
1.2.1 REQUIREMENTS OF SHOALHAVEN CITY COUNCIL ......................................................7
The traffic and transport issues ..............................................................................................7
Economic issues....................................................................................................................8
1.2.2 REQUIREMENTS OF PLANNINGNSW ..........................................................................9
1.2.3 CONSULTATION .........................................................................................................9
2.
PLANNING CONTEXT ............................................................................................ 10
2.1 LOCAL PLANNING PROVISIONS ................................................................................ 10
2.1.1 SHOALHAVEN LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN 1985 ................................................ 10
2.1.2 DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO. 94 ................................................................... 11
2.1.3 GENERAL DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLANS ............................................................. 12
DCP No. 18 Car parking code ............................................................................................. 12
DCP No. 82......................................................................................................................... 12
DCP No. 93......................................................................................................................... 12
DCP No. 100....................................................................................................................... 12
2.1.4 DRAFT LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL PLANS .................................................................. 12
Shoalhaven Draft Local Environmental Plan No. LP 303..................................................... 12
2.1.5 UNHEALTHY BUILDING LAND .................................................................................. 13
2.1.6 COUNCIL POLICIES AND STRATEGIES........................................................................ 13
CBD Strategy...................................................................................................................... 13
Housing Strategy................................................................................................................. 14
Shoalhaven Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan (PAMP) Stage 1 ...................................... 14
Shoalhaven Bicycle Strategy ............................................................................................... 15
Shoalhaven Contribution Plan 1993..................................................................................... 15
2.2 REGIONAL AND STATE PLANNING POLICIES ............................................................ 15
2.2.1 ILLAWARRA REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN NO. 1 ............................................ 15
Rural Lands......................................................................................................................... 15
Living Areas ....................................................................................................................... 16
Commercial Areas............................................................................................................... 16
Transport and Service Corridors .......................................................................................... 17
2.2.2 STATE ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING POLICIES ......................................................... 17
Aims of policy .................................................................................................................... 17
Matters for consideration in draft LEP’s .............................................................................. 18
2.2.3 SECTION 117(2) DIRECTIONS ................................................................................... 18
G25 Flood Liable Land ....................................................................................................... 18
G26 Residential Allotment Sizes ......................................................................................... 18
G27 Planning for Bus Services ............................................................................................ 18
C1 Acid Sulphate Soils........................................................................................................ 19
S26 Coastal Policy .............................................................................................................. 19
3.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS .......................................................................... 22
3.1 TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE .................................................................................. 22
3.2 GEOLOGY AND SOILS ................................................................................................ 22
3.2.1 GEOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 22
3.2.2 SOILS ...................................................................................................................... 22
3.2.3 CONTAMINATED LAND ............................................................................................ 23
3.2.4 ACID SULPHATE SOILS ............................................................................................. 24
3.3 FLOODING ................................................................................................................. 24
3.3.1 FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PLAN ........................................................................... 24
Stage 1 Flood Study ............................................................................................................ 24
Stage 2 Lower Shoalhaven River Floodplain Risk Management Study................................. 26
Stage 3 Flood Management Plan ......................................................................................... 29
3.3.2 COUNCIL’S EXISTING FLOOD MANAGEMENT POLICY ................................................ 30
3.3.3 EXTREME FLOOD EVENT .......................................................................................... 30
3.3.4 ISSUES FOR REZONING ............................................................................................. 30
Avoidance of flood risk....................................................................................................... 30
Minimisation of flood risk using planning controls .............................................................. 31
Flood risk mitigation ........................................................................................................... 32
3.3.5 EXISTING LAND USE ................................................................................................ 32
4.
FLORA AND FAUNA ............................................................................................... 33
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
FLORA ....................................................................................................................... 33
FAUNA ....................................................................................................................... 33
THREATENED SPECIES .............................................................................................. 33
PLANNING IMPLICATIONS ......................................................................................... 33
5.
PRIME CROP AND PASTURE LAND .................................................................... 34
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
AGRICULTURAL LAND CLASSIFICATION ................................................................... 34
ILLAWARRA REGIONAL PLAN NO. 1......................................................................... 34
EXISTING USES .......................................................................................................... 34
CONSULTATION......................................................................................................... 34
6.
WATER QUALITY ................................................................................................... 35
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
POLICY AND OBJECTIVES.......................................................................................... 35
BEST PRACTICE ......................................................................................................... 35
EXISTING SITUATION ................................................................................................ 36
LEP RECOMMENDATIONS......................................................................................... 37
7.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONSIDERATION.................................................... 38
7.1 ECONOMIC STUDY..................................................................................................... 38
7.1.2 STUDY OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................. 38
7.1.3 REGIONAL OVERVIEW AND DISTRIBUTION OF RETAIL AREAS .................................... 38
7.1.4 OTHER DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS .......................................................................... 39
7.1.5 EXISTING SHOPPING PATTERNS ................................................................................ 39
Reasons and frequency visiting the Nowra town centre........................................................ 39
Patterns of shopping............................................................................................................ 40
Centres outside Shoalhaven................................................................................................. 41
Expenditure at outside centres ............................................................................................. 42
7.1.6 DEMAND ANALYSIS................................................................................................. 42
Available spending.............................................................................................................. 42
Floor space demand............................................................................................................. 43
7.1.7 IMPACT ON CBD ..................................................................................................... 45
Scenario 1 – With Nowra Fair only ..................................................................................... 45
Scenario 2 – With Nowra Fair and Vincentia Stage 1........................................................... 46
Scenario 3 – With Nowra Fair and Vincentia Stage 1 & 2 (DDS)......................................... 46
7.4 SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS ......................................................................................... 48
8.
INFRASTRUCTURE................................................................................................. 50
8.1 ROADS AND TRANSPORT ........................................................................................... 50
8.1.1 INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT ................................................................................. 50
8.1.2 METHODOLOGY....................................................................................................... 51
8.1.3 EXISTING NETWORK, TRAFFIC AND ISSUES ............................................................... 51
Network .............................................................................................................................. 51
Traffic volumes................................................................................................................... 52
Issues .................................................................................................................................. 52
8.1.4 TRAFFIC GENERATION ............................................................................................. 52
8.1.5 ANALYSIS APPROACH .............................................................................................. 53
8.1.6 FUTURE ADEQUACY OF EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE ................................................ 53
8.1.7 NETWORK STRATEGY .............................................................................................. 54
8.1.8 HIGHWAY EFFICIENCY ............................................................................................. 55
Refine preferred strategy ..................................................................................................... 56
8.1.8 STRATEGY ALTERNATIVES....................................................................................... 57
Alternative 1 ....................................................................................................................... 57
Alternative 2 ....................................................................................................................... 58
8.1.9 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................... 59
8.2 WATER SUPPLY ......................................................................................................... 60
8.2.1 INFRASTRUCTURE .................................................................................................... 60
8.2.2 WATER SUPPLY CAPACITY ....................................................................................... 60
8.3 SEWER....................................................................................................................... 61
8.3.1 SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE ........................................................................................ 61
8.3.2 SEWER CAPACITY .................................................................................................... 61
9.
URBAN DESIGN AND PLANNING......................................................................... 62
9.1
9.1.1
9.2
9.2.1
9.2.2
9.2.3
9.3
9.3.1
9.3.2
9.3.3
9.4
9.4.1
9.4.2
CBD STRATEGY ........................................................................................................ 62
IMPLICATIONS OF ECONOMIC STUDY ........................................................................ 62
LAND USES ................................................................................................................ 63
COMMERCIAL/RETAIL .............................................................................................. 63
LEISURE/RECREATION ............................................................................................. 63
RESIDENTIAL ........................................................................................................... 63
ACCESSIBILITY, TRAFFIC AND PARKING ................................................................... 64
ROADS AND TRAFFIC ............................................................................................... 64
ACCESSIBILITY ........................................................................................................ 64
PARKING ................................................................................................................. 65
VISUAL ...................................................................................................................... 65
VISTAS .................................................................................................................... 65
HIGHWAY ................................................................................................................ 65
10.
CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................... 66
SOILS/GEOTECHNICAL ......................................................................................................... 66
AGRICULTURE ..................................................................................................................... 66
FLOODING ........................................................................................................................... 66
FLORA AND FAUNA.............................................................................................................. 66
WATER QUALITY ................................................................................................................. 66
ECONOMIC CONSIDERATION ................................................................................................ 66
SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................................... 67
ROADS AND TRANSPORT ..................................................................................................... 67
WATER AND SEWER ............................................................................................................ 68
PLANNING AND URBAN DESIGN. ......................................................................................... 68
List of Figures
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 15
Figure 16
Figure 17
Figure 18
Figure 19
Figure 20
Figure 21
Figure 22
Figure 23
Site Locality
Subject Land and Ownerships
Development Proposal
Existing Zones LEP 1985
DCP 94 Map
Gazetted Unhealthy Building Land
Nowra CBD Land Use Strategy
Drainage Catchment
IREP Sub Regional Centre Area
Acid Sulphate Soil
Drainage Catchment
Flood and Hazard Category Map
Traffic Study – 1996 24Hr Assignment Base Case
Traffic Study – 2016 24Hr Assignment Base Case
Traffic Study – 2016 24Hr Assignment Preferred Network
Traffic Study – 24Hr Assignment Preferred Network with Nowra Fair
Expansion
Traffic Study – Level of Service
Traffic Study – 2016 24Hr Assignment Preferred Network with Nowra
Fair Expansion as Proposed
Traffic Study – Level of Service (based on Do-Something Network for
Junction Street Open)
Water Infrastructure
Sewer Infrastructure
Existing Strategy 3(a) Zones
Revised Strategy 3(a) Zones
Annexure
1
2
3
PlanningNSW Response to Section 54 Notification
Section 62 Consultation Responses
Existing Zone Objectives and Land Use Tables
Draft Local Environmental Study
1.
Introduction
1.1
Background
1.1.1 Purpose of the study
For some years, Council has been
endeavouring to secure an additional
discount department store for Nowra. The
reasons for this are:
1. To provide shopping choice to the
Shoalhaven community
2. To foster competition in shopping
3. To maintain Nowra’s position as a
subregional centre (IREP No. 1)
4. To provide employment and retain
some escape expenditure
A number of sites have been considered
and a Development Approval was given in
January 1998 for large retail development
including a discount department store in
the northwest section of the Nowra CBD.
None of these possibilities have
proceeded to date. A proposal to extend
Nowra Fair has been lodged with Council.
This proposal requires some areas to be
rezoned. In addition to this retail proposal,
Council has identified the requirement to
investigate the road network and adjoining
land uses on the eastern side of the
Highway.
The submitted retail proposal is contrary to
Council’s existing CBD Strategy, however
since it is unlikely that previous proposals
will proceed and Council sees merit in the
proposal as outlined above and it was
decided that it would investigate whether it
would be appropriate to rezone the land.
Major elements of this study such as the
Traffic and Transport Study will also serve
to provide the analysis that Council will
use to conjointly review and further the
CBD Strategy.
6
1.1.2 Plan area and locality
The plan area comprising 30 hectares is
located on the eastern side of the Princes
Highway immediately adjacent to the main
CBD of Nowra. The plan area extends
south from North Street to Plunkett Street
and east from the Princes Highway to
Wallace Street (Figure 1).
The area subject to the major
development proposal comprises 7.9
hectares and is shown dotted on Figure 1.
1.1.3 Land ownership
There are approximately 65 landowners
with the plan area. The owners of Nowra
Fair hold 5.725 hectares south of Junction
Street and 1.73 hectares on the northern
side of Junction Street. The other two
major landowners on the eastern side of
the area are Shoalhaven City Council
(6.85 hectares exclusive of Junction Street
and other roads) and the NSW
Development of Education and Training
(5.63 hectares) whose land forms part of
the Nowra High School site (Figure 2).
1.1.4 Rezoning request
In December 2001, the owners of Nowra
Fair submitted a Development Application
together with a request to rezone their
land. The proposal as submitted consists
of an extension of Nowra Fair to the north
and west adding a Big W discount
department store and 4,500 square
metres gross lettable area of smaller
shops. The car parking is proposed to be
extended from 834 to 1,190 spaces (see
Figure 3).
The proposal also envisages the closure
of a section of Junction Street (east) to
accommodate a section of the proposed
expansion.
LP No. 335
1.2
Requirements of Local
Environmental Study
1.2.1 Requirements of
Shoalhaven City Council
Shoalhaven City Council had initially
resolved to review the Nowra CBD
Strategy to see whether it was appropriate
to extend the retail core to the eastern
side of the Highway to allow in principle an
extension of the Nowra Fair shopping
complex. To reassess the strategy,
Council prepared two study briefs for
consultants to consider the following:
The traffic and transport issues
This study brief not only requires the
investigation for the plan area but also
issues that the existing strategy indicates
require further investigation. The study
brief was prepared in consultation with the
Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) and
PlanningNSW. The relevant tasks from
the brief are summarised below:
•
•
•
•
•
Review of existing strategy
Review of key planning principles
adopted by Council from the 1998
Charette Process including items
listed for investigation
Review previous community
comments
Review existing Council and RTA
policies and strategies – parking,
traffic, public transport, pedestrian and
cycleway
Utilise 2016 TRACKS model systems
to assess the response of these
systems to existing strategy and
determine the appropriate uses of the
existing strategy under the current
LEP
LP No. 335
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Consider need to vary the car parking
strategy to cope with anticipated
change to traffic and parking to 2016
and longer
Confirm that existing strategy is
acceptable or report a deficiency
analysis from the review of the
existing strategy
Recommend strategy improvements
that will form the basis of the draft
CBD Strategy and form the basis for
measuring impacts of any proposed
rezonings in the plan area
Review of strategy to incorporate
expansion of the retail core on the
eastern side of the Highway
Determine the impact of a proposed
rezoning (including the development
proposal for the expansion of Nowra
Fair) on the existing strategies
(parking, traffic and transport,
pedestrian and cyclist) and any CBD
Strategy revisions from previous
section
Confirmation that existing strategy (or
revised strategy) could cater for
rezoning
Identify any changes or additions to
the strategy that may reduce the
impact of eastern extension of the
retail core
Consideration of servicing of any
future Nowra Fair expansion –
intersection capacities required to
allow for adequate servicing, turning
vehicles, land resumption required,
preferred routes
Consideration of severance and
connectivity of the proposed
development
7
Major strategic issues to be addressed
•
•
•
•
What options are there to link the CBD
to the east ie Kalander Street and
what impact would that option have on
the Highway and the CBD network
over time. This analysis to consider
number of lanes, number of
connections to the CBD network and
the effect on the Highway
Pedestrian movement across the
Highway both at present and also if
there is an expansion of the retail core
The balance between efficiency of the
Highway and accessibility to and from
the local network
Appropriate public transport routes
•
•
•
•
Economic issues
The brief for the economic study includes
the following requirements:
General requirements
•
•
•
The desirability and justification of
changing the present strategy to
incorporate the proposal to extend
Nowra Fair
The impact of any change in the
strategy on the existing retail and
bulky goods area to the west of the
Highway
Any measures to moderate the impact
and the feasibility and time frame for
these measures
•
Undertake an expenditure survey to
provide details of existing expenditure
and escape expenditure (expenditure
to include tourist and part-time
resident expenditure)
Provide assessment of impact of the
development of potential new core
areas (including comments on residue
of area north to North Street). This
assessment is to include:
(a) Floor area
(b) Location implications
(c) Trends in retailing etc
Provide assessment of implications of
loss of bulky goods area and options
eg South Nowra
Provide assessment of any measures
that could alleviate effects the location
and additional floor space of this
development. This assessment is to
include potential infill development
feasibility and potential timing
Provide assessment of potential of
any undeveloped or underdeveloped
retail areas if development takes place
now east of the Princes Highway and
comment on any alternative actions
for these areas to maintain viability
Detailed Requirements
•
•
8
Consider the existing CBD retail floor
space including bulky goods and
provide a summary
Consider any existing development
approvals
LP No. 335
1.2.2 Requirements of
PlanningNSW
The major issues that need to be identified
and addressed in the draft LEP and any
review of the strategy are:
•
•
•
The economic impact created by retail
development that is separated from
and in competition with the existing
CBD retail core
The best ways to integrate an
expanded shopping centre east of the
Princes Highway with the existing
CBD retail centre to the west from a
community, access and functional
perspective
Potential impacts on the efficiency of
the Princes Highway
PlanningNSW also endorsed the study
briefs outlined in Section 1.2.1 (see
Annexure 1).
1.2.3 Consultation
In accordance with Section 62 of the
Environmental Planning and Assessment
Act, a number of public authorities have
been carried out. These authorities are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Department of Land and Water
Conservation
Roads and Traffic Authority
Department of Education and Training
Coastal Council of NSW
Environment and Protection Authority
Rural Fire Service
Integral Energy
Telstra
PlanningNSW
Department of Agriculture
In addition to this formal consultation,
letters were sent to all the landowners
within the plan area and the Manager of
the South Coast Aboriginal Cultural
Centre. Responses received from public
authorities are attached as Annexure 2.
LP No. 335
9
2.
Planning Context
2.1
Local Planning Provisions
(c)
•
2.1.1 Shoalhaven Local
Environmental Plan 1985
Amendment No. 127 (gazetted 16 July
1999) applies to all the land in the
plan area. The aims most relevant to
this area etc are:
All the land in the plan area is under the
provisions of Shoalhaven Local
Environmental Plan 1985. The objectives
of the plan that relate most directly with
this location etc are:
(g)
(b)
(r)
(c)
(e)
(j)
(l)
to ensure space is provided for
community services and facilities as
well as recreational activities;
to enable a variety of commercial
uses while consolidating existing
commercial centres;
to ensure that the council gives due
regard to the effect of natural
hazards upon development;
to ensure the social amenity and
well-being of the City;
to provide the most appropriate
public utility services in the most
effective manner;
(s)
(t)
(u)
There have been two amendments to LEP
1985 that directly affect the plan area:
•
Amendment No. 178 (gazetted
February 2001) applies to most of the
land between Junction Street and
North Street and between the Princes
Highway and the Nowra High School
land. The aims of this amendment
are:
(a)
(b)
10
to rezone certain land at Nowra
to the Business “B”
(Transitional) Zone under the
City of Shoalhaven Local
Environmental Plan 1985, and
to allow for that land to be used
for the sale of bulky goods and
electrical appliances, and
to promote the efficiency and
safety of the Princes Highway.
(v)
to maintain the agricultural use
of prime crop and pasture land
by minimising development
which has an adverse and
irreversible impact on the
land’s agricultural potential;
to ensure that development
achieves the water quality or
river flow objectives of ground
water, rivers, estuaries,
wetlands and other water
bodies;
to avoid, mitigate or remedy
the adverse effects of
development on the
environment;
to minimise energy
consumption and promote
energy efficient design and
appliance use;
to minimise potable water
consumption and promote
wastewater reuse as well as
water saving designs and
fittings;
to minimise waste generation
and promote recycling and
reuse of materials; and
The area is subject to a number of zones
under the LEP 1985 and amendments.
These zones are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rural 1(g) Flood
Residential 2(a1)
Residential 2(b1)
Commercial 3(b)
Special Uses 5(a) (School), (Car
Parking), (Pumping Station)
Recreation 6(a)
LP No. 335
Figure 4 shows an extract from Council’s
zoning map for the locality, indicating the
existing zoning of the plan area and
surrounding area. The principle objectives
of the zones and land use tables are
attached as Annexure 3.
Specific clauses in the LEP that relate to
the land are:
•
•
•
•
Clause 23 Protection of Streams
Clause 27 Acid Sulphate Soils
Clause 29 Development of Flood
Liable Land
Clause 3E Development of Certain
Land at Princes Highway, Nowra
This latter contains the following specific
subsections:
(2) The Council must not consent to the
development of the land to which this
clause for the purposes of a shop,
unless the shop sells bulky goods or
electrical goods in conjunction with
bulky goods.
(3) The Council must not consent to the
clause applies unless it is satisfied
that the nature and scale of the
proposed development is satisfactory
in terms of likely traffic generation
and that no adverse impacts on
public safety or on the efficiency of
the Princes Highway will result from
it.
(4) The Council must not consent to
clause applies that provides for direct
access onto the Princes Highway.
LP No. 335
2.1.2 Development Control Plan
No. 94
This plan became effective on 16
February 2001 and applies to land
bounded by East Street (Princes
Highway), North Street, Junction Street
and the prolongation of Brereton Street.
Some of the most pertinent objectives are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
To encourage bulky goods uses which
would reinforce the regionality of
Nowra CBD
To provide controls in relation to retail
shops to ensure such activities do not
have a detrimental economic impact
on the traditional Nowra retail core
located west of the Princes Highway
To minimise vehicular and pedestrian
conflicts with the Princes Highway
To provide controls ie building
envelopes which allow the long term
(15 years) implementation of an
efficient and safe transport network
which provides additional access to
the Nowra CBD, particularly from the
east
To minimise any adverse impacts on
the future development of this site
through existing physical constraints
and the location of major utility of
services
To provide urban design guidelines in
keeping with the highly visible location
of this land both now and in terms of
future traffic networks
11
The DCP guidelines also set out the
following performance criteria and shown
on the DCP map Figure 5:
P1.0
P1.1
P1.2
P2.1
P2.2
P2.3
P2.4
P2.5
P3.3
P3.4
P4.1
P4.2
P4.3
12
Large parcels of land should be
maintained or created
Development requiring large lots
is encouraged
Land use activities should not
compete directly with retail shops
within the Nowra retail core
Pedestrian movements across the
Highway should minimise delays
to through traffic
Vehicle movements entering the
Highway should minimise delays
to through traffic
Any traffic generating
development is to demonstrate
how impacts to the local traffic
network can be minimised
Any development should be
designed to safeguard the
construction of the Brereton Street
link (see Figure 5)
Any development should be
designed to allow the
implementation of future traffic
network
To minimise the impact to any
development due to flooding
Stormwater drainage from all
developments being adequately
designed to ensure receiving
water bodies adjacent properties
and infrastructure are not
adversely affected both during
and after construction
Development should maintain the
bulk and scale of existing CBD
built forms
High standard of architectural
(building and landscaping)
designs should be utilised in this
visually prominent location
Tree planting and paving should
reinforce the primary vistas and
be appropriate to the function of
the street and land use activity
P4.4
Utility services should have
minimal impact on important
visual corridors (Junction Street
and the Princes Highway)
2.1.3 General Development
Control Plans
The following Development Control Plans
have effect within the plan area:
DCP No. 18 Car parking code
This DCP aims to ensure that adequate off
street parking is provided in terms of
number, layout and design
DCP No. 82
This plan provides development guidelines
for advertising signs.
DCP No. 93
This plan provides guidelines for Waste
Minimisation and Management.
DCP No. 100
This plan reviews Council’s subdivision
code.
2.1.4 Draft Local Environmental
Plans
Shoalhaven Draft Local Environmental
Plan No. LP 303
Most of the area is subject to a resolution
of Council to prepare the above Draft
Local Environmental Plan. The objective
of this plan generally was to alter some
existing zones to accord with Council’s
adopted CBD Strategy. This Draft LEP
has not yet proceeded to Section 65
stage.
LP No. 335
Plan No. LP 200
This plan covers the whole of the Nowra
Bomaderry area. The objective of this
plan is to allow for the expansion of the
Nowra Bomaderry area. A first stage
concept plan has been on public exhibition
but the Draft LEP has not yet proceeded
to Section 65 stage.
•
•
•
Plan No. LP 341
•
The aim of this plan is to update the
various provisions of Shoalhaven LEP
1985 that relate to flooding to ensure
consistency with the NSW Government’s
Floodplain Manual.
•
2.1.5 Unhealthy building land
Areas of the plan area were gazetted as
unhealthy building land (area 601) in
1950. Since that time, some of the area
including most of the present Nowra Fair
has been repealed. Figure 6 shows the
area still subject to the gazettal.
2.1.6 Council policies and
strategies
CBD Strategy
After an extensive process of consultation,
Council adopted a revised Nowra CBD
Strategy on 20 February.
The strategy includes guidelines for its
implementation to the year 2016. An
important objective of the strategy is to
maintain the regional status of the centre.
Some of the most pertinent planning
principles and actions for further
investigation are:
LP No. 335
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The retail core confined to the western
side of the Highway generally within
200-300 metres of the Junction and
Kinghorne Street focus
Emphasis to be placed on
developments along Junction between
Berry and East Streets (Princes
Highway)
Investigate a town square through the
redevelopment of Egans Lane car
park
Designate Stewart Place as a retail
development site with car parking
facilities
Investigate possible removal of
Junction Court
Enhance vistas and introduce strong
thematic urban design in the core area
Provide a town centre of a pedestrian
scale and with high quality and safe
pedestrian access
Investigate for mixed use areas
including residential and cultural
Investigate the reinforcing the regional
role with cultural and recreation
regional facilities
Investigate the centre of excellence
adjacent to Nowra Fair
Investigate the eastern arterial road
Provision for bulky goods retailing to
occur within the retail area generally
between O’Keefe Avenue/Nowra Lane
and the Highway
Construct northern and southern
gateways – Figure 7 outlines the main
land use, Figure 7a and Figure 8 also
illustrate some of the urban design
and movement elements of the
existing strategy
Limit commercial intrusion west of
Osborne Street
13
In October 2001 Council resolved to
review the CBD Strategy to ascertain if it
was appropriate to alter the strategy to
allow for the consideration of an
expansion of Nowra Fair. The strategy
review entailed major studies of the
transport and economic aspects of the
CBD. Consultants’ briefs were prepared
in consultation with PlanningNSW and the
RTA. The briefs were prepared so that
the studies would form part of an
environmental study if it found that the
strategy could reasonably be altered to
accommodate an expansion of the retail
core on the eastern side of the Highway.
The outcome of these studies is outlined
in later sections of this study. This study
also reviewed the urban designed aspects
of the present strategy.
Housing Strategy
•
•
•
•
Permit the development of new
boarding and rooming houses close to
Nowra town centre
Permit mixed residential and retail
development in the Nowra town centre
to four storeys above ground level
Subdivision of dual occupancies to be
permissible in areas with good
services for the aged, youth and
disabled
Encourage villas and integrated
development near the centres of
Nowra and Bomaderry
Shoalhaven Pedestrian Access and
Mobility Plan (PAMP) Stage 1
Council adopted PAMP Stage 1 October
2001 after public consultation. The aim of
this plan is to develop a system of
pedestrian facilities that are practical and
cater for the needs of different users.
Council adopted a Housing Strategy in
July 2000. The investigations and
consultations found that in general
Shoalhaven was meeting the housing
needs of the community. The strategy
focussed mainly on the unmet housing
needs of special groups. The groups
identified are:
The main objectives of the PAMP are as
follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The aged
Youth
Aboriginal
Women and sole parent families
People with disabilities
The issues identified and the responses
were often common to all of these groups.
The strategy responses most pertinent to
the plan area are summarised below:
14
•
•
•
•
•
Integrate walking into the transport
system
Link the pedestrian network with key
land uses and activities
Reduce pedestrian severance –
remove barriers to walking
Improve access for all
Ensure the consistent development of
facilities
Encourage more walking
Improve safety for pedestrians
The most important actions relating to the
CBD and plan area are shown on Figure 8
LP No. 335
Shoalhaven Bicycle Strategy
Shoalhaven Contribution Plan 1993
The Shoalhaven Bicycle Strategy was
adopted by Council December 1992.
While the CBD has not been included in
the present network, the strategy requires
the following considerations:
This plan nominates the area immediately
to the east of the existing Nowra Fair as
the site for an extensive recreation facility.
This facility is designated as a regional
facility.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Recognise and accept cycling as a
legitimate form of sustainable
transport and promote Shoalhaven as
a “cycle friendly” city
Ensure that the Bicycle Strategy
becomes as an important component
of any future integrated transport
strategy which may be developed for
the City
Seek agreement with the RTA to
provide for cyclists in all future
upgrading of the Princes Highway or
other arterial roads under their control,
in consultation with Council,
particularly the use by cyclists of
sealed breakdown lanes along such
roads eg as in widening of Highway at
Bomaderry near the Tourist Centre
Provide cycle lanes with appropriate
marking and signposting in future
arterial or other main road widening
undertaken by Council
Ensure that bicycle facilities (including
cycleways, cycle parking and
signposting) are provided where
appropriate in all new residential
subdivisions and large scale
developments
Provide secure bicycle parking at all
major public buildings/venues and
also at major retail, commercial and
recreational centres
2.2
Regional and State
Planning Policies
2.2.1 Illawarra Regional
Environmental Plan No. 1
The plan area is subject to the provisions
of the Illawarra Regional Environmental
Plan No. 1.
Rural Lands
As part of the plan area is presently zoned
Rural, the following objectives relating to
rural lands apply:
(a)
(d)
(f)
(g)
To retain the productive capacity of
prime crop and pasture lands
To effectively manage the
development of rural lands having
regard to flood potential, bushfire
risks, salinisation, soil degradation,
erosion and weed infestation
To prevent uneconomic demand for
State Government services
To allow for future urban expansion
Within the plan area, the strategy requires
the upgrading of the existing north south
link running along the eastern side of the
Nowra Fair centre.
LP No. 335
15
Draft Local Environmental Plans are
required to consider the following:
Land of prime crop and pasture potential
The plan area is outside the defined land
of prime crop and pasture potential under
the provisions of the IREP No. 1.
However a major part of the land is shown
as agricultural classification 3 on
Department of Agriculture mapping.
Consultation with the Director General of
the Department of Agriculture is required
for land designated as prime crop and
pasture land.
Valuable natural environments
The plan area appears to be excluded
from any recommendations in the Illawarra
Regional Landscape and Environmental
Study and appears to be included in the
urban area.
Flood prone lands
This provision requires the identification of
lands subject to inundation and Council to
consider the need to introduce
development standards or other controls
in order to ensure that the effects of any
flooding or development will be minimal.
Living Areas
Rezoning for new living areas
This provision requires consideration
dwelling demand and supply.
Services
This provision requires an assessment of
adequacy of infrastructure and services to
cater for new development.
16
Residential densities
This provision requires consideration of
increase in density and a provision of a
variety of housing types.
Flood liable land
If a draft plan aims to rezone land from
rural to urban this provision requires
consultation with Government agencies
and a plan of management for the area.
The planning authority is required to be
satisfied that the potential for flood losses
is contained. It is also required to identify
the flood behaviour and associated flood
risk where the draft plan encompasses
development on land in existing urban
areas.
Commercial Areas
Supply of commercial land
Unless the consent authority, having
regard to the provisions of section 5 of the
Act, can satisfy the Director to the
contrary, a draft local environmental plan
shall not contain provisions for an increase
in commercial or retail development if the
development is likely to have a detrimental
impact on the existing or potential function
of land shown on the map as a
subregional (Figure 9). The IREP No. 1
also contains the following principles
relating to Nowra commercial centre.
Nowra and Bowral commercial centres
The Nowra and Bowral commercial
centres should be developed to serve as
the prime business and retail areas for
their subregions.
LP No. 335
Traffic control in commercial centres
Planning for existing commercial centres
(Nowra and Bowral) affected by through
traffic should attempt to improve shopping
and pedestrian amenity by rerouting traffic
or consolidating development on one side
of the through traffic route.
The IREP No. 1 also contains the
following provision:
•
Residential uses in business zones
A draft local environmental plan
applying to land adjacent to a main or
arterial road in an urban area shall not
provide for an increase in traffic
generating users unless access to the
road can be satisfactorily catered for
in accordance with Traffic Authority
guidelines.
This provision requires consideration of
residential uses in mixed development in
business zones, above commercial
property.
The IREP No. 1 indicates the following
broader objectives relating to commercial
centres:
Transport and Service Corridors
•
The objectives most pertinent to the plan
area are:
•
•
•
•
To facilitate the development of a
public transport system which
enhances the mobility of those without
access to private vehicles and
provides a reasonable alternative to
the private car on key routes
To encourage the development of a
satisfactory system of urban, interurban and inter-regional links to meet
existing and future communication and
utility installation needs
To improve road safety and protect
public investment in main and arterial
roads by the control of adjacent land
uses
To accommodate private vehicles
which are expected to remain an
important mode of passenger
transport in the region, in planning
provisions
LP No. 335
•
To ensure that commercial service
centres are developed to suit the
convenience of consumers and to
optimise private and public investment
To promote shopping and pedestrian
amenity in all commercial centres
2.2.2 State Environmental
Planning Policies
There are no SEPP’s that directly relate to
the rezoning of the land within the plan
area (SEPP 14 Wetlands) other than
SEPP No. 71 Coastal Protection. As part
of the plan area falls within the coastal
zone, some of the general provisions of
SEPP no. 71 are most relevant.
Aims of policy
(a) To protect and manage the natural,
cultural, recreational and economic
attributes of the New South Wales
coast, and
(j) To manage the coastal zone in
accordance with the principles of
ecologically sustainable development
(within the meaning of section 6(2) of
the Protection of the Environment
Administration Act 1991)
17
Matters for consideration in draft LEP’s
G26 Residential Allotment Sizes
(m) Likely impacts of development on the
water quality of coastal waterbodies,
(o) Only in cases in which a council
prepares a draft local environmental
plan that applies to land to which this
Policy applies, the means to
encourage compact towns and cities
Except where the council can satisfy the
Director that any particular provision or
area should be varied or excluded having
regard to section 5 of the EP&A Act 1979,
DLEPs shall contain provisions to the
same effect as clauses 6, 7, and 8 of
SEPP No. 25 – Residential Allotment
Sizes, that is to say, provisions permitting:
2.2.3 Section 117(2) Directions
Section 117 of the EP&A Act enables the
Minister for Planning to give general and
specific directions about matters to be
considered in the preparation of draft
LEP’s. The relevant directions that apply
to the plan area are:
(a) the subdivision of land into allotments
each having an 450 square metres
and the erection of a single dwellinghouse on each of those allotments;
and
G25 Flood Liable Land
1.
2.
This Direction applies to flood liable
land as defined substantially in
accordance with the principles
contained in the Floodplain
Development Manual published in the
Gazette in pursuance of section
582A(4) of the Local Government Act
1919 on 6 February 1987. (Note: this
manual has since been superseded
by “Floodplain Management Manual
– The Management of Flood Liable
Land, NSW Government January
2001”)
Except where the Council can satisfy
the Director that any particular
provision or area should varied or
excluded having regard to the
provisions of section 5 of the EP&A
Act 1979: DLEPs shall not:
(ii) contain provisions which apply to
flood liable land and which:
(b) development for the purposes of
integrated housing involving the
subdivision of land into not less than
5 allotments each having an area of
not less than 232 square metres and
the erection of a single dwellinghouse on each of those allotments.
G27 Planning for Bus Services
In the preparation of a DLEP involving the
rezoning of land which could give rise to a
need for bus services or a revision of
existing bus services, the Council shall:
1.
Take into consideration the
guidelines set out in Technical
Bulletin 19 of 1989; and
2.
Consult with the Department of
Transport and take into account any
recommendations which it makes
to ensure that the DLEP allows for the
provision of an adequate and efficient bus
route system.
(a) permit a significant increase
in the development of that
land
18
LP No. 335
C1 Acid Sulphate Soils
Objective
To ensure that any use of land that is
mapped as having a probability of
containing acid sulphate soils will not
result in significant environmental impacts.
Acid Sulphate Soils Planning Guidelines
1. Council must consider the Acid
Sulphate Soils Planning Guidelines
adopted by the Director-General
when preparing a draft local
environmental plan or a draft
development control plan that applies
to any land identified on the Acid
Sulphate Soils Risk Maps as having a
high or low probability of acid
sulphate soils being present.
ASS LEP: Introduction of acid sulphate
soils provisions in existing zones
2. When a council is preparing a draft
LEP to introduce provisions to
regulate works in acid sulphate soils,
those provisions must be consistent
with the Acid Sulphate Soils Model
LEP in the Acid Sulphate Soils
Planning Guidelines adopted by the
Director-General.
Consideration of Acid Sulphate Soils when
rezoning land
3. If a change of land use is proposed, a
council must not prepare a draft LEP
that rezones land identified as having
a high or low probability of acid
sulphate soils study assessing the
appropriateness of the change of
land use given the presence of acid
sulphate soils.
4. Where an ASS LEP has not been
introduced and council is preparing a
draft LEP that rezones any land
identified as having a high or low
probability of acid sulphate soils on
the Acid Sulphate Soils Risk Maps,
the draft LEP must contain provisions
consistent with the ASS Model LEP.
LP No. 335
S26 Coastal Policy
As part of the plan area falls within the
coastal zone, the following requirements
must be considered:
Objective
To protect the ecological, scenic and
leisure value of the coast for the people of
NSW by requiring draft LEPs to be
consistent with the Government’s Coastal
Policy entitled NSW Coastal Policy 1997:
A Sustainable Future for the New South
Wales Coast (as amended from time to
time). A Council in preparing a draft LEP
must:
(a) include provisions that give effect to
and are consistent with the
Government publication entitled NSW
Coastal Policy 1997: A Sustainable
Future for the New South Wales
Coast (as amended from time to
time); and
(b) not alter, create or remove existing
zonings unless an environmental
study relating to the draft LEP has
been prepared and considered by
Council.
1.3 Objective
To improve water quality in coastal and
estuarine waters and coastal rivers where
it is currently unsatisfactory and to
maintain water quality where it is
satisfactory.
19
Strategic Action
1.3.2 Problems of non-point source
pollution (eg resulting from urban
development) will be addressed
through a range of actions
including the setting of ambient
water quality objectives; the
development of stormwater
management plans; the
promulgation of environmental
guidelines; and encouraging the
adoption and implementation by
industry and developers of “best
management practices” for
minimising pollution.
1.3.8 The discharge of contaminated
stormwater to coastal waters will
be minimised with the aim being
to ensure environmentally sound
management of stormwater and
prevent contamination in the
future.
2.1 Objective
To give the impacts of natural processes
and hazards a high priority in the planning
and management of coastal areas.
Strategic Action
2.1.1 Coastline, estuary and floodplain
management plans will continue
to be prepared by local councils
and integrated into local
environmental plans to address
planning and development issues
in accordance with the Coastline,
Floodplain and Estuary
Management Manuals.
2.1.4 Initiatives will be taken to address
the impacts of acid sulphate soils
(ASS) through: “consideration
being given to the need for
environmental studies which
address ASS early in the planning
and development process
20
3.2 Objective
To design and locate development to
complement the surrounding environment
and to recognise good aesthetic qualities.
Strategic Action
3.2.2 The use of good design principles
will be encouraged to ensure
more compact, human scale
towns are developed with their
own character within the
constraints of existing
infrastructure.
4.1 Objective
To effectively manage and conserve
cultural heritage places, items and
landscapes.
Strategic Action
4.1.4 Planning instrument, development
control plans and design
guidelines will identify and
consider significant views and
vistas within and from towns,
including street patterns and
layout and items of heritage
significance, in planning for towns.
6.2 Objective
To promote compact and contained
planned urban development in order to
avoid ribbon development, unrelated
cluster development and continuous urban
areas on the coast.
LP No. 335
Strategic Action
6.2.1 Planning instruments and
development control plans will
define the boundaries of urban
areas and indicate the amount
and form of development which is
appropriate for each location
taking into account the
environmental and servicing
implications.
6.2.2 The design of towns and buildings
should have regard to energy
efficient principles, for example
compact town form related to
transport networks, in order to
reduce energy dependency.
9.1 Objective
To facilitate consistent and
complementary decision making which
recognises the three spheres of
government.
Strategic Action
9.1.2 When preparing local and regional
environmental plans, regard for
consistency with the Coastal
Policy will be required.
LP No. 335
21
3.
Physical
Characteristics
3.1
Topography and drainage
The plan area is at the edge of the
Shoalhaven River Flood Plan and
consequently relatively flat. Elevations
range from 8.3 metres AHD near the East
Street/Junction Street intersection to 1.3
metres at the eastern section of the area.
There have been three major areas of
filling in the plan area. The first is in and
immediately around the footprint of the
existing Nowra Fair shopping centre. The
second area is the land immediately north
of Junction Street where filling has been
placed to create a four metre high bank
approximately on the prolongation of
Brereton Street. The playing field area of
the Nowra High School has minor fill
ostensibly to provide a level surface rather
than to elevate the land. Some minor fill
has resulted from the construction of
Council’s Skate Park.
The land between the existing Nowra Fair
on the Highway contains a depression
running north south approximately a metre
lower than the floor level of Nowra Fair.
Figure 11 shows the catchment
(approximately 100 hectares) that drains
into the plan area. The two major flows
into the area are from Worrigee Street and
from Marriott Park via the Highway. These
converge near the southwest via the
corner of the plan area and flow east
along the southern edge of the Nowra Fair
centre. Drainage from Junction Street
west of the Highway is also diverted south
to this major drainage line.
The other major drainage feature is a
man-made drainage channel that runs
north south through the plan area along
the prolongation of Brereton Street and
then along the eastern boundary of the
Nowra Fair centre until it meets the major
22
west-east drainage along the southern
side of Nowra Fair centre. This drainage
continues east for approximately half a
kilometre to meet another north-south
drain that leads to the Shoalhaven River.
3.2
Geology and soils
3.2.1 Geology
The 1:250,000 geological series
Wollongong Street shows the plan area at
the junction the Nowra sandstone
formation and quaternary alluvium laid in
the floodplain of the Shoalhaven River.
The Nowra sandstone consists of quartz
sandstone while the quaternary alluvium
consists typically of gravels, sand, silt and
clay.
3.2.2 Soils
The soils of Nowra Bomaderry consist of
the Nowra, Shoalhaven, Pulpit Rock and
Disturbed Terrain soil landscapes. The
soils of the study area fit into the
Shoalhaven Soil Landscape.
The Shoalhaven soil landscape is located
on level to gently undulating present
riverbed and banks, active floodplain with
small levees, minor depressions,
backwater swamps on the Coastal Plain
and flat to gently undulating terrace
surfaces of the Shoalhaven River.
Moderately deep (50-100cm) prairie soils
occur on levees, red earths and yellow
and red podsolic soils occur on terraces
and alluvial soils and gleyed podsolic
(potential acid sulphate) soils occur on the
floodplain. Limitations include flood
hazard, seasonal water logging,
permanently high watertable, hardsetting,
acid sulphate potential (subsoil), strongly
acid and sodicity.
LP No. 335
Description of the soils in the plan area is
complicated by imported fill material in
some areas with varying depths. Limited
investigation has been carried out most of
the detailed information is generally
confined to the Nowra Fair and the
proposed extensions area north of
Junction Street. In the northern area
beneath the filling test encountered a
variable mixture of stiff to very stiff silty
clay and clay silt overlying very stiff and
hard clay which is interpreted as being
weathered bedrock.
Bedrock level in this area varies from
three to five metres at is highest point but
the depth further north increases as it
does to the east. South of Junction Street
the dept to bedrock is in the order of 13+
metres.
South of Junction Street and in the layers
of soft and very soft clay exist of various
thicknesses and depths. The layers
measure from one to five metres thick with
in some cases the desiccated clay layer
near the surface.
The problems of ongoing settlement due
to consolidation of the softer layers and
the possible long term creep will have to
be taken into consideration in the design
of any buildings and infrastructure such as
roads.
3.2.3 Contaminated land
There are no properties in the plan area
listed in Council’s database of potentially
contaminated land and Council has not
been able to identify a previous use that
may have been a potentially
contaminating use.
As there has been a considerable area of
uncontrolled filling on the proposed
extension site Council requested a
preliminary Contamination Assessment
Report from the applicant’s consultants
which indicates that analysis of five
samples did not detect contaminants at a
level that exceed guideline levels.
Although the sampling was limited when
taken with the site history preliminary
report concludes that the property is
suitable for development.
However due to the limited sampling
undertaken and the presence of asbestos
sheeting fragments in one of the test holes
it is recommended that any excavated
material that is removed offsite be
classified in accordance with NSW EPA
Environmental Guidelines: Assessment
Classification and Management of Liquid
and Non Liquid Wastes to determine
where the material may be disposed.
The filling on the site of the proposed
extension of Nowra Fair ranges from one
metre in the western section to four
metres in the east. The filling appears to
be either poorly or moderately compacted
and in its present state would be
unsuitable for the support of building
structures or floor slabs. Either remedial
measures or special design would be
required for any footing, slabs etc.
LP No. 335
23
3.2.4 Acid sulphate soils
Shoalhaven has extensive areas of acid
sulphate soils. These soils cause
productivity losses due to acidity and
aluminium toxicity. The soils can also
indirectly have a dramatic negative impact
on receiving waters due to acidic drainage
high in toxic elements.
Acid sulphate soils are found mainly in
lowland areas like the Shoalhaven
floodplain and areas towards the rear of
coastal lakes.
From the Acid Sulphate Soil Hazard Risk
Map provided by Department of Land and
Water Conservation (extract Figure 10), it
can be seen that there are three
categories of hazard risk in the plan area.
The first AP1 and AP2 are areas where
the depth to the acid sulphate soil
materials are greater than one metre
below ground level and:
•
•
•
The majority of these landforms are
not expected to contain acid sulphate
soil materials
Land management is generally not
affected by acid sulphate soils
Highly localised occurrences may be
found, especially near boundaries with
environments with a high probability of
occurrence. Disturbance of these soil
materials will result in an
environmental risk that will vary with
elevation and depth of disturbance
It should be noted that Shoalhaven Local
Environmental Plan No. 1 already contains
provisions (Clause 27) that relate to
development in acid sulphate soils.
3.3
Flooding
3.3.1 Floodplain management
plan
The plan area is on the perimeter of the
Shoalhaven River floodplain. Shoalhaven
Council has commissioned the following
studies in accordance with the guidelines
of the NSW Government Floodplain
Management Manual:
Stage 1 Flood Study – completed in April
1990
Stage 2 Floodplain Risk Management
Study
Stage 3 Floodplain Risk Management
Plan
Stage 1 Flood Study
(a) Description of flood study
The Lower Shoalhaven River Flood Study
was completed in 1990. The draft
Compendium of Data documented the
historical flood and other data which were
used in the preparation of the Flood Study.
The third category is along the major
drainage course running west east in the
southern part of the plan area. This is a
severe environmental risk if bottom
sediments are distributed as activities
such as dredging. Acid sulphate soil is
therefore not a factor in the consideration
for the rezoning.
24
LP No. 335
In the Flood Study a computer based
hydrologic model, termed the Watershed
Bounded Network Model (WBNM), was
established for the entire Shoalhaven
River catchment. This model converts
rainfall input data into estimates of
streamflow for use in a hydraulic model
(called the CELLS Model) to determine
flood behaviour (flood levels, flow
distribution and velocities). This hydraulic
model covered the lower floodplain area
from a point approximately 12 kilometres
upstream of Nowra Bridge to the Pacific
Ocean at both Shoalhaven Heads and
Crookhaven Heads.
Both models were calibrated and verified
to data recorded for the flood events of
August 1974, June 1975, October 1976,
March 1978 and April 1988.
Design rainfall data were obtained from
Australian Rainfall and Runoff (1987
edition) and input to the models to
produce design flood information for the
extreme, 1%, 2% and 5% AEP floods.
The extreme flood provides an indication
of the likely effects of a Probable
Maximum Flood (PMF).
The Flood Study also considered:
•
•
•
•
Appropriate design ocean levels
The effect of the relative timing of the
ocean peak and peak discharge
The effect of closure of the
Shoalhaven heads entrance and
subsequent scouring during the flood
Variation in adopted width and friction
values at the Shoalhaven Heads
entrance
The study concluded that, for a 1% AEP
flood, the peak level at Shoalhaven Heads
would be 0.75m higher if the entrance was
closed rather than open at the beginning
of the flood. This difference would reduce
to 0.01m at Nowra Bridge.
LP No. 335
The models used in the Flood Study were
“state of the art” at the time the
investigation work was undertaken (1986
to 1988). Since that time, a new
generation of hydraulic models has
appeared. These new models still rely on
calibration against historical flood
information to produce accurate simulation
of flood events. Given the amount of
historical data used to calibrate and verify
the CELLS Model, it is considered that the
application of an “up to date” hydraulic
model would not significantly alter the
estimated design flood levels for locations
where historical levels are available. The
results from the Flood Study were
therefore considered suitable for use in
the Floodplain Risk Management Study.
(b) Flood levels
The plan area falls within cell 31 of the
model. For this cell the following flood
levels have been defined:
Flood Levels
Extreme
1% AEP
2% AEP
5% AEP
m AHD
7.1
4.6
3.9
2.0
The levels are based on the assumption
that the Shoalhaven Heads entrance is
closed at the start of the event and then
scours out with the passage of flood
waters.
(c) Greenhouse effect
The Bureau of Meteorology has indicated
that there is no intention at present to
revise design rainfalls to take account of
the Greenhouse Effect, as the possible
mechanisms are far from clear and there
is no indication that the changes would in
fact increase rainfalls in major storms.
Even if an increase in total annual rainfall
does occur, the impact on storm rainfalls
may not be adverse.
25
It has also been suggested that the
cyclone belt may move further
southwards. The possible impacts of this
on design rainfalls cannot be ascertained
at this time as little is known about the
mechanisms that determine the movement
of cyclones under existing conditions.
Another possible consequence of the
Greenhouse Effect could be a rise in sea
level. This issue is complicated by other
long term influences on mean sea level
changes. The available literature
suggests that a gradual increase in sea
level is likely to occur with a rise of
perhaps 0.05m to 0.3m within the next 50
years (Report of Working Group 11 of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change Technical Summary, Climate
Change 2061: Impacts, Adoption and
Vulnerability February 2001).
While this may have a significant impact at
Shoalhaven Heads if it equates to a
similar increase in the design ocean level,
modelling results demonstrate that any
change in ocean levels will have minimal
impact on flood levels further upstream.
Rising minimum flood levels by the likely
magnitude of the rise in sea level for new
development does not appear to be
justified on present information particularly
given the small potential rise shown from
the modelling for the upstream location
such as the plan area. However part of
this consideration is the free board
allowance to be considered as part of the
decision for adopting the appropriate
“flood planning level”.
26
Stage 2 Lower Shoalhaven River
Floodplain Risk Management Study
(a) Objectives
The objectives of the Floodplain Risk
Management Study relevant to this study
are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Examination of Council’s local
floodplain risk management policies
and strategies and planning policies,
instruments and strategies to ensure
consistency with each other and this
manual
Examination of existing warning
systems and community flood
readiness in relation to SES disaster
planning requirements
Community consultation to provide
and gather information, enable
participation in the decision making
process and gain community
acceptance of the management study
findings and the subsequent plan
Determination of hydraulic and hazard
categories and recommendation of
appropriate flood planning levels
based upon the management study
and the principles of this manual
Identification of potential development
areas within the floodplain for
assessment
Identification and assessment of
floodplain risk management measures
including development restrictions (for
existing and potential development
areas) aimed at reducing the social,
environmental and economic loss of
flooding on development and the
community, both existing and future,
over a full range of flood events
LP No. 335
(b) Draft recommendations
A draft study has now been completed by
consultants. In the preparation of this
study, the consultants carried out
community consultations and
investigations into the socio-economic
considerations. The draft study however
still has to be considered by the Flood
Management Committee, Council and be
placed on public exhibition. Once
adopted, it forms the basis of Stage 3 the
Floodplain Management Plan. In the
interim, the consultant’s recommendations
that affect the plan area are:
•
Hydraulic and hazard categories
Figure 12 shows an extract of the
study map. Most of the plan area is
subject to 1% AEP flood within the
area bounded by the Highway, North
Street, Junction Street and the
prolongation of Brereton Street either
not effected on only beginning low
hazard flood fringe. Most of the rest
of the area has been categorised as
high hazard flood storage. The report
does indicate that this may be altered
based on the availability of more
detailed topographical information.
This categorisation is based on a +0.5
freeboard allowance. A more detailed
assessment of the present Nowra Fair
site indicates that for the footprint of
the building and some of the
pedestrian areas along the western
side should be reclassified to low
hazard flood storage. Approximately
90% of the existing car park would
remain in the high hazard flood
storage. The filled land immediately
north of Junction Street is above the
flood planning level.
LP No. 335
•
Flood planning levels and graded
development controls
Flood planning levels are a
combination of flood levels and
freeboard allowance. The consultants
confirm the use of the 1% AEP or 1 in
100 ARI flood level and recommend
the adoption of a consistent 0.5
freeboard allowance. In the plan area
the flood planning level would be 5.1
metre AHD. The major factors
outlined for consideration of the
freeboard were:
(1) To allow for modelling
uncertainties in the estimation of
flood levels
(2) Localised hydraulic behaviour
(3) Climate change
(4) Wave action
(5) Consistency
The flood planning levels are defined
for broad land use categories and
combined with key development
controls.
27
The following table shows the
consultants recommendations that
would apply to the plan area:
DEVELOPMENT
CONTROL
CONSIDERATION
HYDRAULIC AND HAZARD CATEGORISATION
MINOR DEVELOPMENT
RESIDENTIAL
COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL
OPEN SPACE/NON-URBAN
MINOR DEVELOPMENT
2
2
4
2
2
2
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
2
1,3
1,3
1,3
2
1,3
1,3
3
3
3
3
1,3
3
3
3
3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
4
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
SUBDIVISION & FILLING
OPEN SPACE/NON-URBAN
2
CRITICAL UTILITIES
COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL
2
ESSENTIAL COMM FACILITIES
RESIDENTIAL
STORAGE
(High Hazard Area)
SUBDIVISION & FILLING
FLOOR
LEVEL
BUILDING
COMPONENTS
STRUCTURAL
SOUNDNESS
FLOOD
AFFECTATION
EVACUATION/
ACCESS
FLOOD
AWARENESS
MANAGEMENT &
DESIGN
CRITICAL UTILITIES
ESSENTIAL COMM FACILITIES
FLOOD FRINGE
(Low Hazard Areas)
Floor level
2 Habitable floor levels to be equal or greater than the flood planning level (5.1 AHD)
Building components
1 All structures to have flood compatible building components below or at flood planning
level
Structural soundness
1 Engineers report to prove any structure subject to a flood up to and including 1% AEP level
can withstand the force of flood water
Debris and buoyancy
2 Applicant demonstrates that any structure subject to a flood up to and including 1% AEP
land should withstand the force of flood water, debris and buoyancy
28
LP No. 335
Flood affection
1 Engineer report required to prove that the development of an existing allotment will not
increase flood affectation elsewhere
2 The impact of the development on flooding elsewhere to be considered
3 No net reduction in flood storage below the 1% AEP flood
Evacuation/access
1 Reliable access for pedestrian required during a 1% AEP flood
2 Reliable access for pedestrians and vehicles required at or above the extreme flood level
3 Consideration required regarding an appropriate flood evacuation strategy and
pedestrian/vehicular access route for both before and during a flood
Flood awareness
1 Restrictions to be placed on title advising of minimum floor levels required relative to the
flood level
2 S149(2) certificates to notify affectation by the flood planning level
3 S149(2) certificates to notify affectation by the extreme flood
Management and design
1 Flood plan required where floor levels are below the flood planning level
2 Applicant to demonstrate that there is an area where goods may be stored above the flood
planning level during floods
3 No external storage of materials below the flood planning level which may be potentially
hazardous during floods
4 Applicant to demonstrate that potential development as a consequence of a subdivision
proposal can be undertaken in accordance with this policy
Stage 3 Flood Management Plan
The final stage, the Flood Management
Plan, is expected to be ready in draft form
in June 2003. The risk management study
forms the basis of the flood management
study consideration of the issues in that
study will therefore potentially address any
issues with the likely Flood Management
Plan.
LP No. 335
29
3.3.2 Council’s existing flood
management policy
Council adopted an interim flood policy in
September 1987 which was last revised in
August 2002. The main points of the policy
that relate to the plan area are:
•
•
•
•
•
The 1% AEP flood is the Standard
Flood
The freeboard to the floor levels of
habitable rooms of commercial and
residential developments is generally
0.5m in a floodway and 0.3m
elsewhere. Local exceptions to these
rules may apply depending on the
particular circumstances
Where the proposed development
could be damaged by flooding, the
structure is to be suitably designed to
meet the guidelines
Materials used in construction below
the minimum floor level are to be
compatible with immersion in
floodwaters
For proposed dwelling extensions,
where it is impractical to raise the floor
level, the minimum floor level
requirement will be treated on its merits
This policy was formulated under the
previous Flood Plain Manual.
3.3.3 Extreme flood event
Figure 12 shows the extent of the extreme
flood event ie 7.1 metres AHD. For this
event, the Junction Street intersection with
the Highway, the western part of the land
immediately north of Junction Street and an
area in the southern section are the only
areas regarded as non-flood prone.
The Floodplain Management Manual
clearly indicates that it is unlikely and
generally impractical for the flood planning
level to be based on the PMF or extreme
level. In this case where commercial
development already exists and the
location has value in terms of accessibility
etc it would not be warranted. Figure 9
does demonstrate that development in the
plan area can be designed to provide flood
free evacuation.
3.3.4 Issues for rezoning
The Floodplain Management Manual
acknowledges a broad risk management
hierarchy of:
•
•
•
Avoidance of flood risk
Minimisation of flood risk using
appropriate planning controls
Flood risk mitigation
The first two categories are the most
relevant for consideration.
Avoidance of flood risk
Generally it would not be a preferred policy
to increase the land use intensity for flood
prone land. In this case there are a
number of socio-economic factors that
make the consideration of this area
reasonable. These factors are:
30
LP No. 335
(a) There is already considerable retail
development in the area that serves
community demand
(b) That while there is other retail core
land presently zoned that is flood free
none of this land has been found to be
too difficult to develop for the type of
retail facility planned for this area
(c) Part of the plan area presently
undeveloped is already zoned for
bulky goods retailing
(d) The location of the plan area makes it
strategically valuable to supply goods
and services to the whole of the
Shoalhaven community
(e) The road strategy strongly
recommends a sub arterial road link
between North Street and Kalander
Street to sustain the viability of the
Highway. The use of the land
between this link and the Highway
helps maximise the investment in this
infrastructure
(f) The land subject to the development
proposal is partly zoned for bulky
goods and part of that zoning is flood
free. The only area that is below the
proposed flood planning level is a
section of the existing car park
Minimisation of flood risk using planning
controls
The additional uses being considered for
the plan are an expansion of the
commercial retail area, additional car
parking, recreation, community facilities
and additional road works.
The adoption of the appropriate flood
planning level and the other development
control measures outlined in the previous
table should minimise flood risk.
The proposal by the potential developers to
excavate their site and develop below the
recommended draft flood planning level is
of some concern. A fuller discussion on
this aspect is contained in a later section of
this study.
There is the potential for filling certain
areas of the plan area and the loss of flood
storage is a consideration. The effect of
potential fill for the plan area is not known
to any level of certainty at this stage.
The various uses would potentially be at
different levels. The sub arterial road, car
parks and sports fields would not be filled
to the flood planning level for habitable
buildings. The sub arterial road provides
badly needed supplementary capacity for
the Highway and Kalander Street but is not
an essential access road and its level
would be set in relation to costs and local
impact. The areas of potential building are
relatively small.
The effects of loss of flood plain storage
depend upon the volume of loss compared
to the total volume available. An
approximate estimate of the total floodplain
storage volume available in the 1% AEP
event is some 200,000 ML (100km2 at an
average depth of two metres) (Webb
McKeown & Associates).
The potential loss for this area would be
between 0.0005% and 0.005% and have
relatively minor impact. The filling of land
within the plan area below 1% AEP will
only result in loss of temporary flood plain
storage as it is not in a flow path of the
Shoalhaven River. Any filling will have to
preserve the major local drainage pattern
described in Section 3.1.
If Council proceeds with this development
in the plan area, it should monitor the
cumulative impacts of filling throughout the
whole flood plain and incorporate
guidelines in a DCP.
LP No. 335
31
Flood risk mitigation
This is not a consideration for this rezoning.
3.3.5 Existing land use
The major land in the area is the Nowra
Fair shopping centre which comprises:
•
•
•
•
7,000m2 discount department store
(Kmart)
4,000m2 supermarket (Woolworths)
48 specialty stores covering 4,960m2
830 at grade car parking spaces
Adjoining this development is the
Aboriginal Cultural Centre and two retail
outlets fronting the Highway.
To the south of the shopping centre are
mostly detached dwellings with a small
medium density development.
North of Junction Street is the former car
park of the Nowra Ex Servicemen’s Club
with two commercial buildings fronting the
Highway.
On the southern side of North Street are a
car sales establishment and a car repair
business. Adjoining the latter is a Council
sewerage pumping station.
To the east are playing fields that while
forming part of the Nowra High School are
also used by the community.
Immediately east of the shopping centre,
Council have recently constructed a
regional skateboard facility.
32
LP No. 335
4.
Flora and Fauna
4.1
Flora
Most of the area has been modified over a
long period of time. Council’s native
vegetation mapping indicates that the plan
area has no cover of native vegetation and
is in fact an area of modified grassland
dominated by introduced species such as
kikuyu and paspalum with the occasional
remnant paperbark or casuarina and native
reeds in some of the wetter areas.
4.2
Fauna
The habitat has been severely altered and
as a consequence no significant native
fauna have been identified in the plan area.
4.3
Threatened species
There are no threatened species on the
subject land. There are records of Squaretailed Kite, Hooded Plover, Freckled Duck
and Regent Honeyeater within one
kilometre of the subject land. Because of
the highly modified nature of the land, it is
unlikely that suitable threatened species
habitat exists on the site for these species
or any other threatened species.
4.4
Planning implications
The location of the plan area is such that it
is not potential habitat corridor nor given
the previous comments these factors are
not an issue in consideration for rezoning.
LP No. 335
33
5.
Prime Crop and
Pasture Land
5.1
Agricultural land
classification
The agricultural land classes in the subject
land include numbers 3 and 9. Agricultural
land classification 3 refers to: Grazing land
or land well suited to pasture improvement.
It may be cultivated or cropped in rotation
with pasture. The overall production level
is moderate because of edaphic or
environmental constraints. Erosion hazard,
soil structural breakdown and other factors
including climate may limit the capacity for
cultivation; and soil conservation or
drainage works may be required.
Classification 9 represents urban land.
5.4
Consultation
NSW Agriculture has been consulted in the
preparation of this study. The major issue
raised by that department for consideration
is the potential conflict with existing
agricultural uses with shoppers amenity,
outdoor eateries etc.
NSW Agriculture accepts the need for the
consolidation of urban uses and suggests
that the potential sub-arterial road and
playing field if reinforced with suitable tree
planting will provide an appropriate buffer
between the urban area and the productive
agriculture land bordering the eastern edge
of the plan area.
Agricultural land classes 1, 2 and 3
constitute “prime crop and pasture land”
under the Illawarra REP. An objective of
the Illawarra REP is “to retain the
productive capacity of prime crop and
pasture lands”.
5.2
Illawarra Regional Plan No.
1
The provisions of Illawarra Regional Plan
do not apply to the plan area as it is
excluded from the maps of prime crop and
pasture land.
5.3
Existing uses
As previously mentioned in the study, none
of the plan area has been used for
agricultural use for a considerable time and
much of the area has been modified to an
extent that would require reclassification.
34
LP No. 335
6.
Water Quality
6.1
Policy and objectives
Council’s Urban Stormwater Management
Plan includes an objective for new
developments to meet the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Protection of aquatic & bushland
ecosystems
Protection of biodiversity of the
catchment
A clean, visually appealing stormwater
system discharging to health receiving
waters
Protection of Scenic vistas
Protection of sites of cultural and
heritage value
Stormwater managers meet their
responsibilities
Opportunities for recycling and reuse of
stormwater
Well managed tourism
The Coastal Policy and particularly SEPP
71 require that we consider amongst other
things:
•
•
Impact on water quality
Cumulative impacts of the
development on the environment (as
part of the DA process)
Council’s Cityplan and Management plans
espouse the pursuit of ecologically
sustainable development and this is also in
Council’s charter under the Local
Government Act 1993
LP No. 335
EPA guidelines (EPA 1997) suggest that
water quality impacts of new developments
can only be undertaken by some form of
modelling, which can comprise both source
modelling to estimate the likely pollutant
loads form the existing and proposed land
uses and control modelling to estimate the
ability of control measures to reduce
pollutant levels. The guidelines recommend
that for a development of this scale only
relatively simple techniques are necessary
that predict the average annual pollution
loads.
6.2
Best practice
A preliminary review of best practice in
relation to stormwater management of
shopping centre development was carried
out.
This review suggests that the following
objectives should be considered for this
type of development:
•
•
•
•
•
Impervious areas connected to the
stormwater drainage system are
minimised without causing uncontrolled
property runoff
Reuse of stormwater for non potable
purposes maximised
Use of vegetated flow paths maximised
where possible
Use of stormwater infiltration “at
source” where appropriate
At source controls used to reduce
pollutant generation and maximise
pollutant removal
35
The pollutant treatment priorities for this
type of development in order of priority:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Litter
Fine sediment
Hydrocarbons, Motor spirit, oil &
grease
Coarse sediment
Nutrients
Best practice in this appears to be
demonstrated in Sydney where a number
of projects have been supported by the
NSW Stormwater Trust Grants for
commercial premises and this includes
Blacktown ‘Mega Centre’. Blacktown
Council has utilised this experience to
produce a Gross Pollutant Strategy that
addresses these issues at other sites in
Blacktown and recommends retrofitting
controls to other shopping centres.
The strategy indicates that shopping
centres produce an array of pollutants,
including mainly litter, sediment and
hydrocarbons. Litter generation from
commercial premises has been found to be
the greatest over residential and industrial
precincts, according to research
undertaken by CRC for Catchment
Hydrology Melbourne. Controlling the
impacts of these pollutants on site is
relatively manageable. In-line gross
pollutant traps, baffled pits, stormwater pit
inserts and various oil and sediment
retaining wet vaults are available to treat
these pollutants (Morrison 2002).
36
6.3
Existing situation
Most of the catchment has been developed
for some period of time however in recent
times there has been some infill
developments that have exacerbated water
quality problems. This infill development in
the commercial area has increased the
paved areas with consequently higher
runoff and potentially greater pollutant
loads particularly litter.
The catchment has two areas where
Council maintaining stormwater pollution
control structure:
•
•
Marriott Park – this is on one of the
major drainage lines near the Highway.
This consists of sediment traps and
ponds. The traps are maintained once
in two months and the pond cleaned
once in five years
Nowra Fair – this is at the confluence
of all the major drainage lines and was
installed a few years ago and consists
of sediment trap and trash rack. Litter
is checked and removed once a month.
Sediment is removed once in two
months
From Marriott Park, the removal rate for
litter ranges from 200-500 pieces of paper,
plastic bags, bottles and shopping trolleys.
From Nowra Fair, 2.5-3 tons of sediment is
common, 1.5-3m3 of litter is generally
removed and on a range of occasions up to
six shopping trolleys.
LP No. 335
There is no water quality monitoring done
in the area at present but casual
inspections show considerable litter lying in
the drains in the plan area and the potential
for this litter either not to reach the traps or
to bypass them in major stormwater
occurrences. While there may be a need
for some upgrading at these end of line
devices, it is clearly demonstrated that it
would be more effective to remove the
pollutants at source.
6.4
LEP recommendations
It is recommended that the LEP contain
objectives and provisions that require
proponents to prepare a stormwater
management strategy as part of their
proposal that identifies the estimated
average annual pollutant loads from
stormwater from the development and
identifies at source controls that can be
employed to minimise the stormwater
pollution from the development that will, if
possible, result in a nil net increase (or
even positive benefit) in pollutants
discharging from the site. The strategy
should address a hierarchy of controls that
is consistent with the previously stated
objectives:
•
•
•
•
•
Impervious areas connected to the
stormwater drainage system are
minimised without causing uncontrolled
property runoff
Reuse of stormwater for non potable
purposes maximised
Use of vegetated flow paths maximised
where possible
Use of stormwater infiltration “at
source” where appropriate
At source controls used to reduce
pollutant generation and maximise
pollutant removal
LP No. 335
37
7.
Economic and Social
Consideration
7.1
Economic study
Council commissioned Leyshon Consulting
to carry out an economic study and to
comment on the economic aspects of the
urban design issues.
7.1.2 Study objectives
The requirements of the study were
outlined in Section 1. The brief objectives
can be summarised as follows:
•
•
•
Considering the desirability of changing
the present strategy to incorporate the
proposed expansion of Nowra Fair;
To determine the potential impact of
any change in the existing CBD
strategy on the existing retail and bulky
goods area to the west of the Princes
Highway; and
To identify measures to moderate the
potential impact of the proposed
expansion of Nowra Fair on the
balance of the CBD.
7.1.3 Regional overview and
distribution of retail areas
The Nowra sub regional centre is the
dominant retail and commercial centre in
the Shoalhaven LGA. The centre contains
approximately 48,000m2 of traditional retail
floor space, 32,000m2 of which is located
on the western side of the Highway with the
remaining one third located in Nowra Fir on
the eastern side of the Highway. In
addition, the sub regional centre also
contains 8,600m2 of so-called bulky goods
floor space which includes some
automatic-related activities.
38
Within the main CBD (that is, to the west of
the Princes Highway) there are a number
of important retail anchors, Nowra Mall
(Coles), Woolworths, Aldi and IGA Jewel
Supermarket, a small Grace Bros
department Store and a Country Target
Store.
On the eastern side of the Highway, Nowra
Fair centre was opened in 1983 with
approximately 16,000m2. While the
introduction of Nowra Fair to the retail
hierarchy expanded the range of retail
facilities available in Nowra and its
environs, the centre nevertheless had a
substantial impact on the balance of the
CBD following its opening. Nowra Fair is
currently anchored by a Kmart Discount
Department Store (DDS), a large
Woolworths supermarket (formerly
Franklins) and 52 specialty stores. By
contemporary standards, Nowra Fair is a
relatively small sub-regional with most such
centres in Australia today averaging at
least 19,000m2 of floor space.
Ulladulla with a small Allens department
store, a Coles supermarket (3,000m2), and
Aldi supermarket (1,300m2) and an
independent IGA is the only other
significant retail centre in the Shoalhaven.
To the north are:
•
•
•
Kiama (16,500m2) with a full line
Woolworths supermarket
Shellharbour Square (42,500m2) with
Kmart and Target DDS
Wollongong CBD (78,000m2) contains
the only two significant department
stores namely Grace Bros and David
Jones
LP No. 335
7.1.4 Other development
proposals
The most recent consent for major
development of around 17,000m2 in Collins
Way, Nowra was issued in 1998 and
contained a Big W DDS. This consent has
since lapsed. Discussions are being held
with developers for retail development in
the Vincentia District Centre in the order of
12,000m2.
7.1.5 Existing shopping patterns
Survey objectives
To provide a clear understanding of
existing shopping patterns as they affect
the Nowra CBD two shopper surveys were
undertaken as part of this study namely:
•
•
A survey of 416 shoppers undertaken
in the Nowra CBD distributed
throughout the CBD including Nowra
Fair
A survey of the shopping behaviour of
418 households distributed throughout
Shoalhaven Shire
These surveys were considered the most
appropriate methodology to provide
information to ascertain the size and
pattern of resident expenditure, escape
expenditure and part time resident/tourist
expenditure.
Survey results
The majority of shoppers in the town centre
interviewed were residents of Shoalhaven
(87%). Part-time residents comprised only
1.7% of the sample with tourists and day
visitors comprising 10.6%. The majority of
the shoppers were from the northern
Shoalhaven as would be expected. The
following table gives details of the origins:
LP No. 335
Origin of shoppers – Nowra town centre,
2002 (all respondents)
Postco
de
2541
2540
2535
20102227
25002530
25332534
2539
2536
25752577
Other
3000+
4000+
Total
Location
Nowra/
Bomaderr
y
Jervis
Bay
Berry/
Shoalhav
en Heads
Sydney
Region
Wollongo
ng
Region
Kiama/
Gerringon
g
Ulladulla/
Mollymoo
k
Batemans
Bay
Southern
Highlands
Other
NSW
Victoria
Other
States
Responde
nts
% of Total
Responde
nts
203
48.8
139
33.4
27
6.5
10
2.4
5
1.2
3
0.7
3
0.7
2
0.5
4
1.0
13
3.1
5
1.2
2
0.5
416
100.0
Source: Nowra In-Centre Survey, 2002
Reasons and frequency visiting the Nowra
town centre
The overwhelming main purpose for visiting
Nowra town centre was for shopping –
76%. However, it is important to note the
importance of multiple purposes for visiting
the town centre. A quarter of all
respondents gave two main reasons for
visiting the town centre. Ancillary
opportunity purposes were not explored in
the survey. Of the shoppers, 89% gave
supermarket/grocery and fresh food as a
shopping intention. The following table
gives more detailed information:
39
Primary shopping intention (multiple
responses possible)
Shopping Intention
Supermarket/grocery
shopping
Fresh food
Clothes
Household goods
Other goods
No (=318)
%
226
71.1
56
71
35
96
17.6
22.3
11.0
30.2
This confirms the frequency information
that the majority of shoppers visit the town
centre once a week or more often 88%.
This falls to 66% when the telephone
survey is included. However,
approximately 80% of all shoppers visit the
town centre fortnightly or more frequently.
Patterns of shopping
The following table shows the patronage of
town centre retail facilities:
Patronage of retail facilities on day of
interview, 2002 (all respondents)
Centre/Facility
Visiting
Nowra Fair
Nowra Mall
Aldi
Woolworths
IGA
Kinghorne
Street
Junction Street
None of above
242
200
33
88
10
% of total
respondents
58.2
48.1
7.9
21.2
2.4
102
24.5
138
11
33.2
2.6
Responses
As with the multiple purpose, most
shoppers are using at least two of the
above facilities.
40
Although Nowra Fair comprises the highest
visitation rate, it only accounts for 30% of
all visitations. This is confirmed as shown
in the following table that indicates that
37% of Shoalhaven residents always or
usually visit Nowra Fair when visiting
Nowra town centre:
Whether shop at Nowra Fair on visits to
Nowra, 2002
Response
Always
Usually
Sometimes
Rarely
Don’t shop
there
Not stated
Total
74
82
138
74
% of total
respondents
17.7
19.6
33.0
17.7
35
8.4
15
418
3.6
100.0
Respondents
Source: Shoalhaven Household Telephone
Survey, 2002
The supermarkets located in Kinghorne
Street remain the preferred supermarkets:
Preferred supermarket, 2002 (multiple
responses possible)
Supermarket
Woolworths
Nowra Fair
Coles Nowra
Mall
Woolworths
Nowra
Aldi Nowra
IGA Nowra
Coles Ulladulla
Aldi Ulladulla
IGA Ulladulla
Bi-Lo Vincentia
Other
Respondents
% of total
respondents
94
22.5
131
31.3
136
32.5
51
38
57
43
36
31
31
12.2
9.1
13.6
10.3
8.6
7.4
7.4
Source: Shoalhaven Household Telephone
Survey, 2002
LP No. 335
The importance of the supermarkets is
borne out by the expenditure information.
The mean expenditure by product type is
shown in the following table:
In order of priority, the most frequently
visited centres (on the basis of being
visited at least every two to three months)
were found to be:
Mean spending by product type, Nowra
CBD 2002 (all respondents)
Centre
Shellharbour Square
Wollongong CBD
Westfield Warrawong
Batemans Bay
Sydney CBD
Miranda Fair
Shopping category
Supermarket/Grocery
shopping
Other food
Takeaway food
Clothing & related
Small household
goods
Large household
goods
Other goods
Personal services
All
respondents
Residents
$53.71
$62.93
$5.07
$1.43
$14.57
$3.21
$0.62
$12.67
$5.71
$4.82
$3.73
$4.25
$24.30
$1.16
$22.84
$1.10
Centres outside Shoalhaven
An important factor in the review is an
assessment of how much of the
expenditure Shoalhaven residents spend
outside the area contain retained if a facility
such as is presently proposed is built in
Nowra.
An important focus of the household survey
was to capture data on so-called “escape
spending”. In particular data on the
visitation patterns of Shoalhaven residents
to major centres and DDSs located outside
Shoalhaven was of critical importance.
The survey addresses such issues as
reasons for shopping outside the area, type
of shopping, the major centres visited and
frequency and expenditure of these trips.
The following table summarises these
aspects.
LP No. 335
% of Respondents
17.9%
10.8%
10.0%
6.7%
6.7%
4.3%
It is important to note, however, that 51.2%
of respondents reported never visiting
Shellharbour Square and 98.3% reported
never visiting Taren Point.
The most significant purpose for people
shopping at other centres was clothes and
accessories (24.2%).
Shopping for household goods, gifts and
the like was referred to by 30.1% of
respondents while food shopping was
referred to by 17.7%. With respect to food
shopping, the majority of this was directed
to the Batemans Bay centre. This is logical
given that most Area 5 residents are closer
to Batemans Bay than to Nowra.
It is also important to note that many of the
trips to centres outside Shoalhaven were
not motivated by a clear shopping-based
purpose. 18.2% of respondents reported
that the primary purpose for visiting the
centres nominated was “a day out” while
7.2% referred to the reason being
“something different”.
41
Expenditure at outside centres
The following table indicates the calculated
annual expenditure at the major centres
outside the Shoalhaven:
Centre
Shellharbour Square
Sydney CBD
Wollongong CBD
Westfield Warrawong
Miranda Fair
Batemans Bay
Others
TOTAL
Total Spending
($mil/pa)
$6.93
$5.22
$4.46
$3.49
$3.20
$3.03
$1.74
$28.07
This section details the estimation of the
potential demand for retail floor space in
the Nowra CBD for the period 2001-2016.
Available spending
Resident spending
The consultant has adopted the following
population projections for estimating
available spending. While these
projections do not correspond directly with
Council projections, they fall within the
range of scenarios projected by Council. It
is considered these estimates are a
reasonable base for spending calculations.
2001
2003
2006
2011
2016
Increase
2001-16
1
42,070
43,034
44,999
47,623
50,400
8,330
42
2
6,796
7,006
7,326
7,700
8,081
1,285
Area
3
17,996
19,104
20,875
23,457
26,358
8,362
Total
4
3,902
3,983
4,157
4,412
4,683
781
Area
1
2
3
4
5
Estimated per capita
Retail Expenditure
7,078
6,880
6,720
6,797
6,677
To estimate future spending, it has been
assumed a real growth of 1.0% pa in Area
1 and 0.5% pa in Areas 2-5 based on the
different characteristics of the population.
Part-time resident expenditure
7.1.6 Demand Analysis
Year
The following table shows the estimates of
per capita retail spending in various parts
of the trade area for 2001.
5
17,322
17,718
18,509
19,453
20,446
3,124
88,086
90,845
95,866
102,645
109,968
21,882
Shoalhaven has a large part-time resident
population which potentially represents a
significant expenditure in the area.
In 1999 Council conducted a detailed
survey of part-time residents in Shoalhaven
City. Approximately 5,000 properties were
surveyed where the owner/s did not reside
in the Shoalhaven. The response rate of
71% provided a significant sample of 3,550
households. Of these 2,372 were identified
as being properties used for
retreat/weekend purposes. The survey
found that the median range of occupation
of such dwellings was between 30-90 days
per annum.
Dwellings which were used for tourist or
short-term holiday rental purposes were
found to be occupied around 130 days per
annum.
LP No. 335
From this information, it has been
estimated that of the approximately 1,300
vacant dwellings in the 2001 Census, 52%
are likely to be used as
retreat/weekenders, 27% for tourist or
short-term holiday rental purposes, giving
an effective additional population of 2,200
households or 5,900 persons. The
expenditure by part-time residents has
been estimated to be in the order of $21.7
million per annum and expenditure by
tourists using local residences as opposed
to commercial accommodation could be in
the order of a further $24.5 million per
annum.
Tourist/visitor expenditure
Tourist/visitor expenditure is difficult to
estimate. This expenditure comprises:
•
•
•
Tourists staying in commercial
accommodation
Tourists visiting family and relatives
Day visitors
Using the latest information from Tourism
NSW, it has been estimated that
Shoalhaven attracts:
•
•
•
1.045 million overnight visitors
1.139 million day visitors
0.027 million international overnight
visitors
The net additional expenditure could be in
the order of $103.9 million per annum.
LP No. 335
Total available expenditure
The estimated total available expenditure
from all sources in the trade area is shown
in the following table. Also shown is the
retained expenditure when allowance is
made for resident escape expenditure.
Year
2001
2004
2006
2011
2016
Inc
2001-2016
Total
Expenditure
Available
($ million 2001)
757.7
811.9
851.6
944.8
1,048.4
290.6
Retained
Expenditure
($ mill 2001)
701.7
751.2
789.8
877.0
970.7
269.0
Source: Leyshon Consulting
The consultant has estimated that the
current retail sales of the Nowra town
centre (including Nowra Fair) amounts to
39.5% of the estimated retained
expenditure.
Floor space demand
To estimate the floor space demand in the
Nowra town centre at various stages up till
the year 2016 it is necessary to make
assumptions in regard to the share of the
total estimated future expenditure outlined
in the previous section will be spent in the
Nowra town centre.
The consultant examined several scenarios
taking into account both the tenancy mix in
the centre both now and in the future and
the competition from other centres.
43
The most likely scenario is scenario 3 (for
this exercise) assumes the expansion of
Nowra Fair as well as a district centre at
Vincentia (anchored by a full line
supermarket but not a DDS) opening by
2004. It also assumes that there will be no
major expansion of retail elsewhere in the
city. For a full description of the scenarios
and results, see the consultant’s report.
The following table summarises the
outcomes of this scenario:
Available Spending
Residents $ mil
Non Residents $ mil
Total $ mil
Retained Spending $ mil
Existing Situation
Nowra sales $ mil
Share %
Supportable floor space sqm
Existing floor space sqm
Surplus/Shortfall sqm
2001
2004
2006
2011
2016
607.646
150.100
757.746
701.746
635.902
156.164
792.066
771.2
685.931
165.700
851.631
808.9
761.782
183.000
944.782
897.3
846.389
202.000
1048.389
995.6
277.0
39.5
55,400
56,000
600
294.6
38.2
59,575
66,960
7,385
309.0
38.2
62,487
66,960
4,473
344.6
38.4
69,679
66,960
(2,719)
383.3
38.6
77,514
66,960
(10,554)
Under this scenario, a new district centre at
Vincentia would reduce demand for floor
space in the CBD in 2004 resulting in a
surplus of around 7,385m2. By 2011, a
small shortfall of –2,719m2 would exist with
the shortfall rising to –10,554m2 in 2016.
44
LP No. 335
to travel to Nowra to shop. A development
application appears imminent for the area.
There are potential two distinct possibilities.
The first is for a major supermarket and
supporting specialty shops. The second is
to include a small discount department
store. Council is aware of interest to
develop the area in the immediate future.
The results of three scenarios are shown in
the following tables.
7.1.7 Impact on CBD
The analysis discussed above focuses on
the broad capture of sales by the Nowra
town centre and resulting gross floor space
demand. Of particular importance however
is how the sales captured would be
distributed across the various retail
components of the town centre.
A number of different scenarios were
considered to evaluate this aspect. Of
major importance is the development of the
retail centre at Vincentia. Council has a
policy of developing this area to provide
substantial retail services to limit the need
Scenario 1 – With Nowra Fair only
2001
Total
Retained
Sales $ mil
CBD
Nowra Fair
Total
Market Share %
CBD
Nowra Fair
Total
Impact on CBD
$ mil pa
%
LP No. 335
2004
2004
2006
2011
2016
757.7
701.7
811.9
751.2
811.9
771.2
851.6
808.9
944.8
897.3
1048.4
995.6
187
90
277
201.6
99.2
300.8
180.5
140.4
320.8
188.5
148.0
336.5
206.4
166.0
372.4
227.0
186.2
413.2
26.6
12.8
39.5
26.8
13.2
40.0
23.4
18.2
41.6
23.3
18.3
41.6
23.0
18.5
41.5
22.8
18.7
41.5
14.6
7.8
-21.2
-10.5
-13.1
-6.5
4.8
2.4
25.4
14.1
45
Scenario 2 – With Nowra Fair and Vincentia Stage 1
2001
Total
Retained
Sales $ mil
CBD
Nowra Fair
Total
Market Share %
CBD
Nowra Fair
Total
Impact on CBD
$ mil pa
%
2004
2004
2006
2011
2016
757.7
701.7
811.9
751.2
811.9
771.2
851.6
808.9
944.8
897.3
1048.4
995.6
187
90
277
201.3
99.2
300.5
164.3
130.3
294.6
171.5
137.5
309.0
190.2
154.3
344.6
209.1
174.2
383.3
26.6
12.8
39.5
26.8
13.2
40.0
21.3
16.9
38.2
21.2
17.0
38.2
21.2
17.2
38.4
21.0
17.5
38.5
14.3
7.7
-37.1
-18.4
-29.8
-14.8
-11.1
-5.5
7.8
4.7
Scenario 3 – With Nowra Fair and Vincentia Stage 1 & 2 (DDS)
2001
Total
Retained
Sales $ mil
CBD
Nowra Fair
Total
Market Share %
CBD
Nowra Fair
Total
Impact on CBD
$ mil pa
%
2004
2004
2006
2011
2016
757.7
701.7
811.9
751.2
811.9
771.2
851.6
808.9
944.8
877.0
1048.4
970.7
187
90
277
201.3
99.2
300.5
162.0
126.1
288.0
169.9
133.5
303.3
187.5
149.8
337.4
207.1
168.3
375.3
26.6
12.8
39.5
26.8
13.2
40.0
21.0
16.4
37.4
21.0
16.5
37.5
20.9
16.7
37.6
20.8
16.9
37.7
14.3
7.7
-39.4
-19.6
-31.5
-15.6
-13.8
-6.8
5.8
3.6
The table for Scenario 1 provides the
consultant’s estimates of the potential
impact of the proposed expansion of Nowra
Fair on the balance of the Nowra CBD.
This analysis assumes the expanded
Nowra Fair has 2004 as its first full year of
trading.
46
LP No. 335
As indicated in the table the discrete impact
on the balance of the Nowra CBD is
estimated to be as follows:
2004
2006
2011
2016
-$21.2 million
-$13.1 million
-$4.8 million
+$25.4 million
(-10.5)
(-6.5%)
(+2.4%)
(-14.1%)
The impacts noted above in 2006 and 2011
are benchmarked to the estimated
performance of the CBD in 2004 assuming
that the expansion of Nowra Fair did not
proceed.
In essence, the analysis presented above
suggests that the effects of an expanded
Nowra Fair in 2004 could result in an
impact on the CBD which takes about five
years to be fully mitigated by population
and spending growth.
It should be noted that the majority of the
impact of an expanded Nowra Fair will in
fact fall on non-food rather than food-based
stores. The consultant estimates that nonfood sales in the balance of the CBD
currently achieve sales in the order of $108
million per annum and by 2004 this will rise
to $115.5 million per annum. Assuming
that 90% of the impact (-$21.2 million) in
2004 will be on the non-food sector the
percentage impact on non-food traders in
the balance of the CBD in 2004 would
therefore be in the order of –10.5%.
In the consultant’s opinion, such an impact
could be sufficient to lead to some store
closures in the balance of the CBD
particularly among retailers of non-food
merchandise.
LP No. 335
The consultant stresses, however, that the
assessment of impact cannot and should
not be based on the prospects of individual
retailers within the CBD or any other
centre. The ultimate test is the effects
which a retail proposal is estimated to have
on existing commercial services in general
terms within a centre not on particular
retailers or even on certain classes of
retailers within a centre.
The table for Scenario 2 models the effect
of Stage 1 of a district centre opening at
Vincentia in 2004. Such a centre is
assumed to contain 6,000m2 of floor space
and to be anchored by a supermarket of
3,200m2. The supermarket is further
assumed by the consultant to be operated
by either Coles or Woolworths. As noted in
the table, the potential effect on the
balance of the CBD of both Nowra Fair
expansion and the development at
Vincentia is in the order of -$37.1 million or
–18.4% compared to the sales the balance
of the CBD would have enjoyed in 2004
without either project proceeding.
Under this scenario retail sales in the CBD
would not recover their 2004
predevelopment levels until about 2012.
The consultant anticipates that an impact of
–18.4% would result in store closures in the
CBD. The existing CBD supermarkets,
clothing and household goods retailers
would be most directly affected by this
scenario.
The consultant also examined Scenario 3
which assumes the inclusion of a DDS of
some 5,000m2 in Vincentia in 2004. This
scenario is in the consultant’s opinion
unlikely to proceed as it is not evident that
there is sufficient available spending to
support the addition of two DDSs in the
Nowra trade area by 2004.
Notwithstanding this view, models this
potential scenario. As can be noted from
the table the estimated overall effect of
such an outcome on the CBD would be an
47
impact in the order of -19.6% on the CBD
in 2004. The potential sales of an
expanded Nowra Fair would also be
affected cutting the potential sales to some
$126.1 million or $-4.2 million (-3.2%)
below what the expanded centre would
have achieved without another DDS
establishing at Vincentia.
The impact of a DDS being developed in
Vincentia by 2004 would be greater than
the impact of Scenario 2 which assumes
that only a supermarket-based centre is
developed in Vincentia by 2004. The
primary incremental impact of Scenario 4
would be felt by the DDSs in Nowra Fair
and retailers in the CBD. Under Scenario
3, the CBD would not recover its 2004 (predevelopment) sales level until about 2014.
7.4
Social considerations
There are a number of social impacts.
Some of the social considerations will need
to be dealt with at the Development
Application stage.
A community survey undertaken on behalf
of the applicant found strong community
support (78%) for the additional facilities
proposed in the plan area.
The addition these retail facilities reinforces
the role of Nowra as the sub-regional
centre. On the macro scale, this increases
the probability of other services being
located in the town centre and reduces the
need/desire for people to travel outside the
area for shopping and services. The
proposed additional retail will also provide
competition and potential cost savings for
the community. Other benefits could
include and increase shopping choice in
the expansion of the range of products
locally available and access to a large
modern retail facility.
48
On the micro level, the increase in the retail
component east of the Highway further
fragments the CBD core ie expenditure
east of the Highway rises from 32% in 2001
to 44% in 2016. This will increase the
pedestrian and vehicular flow across the
Highway. Already 37% of shoppers usually
shop on both sides of the Highway on a
visit to the centre. This exacerbates safety
issues and as Section 8 demonstrates the
significant increase in traffic upon the
Highway will make these issues even more
important.
As the proposals are retail proposals and
the plan area is restricted in its capability to
provide services other than retail, it
increases the need for people to access
both sides of the Highway. This will
impose an increased burden on those
reliant on public transport or walking.
The potential rezoning allows development
to be carried out in the area between the
existing Nowra Fair and the centre of the
main CBD thus encouraging walking
between the two areas. This is offset to
some extent by the fact that it is proposed
by the applicant to maintain the floor level
of the existing centre which is 3.3 metres
below the Highway/Junction Street level so
that the gradient profile is at the maximum
acceptable for people with disabilities.
While the proposal increases the area
where shopping can be done in a safe and
comfortable manner, it raises significant
safety and accessibility issues to the
residue of the plan area ie skate park etc
that will have to be addressed in the
Development Application stage.
LP No. 335
The location of the plan area so close to
the higher level facilities and services of the
northern Shoalhaven indicates that
consideration should be given to the
provision of special need housing
especially as an objective is to integrate the
plan area into the CBD. The recent
development of the Illawarra Retirement
Trust age care facility north of Moss Street
with similar characteristics illustrates the
potential.
The recent trends to mixed use in town
centres and leisure/recreation as part of the
shopping experience would indicate that
intensive leisure/recreation facilities should
also be considered in the area.
LP No. 335
49
8.
Infrastructure
8.1
Roads and transport
8.1.1 Introduction and context
A central issue in investigating the potential
rezoning of the area is the effect of
increasing the potential traffic generation
so that there will be major traffic
movements to and from both sides of the
Highway and across the Highway. Section
1.2 outlines the study requirements and the
importance placed on the ongoing function
of the Highway. This has been reinforced
by the Regional Plan Requirements (2.2)
and the Section 62 Consultations (1.2.2).
The present Highway serves as the only
State Highway (and only major transport
link) connecting all of the urban areas
south of Wollongong to the Victorian border
along the coastal plan.
In addition it serves as the dominant
access to the Nowra town centre which
provides the major employment and
services to the Shoalhaven. Only 10% to
12% of the traffic on the Highway at Nowra
is through traffic.
The preliminary studies for Nowra
Bomaderry Structure Plan (concept stage)
indicate that it could be some 30 years
before any major bypass becomes feasible.
It has also been indicated that even when
such a bypass is constructed there will still
be large increases in traffic along the
existing Highway.
Because of the topographical and
environmental constraints the options for
supplementing the network and creating
additional accesses to the town centre are
very limited. While it will be probably
necessary to upgrade the Highway, it is an
objective of the investigations to explore
planning and other options to provide an
alternative to the creation of a large
engineering structure that divides the urban
area into two sections.
Since the late 1980s, Council has adopted
a number of parking and traffic strategies
and carried out traffic studies in relation to
a number of aspects ie road closures,
traffic management devices, major
shopping centre impact however there has
always been outstanding issues and this
work has not been done with the benefit of
an overall wider strategic framework of
future land use and transport networks.
More recently in March 1999 Ratio
Consultants Pty Ltd were commissioned to
undertake the Nowra CBD Strategic
Review. This process also indicated a
number of investigations that should be
carried out and adopted a land use
strategy. Many of the investigations related
to transport issues.
Elements of the land use strategy have
already been considered in Section 7 of
this strategy.
To assess the implications of the potential
rezoning in this area, it has been necessary
to investigate and formulate a response to:
•
•
50
The most appropriate transport
strategy for the area for the longer term
To investigate the impact on that
strategy if there was a rezoning in the
plan area that creates more major
traffic generation
LP No. 335
8.1.2 Methodology
Council engaged consultants Gabites
Porter and Eppell Olsen & Partners to
formulate a number of traffic models and
analyse a series of options.
The models and programmes used were
TRACKS and SIDRA models:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nowra/Bomaderry 24 hour (1996)
Nowra/Bomaderry am peak (1996)
Nowra/Bomaderry pm peak (1996)
Nowra/Bomaderry midday/off peak
(1996)
Illawarra Strategic
2016 24 hour CBD
2016 off peak parking
2016 am peak CBD
2016 pm peak CBD
The land use scenario used was based on
the urban consolidation which is one of the
eight scenarios that are being analysed for
the Nowra Bomaderry Structure Plan. It is
considered that this scenario would have a
traffic distribution in the CBD and would
reasonably fit all scenarios.
In addition, a Paramics simulation model
was used to verify the intersection
operations of the Highway of the preferred
strategy and some variations. The detail of
the models and the analysis are contained
in separate reports.
The analysis process consisted of
analysing a series of network options (eight
plus variations) starting with a do nothing
option. The options were analysed with
and without the expansion of Nowra Fair.
A series of peak hour analysis of
intersections were carried out before a
preferred strategy was identified. The retail
expansion area was included and analysed
with a series of considerations to minimise
problem areas.
LP No. 335
With parking, the potential 2016 shortfall
was identified and various options for
allocating the additional parking were
tested to find the preferred locations that
minimised traffic circulating on the network.
The area studies is generally shown on
Figure 13 however the major concentration
was on the area from just north of Moss
Street to Kalander Street in the south. It
extended west from the plan area to
include Berry and Osborne Streets.
8.1.3 Existing network, traffic and
issues
Network
The plan area is bounded in the west by
the Princes Highway (East Street) and
provides the major access to the area.
The only unrestricted access to the plan
area from the Highway is via the traffic
lights at Plunkett Street. Plunkett Street
gives access to the southern edge of the
plan area but there is no network existing
within the plan area to distribute traffic from
this access. North of the area Moss Street
gives full access to the Highway and
crosses the Highway similar to Plunkett
Street. Moss Street however can only feed
the area south to North Street via Brereton
Street. For many years (and included in
DCP No 94) Council has planned to extend
Brereton Street south to meet Junction
Street. Both North Street and Junction
Street have continuous Highway medians
prohibiting cross traffic and right turns. The
Jane Street overpass provides the only
direct movement between the CBD and
Nowra Fair. This link is limited by load that
prohibits servicing and public transport
(buses). It also only accesses the car park
and does not allow circulation throughout
the plan area.
51
The following issues have previously been
identified:
•
•
•
•
•
•
52
Lack of a road network on the eastern
side of the Highway for both northsouth movement and east-west
movement
Restricted movement between the
CBD and the eastern side of the
Highway
Maintaining the function and efficiency
of the Highway
Existing uncontrolled and unsafe
crossing of the Highway by pedestrians
at Junction Street and north of
Worrigee Street adjacent to the Jane
Street overpass
The weaving movement of service
vehicles and buses leaving the Nowra
Fair southern slip lane across two
lanes to right into Plunkett Street
School pupil movement through the
area and school bus movement and
stopping in Brereton Street
immediately north of the plan area
Time
Period
IN
OUT
TOTAL
With
Expansion
Issues
Existing
16,081 VPD
15,330 VPD
14,341 VPD
With
Expansion
Worrigee Street
Bridge Road
Kalander Street
Existing
•
•
•
The expansion of Nowra Fair is therefore
assumed to be additional generation that
should be considered in the rezoning. The
increase in traffic generation is shown in
the following table. The present generation
shown are results from traffic counts
carried out by Council.
With
Expansion
Figure 13 shows the 1996 24 hour volumes
on the CBD network and provides the
context to assess the changes that will
occur over time given both the existing
zoning and the additional retail expansion.
The major volumes are of course on the
Highway. The most significant volumes on
the rest of the network are:
8.1.4 Traffic generation
The present traffic generation in the plan
area is almost entirely due to the Nowra
Fair development. Council’s future
transport modelling has made allowance
for the gradual development in the area but
has assumed lower generation rates than
core commercial retail use.
Existing
Traffic volumes
Daily
6,240
8,600
6,240
8,600
12,480
17,200
PM
Peak
Hour
547
725
669
886
1,216
1,611
LP No. 335
8.1.5 Analysis approach
To assess the impacts and requirements of
the rezoning of the plan area which allows
increased traffic generation in this location
the following factors have to be considered:
(a)
The infrastructure that is required
in the area now and in the future
and the levels of service that will
result without the rezoning
(b)
The impact on the requirements of
(a) if the rezoning is carried out
(c)
If there are any further impacts and
the acceptability of these impacts if
Junction Street is closed as
proposed by the submitted
development proposal
Because of the sensitivity of the CBD
network and the Highway to changes in
one location effecting other areas the
whole of the CBD network has been
considered and a planning period of 2016
has been regarded as the logical planning
horizon for detailed analysis. The lack of
opportunities to supplement the network
beyond 2016 requires some consideration
to be given to the period 2016-2030 after
which time major upgrades will be more
viable.
8.1.6 Future adequacy of existing
infrastructure
The first stage of the process was to
assess the adequacy of the existing
infrastructure and intersection controls to
cater for future base traffic loads ie the do
nothing scenario. Figure 14 shows the
daily number of vehicles on links in the
network (ie two way flows) with the
exception of the bridge which only shows a
one-way flow.
LP No. 335
In terms of vehicle trip growth trips to/from
the CBD result in a 65% growth between
1996-2016. The following table shows the
growth on the most important CBD network
links without the Nowra Fair expansion.
Link
1996 VPD
2016 VPD
Growth
30, 165
44,582
14,417
29,622
44,792
15,170
33,598
55,663
22,074
36,204
60,015
23,811
15,782
23,770
7,988
Bridge
Road
15,284
24,507
9,223
Kalander
east of
Highway
14,603
26,734
12,131
Highway
north of
Moss
Highway
north to
Junction
Highway
south of
Worrigee
Highway
south of
Plunkett
Worrigee
west of
Highway
Note: It should be noted that 2016 figures
only reflect the traffic generation from
Nowra Fair at the existing levels shown in
Section 8.1.4.
The above table reflects the potential for
major increase on the Highway particularly
south of Worrigee Street. The build up of
traffic on Kalander Street is also for
particular interest. These two facts are an
indication that the south east Nowra has
recently become and will continue to be a
major growth area.
A preliminary analysis of the intersections
also indicated a number of upgrades would
be required. This analysis indicates the
following infrastructure shortcomings:
53
Princes Highway
Worrigee Street
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Insufficient capacity along the Princes
Highway between Moss Street and
Kalander Street in terms of mid block
lanes and intersection operation
The four lane sections between
Plunkett Street and Kalander Street
would need to be six lanes
There are a number of uncontrolled
pedestrian movements crossing the
Highway within the vicinity of Nowra
Fair. With the projected traffic volume
on the Highway this pedestrian safety
concern is further exacerbated.
Moss Street signals operate with a
DOS of 0.93 and would require
upgrading shortly after 2016
Worrigee Street signals would require
upgrading prior to 2016
Plunkett Street signals would require
upgrading prior to 2016
Kalander Street intersection would
require upgrading well before 2016 and
major upgrading (possibly grade
separation by 2016)
Kalander Street
•
54
Besides the intersection issue
previously mentioned, Kalander Street
has direct frontage access, a number
of more major turning movements and
a significant number of pedestrian
crossing movements which are not
consistent with the projected. Volumes
on Kalander Street exceed the limits
for a two lane road and four lanes
would be required between princes
Highway and Clipper Street
•
Significant volumes (up to 23,800 VPD)
are carried out on Worrigee Street
between the Princes Highway and
Kinghorne Street. Four lanes would be
required in this section as well as
upgrading both intersections.
When the base network was tested
with the additional traffic from an
expanded Nowra Fair the biggest
impact was an increase of 2,745 VPD
on the Jane Street overpass giving a
volume of over 10,000 VPD and
indicates that the most significant
impact would be on the local road
network
8.1.7 Network strategy
The obvious strategy of incrementally
upgrading the Highway was considered
and not pursued on the following grounds:
•
•
•
•
It did not improve or deal with the
issues of the local road network ie
Kalander Street, Worrigee Street and
Jane Street overpass
It did not improve east-west movement
As traffic increases there would be a
tendency to restrict turning movements
and access thereby exacerbating the
first two points
Is expensive for the solutions it offers
A large number of options were analysed
using various network and intersection
options using both base case scenarios
and expansion of Nowra Fair.
Most of the options to supplement the
network were eat of the Highway and most
of the intersection options were along the
Highway.
LP No. 335
The value of creating a sub-arterial link
between the CBD and Kalander Street link
east of Clipper Road was confirmed and
assessment made as to the preferred
connection to the CBD considering all the
alternatives from North Street to Plunkett
Street.
North Street was the preferred connection
in that it provides the greatest benefit to the
Highway and uses the presently under
utilised North Street and North
Street/Highway intersection.
Further analysis including the intersection
options was carried out to improve eastwest movement and to supplement the
capacity of the North Street intersection.
Figure 15 shows the preferred network and
the VPD volumes on the network. Figure
16 shows the same network and
intersection treatment but with the
additional traffic generation from the
expanded Nowra Fair. Both figures show
the improved situation with Kalander
Street, Worrigee Street and the Highway.
This strategy involves the full signalisation
of both North Street and Junction Street.
This treatment greatly improves east-west
movement and pedestrian movement.
Essential to the maintenance of an
acceptable environmental traffic flow in
Junction Street is the maintenance of
Junction Court as a barrier to through
traffic.
It should be noted that the opening up of
the Junction Street intersection and the
North Street intersection was the only
strategy that substantially improved the
Worrigee Street situation.
8.1.8 Highway efficiency
The development of the base strategy
included the analysis of the network
options and intersection options using the
TRACKS model. The refinement and
further analysis of the intersection was
carried out using SIDRA modelling with
inputs gained from TRACKS.
As the preferred strategy basically adds
two new fully signalised intersections to the
Highway it requires the performance of the
Highway to be checked. SIDRA analysis
looks at intersections in isolation. To check
the performance of the Highway of the
preferred strategy the consultants used
Paramics simulation modelling. This
analysis also included O’Keefe Avenue,
Nowra Lane and Haigh Avenue.
The preferred base strategy that was used
in the Paramics modelling consisted of the
following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
LP No. 335
The East Nowra Sub Arterial with
connection to the Princes Highway at
North Street and Junction Street
North Street/Princes Highway
upgraded similar in form to that
currently provided at Moss
Street/Princes Highway intersection
All movement signalised intersection at
Junction Street and Princes Highway
Intersections at Moss Street, Worrigee
Street and Plunkett Street remain
similar to existing layout
Slip lanes in and out of Nowra Fair are
retained
Volumes include the expanded Nowra
Fair shopping centre but maintains
Junction Street east of the Highway
connecting through to the ENSA
The possible diversion of right turn
traffic from Bridge Road intersection to
the north has not been considered in
this assessment.
55
The analysis suggests:
•
•
•
•
The Highway breaks down and
experiences significant queuing
Level of service along the Highway is
shown on Figure 17 (referred to as Do
Min)
Operational difficulties at Worrigee
Street, North Street and Moss Street
intersections
Vehicles queue through the entire
section under consideration
Refine preferred strategy
Improvements were made to the strategy at
the Highway intersections and adjacent
side road intersections in order to address
issues noted in the base analysis. This
involved upgrading or restricting
movements at intersections until an
appropriate level of service could be
identified at individual intersections and
free flowing highway conditions achieved
on the Highway.
The necessary improvements identified
include the following:
•
56
Provide double right turns at Moss
Street intersection together with
banning of right turn movement at
North Street. There is limited right turn
southbound storage at North Street
intersection due to the close proximity
to Moss Street intersection ie 90m.
Providing for double right turns
southbound at North Street does not
provide the storage required and the
intersection would continue to have
operational difficulties as a result of this
right turn, provide left turn slip lane into
Moss Street thereby facilitating three
dedicated through lanes on the
Highway
•
•
•
•
•
•
Upgrade turns to and from North Street
east to include a left turn slip lane
(north to east), double right turn lanes
on both approaches of North Street
(east to north and west to south). This
would therefore necessitate three
approach lanes at North Street east
and two outbound lanes
Signals to be provided at North Street
and O’Keefe Lane intersection and coordinated with Moss Street and Princes
Highway intersection to manage
potential queuing on Moss Street north
of North Street
Junction Street west of the Highway
requires three approach lanes
consisting of two full lanes between the
Highway and Nowra Lane and a short
lane of 50m. A single lane in the
outbound direction is all that is
required. A left turn slip lane into
Junction Street east (Nowra Fair) is
also required
Provide signals at Junction Street and
Nowra Len
Provide double right turns southbound
on the Princes Highway to Worrigee
Street and from Worrigee Street to the
Princes Highway
Double right turns at Plunkett Street
from north to west
The results of the strategy with the
refinements described above indicate:
•
•
The Highway and side roads generally
operate with a level of service C or
better with the exception of the
Highway north of Moss Street which
operates with a level of service D/E as
shown on Figure 17 referred to Do
Something
Good progression of highway
movements through the Highway with
the back of every queue clearing in one
cycle
LP No. 335
DOS
Max 95%ile Queue
on the Hwy
Max 95%ile Queue
on the Side Road
West
Critical Movement
Intersections operate within capacity
limits and have spare capacity beyond
2016. The table below reports the
critical DOS and queries
Intersection
•
Moss St
0.86
402
112
North St
0.76
201
73
Junction St
0.79
214
103
Worrigee St
0.7
177
114
Plunkett St
0.85
217
122
Right turn
from Moss
(E)
Left and
thro Princes
Hwy (S)
Thro
Princes Hwy
(N)
Left and
thro Princes
Hwy (S)
Left, thro,
right turns
Plunkett St
(W)
The major implications of these strategy
refinements within the plan area are:
•
•
The provision of the slip lane for
southbound on the Highway into
Junction Street east requiring
additional road reserve
The provision of two right hand turn
lanes from the Highway southbound
into Worrigee Street requires the
widening of the Highway at Worrigee
on the eastern side. Preliminary
assessments indicate that this would
eliminate the present slip lanes
servicing Nowra Fair. The
consequence of this is to create a
significant alteration to how Nowra Fair
is serviced by trucks and buses which
presently leave the site by the out slip
lane.
LP No. 335
8.1.8 Strategy alternatives
A key element in the preferred strategy was
to use the Junction Street intersection and
link Junction Street to the East Nowra subarterial. The submitted proposal cuts this
link and all traffic is directed to the
Highway. Setting aside the accessibility
issues and onsite circulation issues, it was
considered necessary to investigate the
effect of cutting the Junction Street link.
The other alternative that was considered
was to cut Junction Street but allow an
alternative link from the Nowra Fair car
park to the East Nowra sub-arterial. It is
stressed that no investigation has been
carried out to see if such a link would be
effective and feasible.
Alternative 1
Figure 18 shows the traffic distribution
(VPD) that results from cutting Junction
Street east of the Highway but allowing full
access to the expanded Nowra Fair at this
location. The major increase is
experienced on North Street and the
intersection with the Highway.
This increase explained that by cutting
Junction Street to the east of the Princes
Highway traffic arriving and departing from
Nowra Fair and with destinations to the
east of the Highway will now have to find
an alternative route to the one which
currently exits via Junction Street under the
preferred strategy. The alternative routes
available suggest that both North Street
(east and west) and the Princes Highway
south of Junction Street will pick up the
majority of this traffic and simulation testing
of these new traffic routings has resulted in
network breakdown conditions and “grid
lock” being experienced along the Highway
north of North Street.
57
The levels of service are reported on
Figure 19 and show levels of service D, E
and F on the Highway and E on many of
the side roads. A level of service of E or
below is considered to be undesirable.
In order to undertake a SIDRA analysis
traffic volumes from Junction Street east of
Nowra Fair were reassigned to the
intersections and highway movements
resulting in:
•
•
•
•
Increases in cross highway movements
at North Street intersection
Increased movements at Junction
Street intersection for south to east and
south to west with some reductions for
cross highway movements and east to
south and east to north movements
Worrigee Street intersection has
increased highway movements and
right turn from west to south
Plunkett Street intersection has
increased highway movements
Intersection
DOS
Max 95%ile Queue
on the Hwy
Max 95%ile Queue
on the Side Road
West
Critical Movement
The SIDRA results are summarised the
table below.
Moss St
0.86
402
112
North St
0.76
201
73
Junction St
>1
214
90
Worrigee St
0.8
216
121
Plunkett St
0.85
243
70
Right turn
from Moss
(E)
Left and
thro Princes
Hwy (S)
Right turn
from
Princes Hwy
(S)
Thro
Princes Hwy
(S)
Left, thro,
right turns
Plunkett St
(W)
58
Junction Street intersection would most
likely need to be upgraded to provide
double right turns from south to east
improve the operation at this location.
There is also noted a reduction in capacity
at Worrigee Street intersection.
The provision of the second right hand turn
lane on the Highway would be very difficult
because of the buildings in that area. The
levels of service on the Highway would not
meet the criteria set to maintain the
integrity of the Highway.
Alternative 2
This alternative cuts Junction Street in the
east but provides an efficient link from the
existing and future car parks to the
proposed East Nowra sub arterial road.
It is stressed at this stage this is a strategic,
theoretical exercise. It will need to be
demonstrated that an efficient and feasible
link can be provided before the results of
this alternative are endorsed as a viable
strategy.
The levels of service are reported on
Figure 19 and show that the Highway and
side roads operate with acceptable levels
of service of D or above. Similarly the
SIDRA analysis shows acceptable
intersection operation with the intersection
performance summarised in the following
table.
LP No. 335
Intersection
DOS
Max 95%ile Queue
on the Hwy
Max 95%ile Queue
on the Side Road
West
Critical Movement
Moss St
0.86
402
112
North St
0.76
201
73
Junction St
0.79
214
90
Worrigee St
0.76
196
121
Plunkett St
0.85
243
122
Right turn
from Moss
(E)
Left and
thro Princes
Hwy (S)
Right turn
from
Princes Hwy
(S)
Thro
Princes Hwy
(S)
Left, Thro,
Right turns
Plunkett St
(W)
8.1.9 Conclusion
The Paramic analysis indicates that to
maintain highway efficiency at 2016 and
beyond, an East Nowra Sub Arterial with
connections to the highway at North Street
and Junction Street are required. Cutting
Junction Street with no access from the
East Nowra Sub Arterial to either the
Princes Highway or Nowra Fair indicates
that the highway would have operational
difficulties and upgrading of Junction Street
intersection would be necessary. The
upgrading of Junction Street intersection is
physically difficult to achieve without land
and building acquisition. However, the
analysis suggests that by cutting Junction
Street and providing an access from the
East Nowra Sub Arterial (ENSA) to Nowra
Fair car park, the highway and
intersections will operate acceptably.
Notwithstanding, there are other significant
planning issues which need to be
LP No. 335
considered in the determination of
maintaining Junction Street open which
include:•
•
•
•
•
Improving vehicular access and
circulation for general vehicles as well
as public transport and service
vehicles travelling between Nowra Fair
and the CBD;
Improving direct access between
South East Nowra and the CBD;
Improving pedestrian connectivity
between the CBD and land east of
Nowra Fair;
Providing a balance of east west roads
east of the Highway;
Providing an access from the ENSA
directly into Nowra Fair car park raises
concern over the potential use of the
Nowra Fair car park as a ‘rat run’
between the ENSA and the Princes
Highway.
The analysis undertaken to date together
with the consideration of issues identified
above suggest that Junction Street should
be retained between the ENSA and Princes
Highway so as not to limit Council’s road
network options both now or in the future.
59
8.2
Water supply
8.2.1 Infrastructure
The existing water supply infrastructure is
shown on Figure 20 and can be
summarised as:
•
•
•
•
•
100m diameter reticulation main along
the Princes Highway
100mm diameter reticulation main
along North Street and Brereton Street
100mm diameter along Junction Street
(east) servicing the properties to the
south
100mm diameter reticulation mains in
the residential streets in the southern
section of the plan area
450/375mm diameter trunk main (raw
water) servicing industrial development
on the northern side of the Shoalhaven
River
The main issue relating to a proposed
development over the site would be
construction of buildings over Junction
Street. The reticulation main servicing the
property to the south would require
relocation to ensure that the properties
could still be legally and practically serviced
and the reticulated water main needs to
remain away from buildings and structures
in an accessible location.
Building over the 375mm diameter trunk
main would not be approved, however, and
the relocation of the trunk main may be
considered. If the trunk main was to be
relocated away from buildings and
structures, then the shortest possible route
should be taken, with the elimination of
right angle bends and no loss of head
within the main. The most direct access to
the trunk main located on the Department
of Education grounds would be
recommended.
This trunk main runs partly along the
Highway and Junction Street (east) and
partly through private land (Nowra Fair,
Aboriginal Cultural Centre and the High
School). Council has easements to cross
these lands.
It would be necessary to acquire a new
easement for this route. Any relocation of
the trunk main would have to be carried out
in a manner to minimise any impact on the
industries north of the Shoalhaven River.
As water mains are pressurised, it is
important that the pipes are not subject to
any loading which would exacerbate the
risk of failure. Access for operations,
maintenance and renewal needs to be
maintained at all times. Also, due to high
pressures, a main break has the potential
to cause damage or undermine structures
and therefore needs to be located an
adequate distance from buildings and
footings generally.
8.2.2 Water supply capacity
Council has not identified any supply or
pressure problems in the locality. The
exact demand has not been identified
however the normal retail demand is a
relatively minor loading. If uses such as
commercial car washing are not included
there are not likely to be any supply issues
but this would need to be finally determined
at Development Application stage.
It is for these reasons that buildings
immediately adjacent to or over water
mains would not be approved.
Fire fighting for the present Nowra Fair
development is catered for by tapping into
the 450/375mm raw water main traversing
the area.
60
LP No. 335
8.3
Sewer
8.3.1 Sewer infrastructure
Figure 21 shows the present layout of the
sewerage system in the area. There is a
major pumping station on the southern side
of North Street. Sewerage is pumped from
the station via two (200mm, 300mm) rising
mains to the Nowra Treatment Works to
the east.
8.3.2 Sewer capacity
The loading from the potential uses in the
area is considered relatively small and off
peak loading. As no problems have been
identified in the area capacity is not
anticipated as being an issue but this would
require further investigation at
Development Application stage.
A series of gravity mains feed into this
pumping station. Of most note are two
300mm gravity mains that bisect the
properties between North Street and
Junction Street and then diagonally cross
to the Highway south of Junction Street.
There are no lines to serve the lower lying
land to the east.
Any development in the eastern section
requiring servicing would need to take into
account the flooding and the lower
elevation of the land (depending on filling
etc).
The general requirements prohibit the
building over manholes and sewer
junctions. Although Council would deter
the building over gravity sewer mains, in
some instances this may be approved
subject to compliance with “The Building
Over Sewers Policy”. Building over
pressurised sewer rising mains would not
be approved.
The main issues as a result of the
proposed development include
consideration of relocation of the existing
gravity sewer mains to be located outside
of buildings or structures with the location
of junctions and manholes in conveniently
located and accessible locations. If
building over Junction Street is
contemplated, the consideration would
need to be given to existing reticulation and
manholes servicing the properties to the
south.
LP No. 335
61
9.
Urban design and
planning
9.1
CBD strategy
9.1.1 Implications of economic
study
The existing floor space development
potential in the area already zoned for
commercial 3(a) zoning together with the
new areas Council recently resolved to
rezone and the present consideration
would increase the CBD floor space by
some 194,800m2. An increase of this
magnitude would exceed the likely demand
for such land in the Nowra CBD during the
period 2001-2016.
In the consultant’s opinion, “no
unambiguous conclusion can be drawn as
to accommodate the Nowra Fair expansion
proposal. There are clear benefits
associated with the proposal which include
cementing Nowra’s position in the regional
hierarchy as a dominant regional retail
centre as well as the benefits which would
flow to consumers in the local economy
generally from the availability of a wider
range of retail services and an increase in
retail employment in the CBD.
On the “downside” the proposal (if
approved) will make it far more difficult to
achieve the long-term vision articulated in
the 1999 CBD Strategy. That is, for the
next 8-10 years little incentive is likely to
exist which would encourage the
development of new retail floor space in the
balance of the CBD. Such development
might have been expected to underwrite
the creation of the proposed town square
or redevelopment in locations such as the
Stewart Place car park. It is also likely that
over the short-term, some retail vacancies
may emerge in the CBD and these could
persist for a number of years.
62
While there is no doubt that strong public
support exists for the proposed expansion
of Nowra Fair particularly given the benefits
it will bring to residents of Shoalhaven,
proceeding with the proposal nevertheless
will come at a price namely:
•
•
•
A shift in the centroid of retail activity to
the east of the CBD (and east of the
Highway)
A delay of perhaps up to a decade in
achieving some of the CBD
development objectives identified in
1999 Review
The likely relocation of bulky goods
retailing out of the CBD to locations
such as South Nowra and possibly in
the longer-term to the northern part of
Nowra”
If consideration is to be given to including
the plan area into the retail core the
potential excess of Commercial 3(a) should
be addressed in Council’s CBD Strategy.
The two major planning reasons why this
area should be considered and given
priority over some other retail 3(a) areas
are:
1.
That this location is the area where it
should be easier to create a site for a
discount department store on the
basis that there is sizable
undeveloped areas in the plan area.
2.
If a strategy objective is to accept the
existing Nowra Fair an ongoing major
retail area and it is desirable to
integrate it with the main retail core
more intense retail activity between
the two would be one of the methods
to achieve this objective
LP No. 335
Given the findings of the economic study,
there would be a need to prioritise and limit
the areas of core retail zoning. Figure 22
shows the area and location of the
Commercial 3(a) zones (existing and
proposed) of Council’s present adopted
strategy. Figure 23 shows a potential new
strategy which removes some of the
emphasis on Kinghorne Street and strongly
reinforces Junction Street as the retail and
activity spine of CBD.
If Council are to proceed with retail in the
plan area it is recommended that the
existing strategy be changed to accord with
Figure 23. In addition to encourage more
activity in the core area, bulky goods
retailing should be deleted from the dotted
core area.
9.2
Land uses
9.2.2 Leisure/recreation
The plan area is strategically located and
potentially forms a valuable addition to the
town centre. Council’s Section 94
Contributions Plan indicates the land to the
east of the existing Nowra Fair as a site for
a major recreation area. While this plan is
under review, the opening up of Junction
Street, North Street intersections and the
implementation of the East Nowra subarterial makes this area more valuable in
community terms. The future East Nowra
sub-arterial provides an appropriate future
boundary to the town centre.
Recent trends identified in Council’s recent
recreation strategy point to the need for
higher level facilities available in evenings
etc which establishes synergies with the
increased shopping facilities.
9.2.1 Commercial/retail
The basis for considering additional retail
activity in the plan area is set out in Section
9.1. There are a number of unresolved
development and accessibility issues in the
area.
Trends are emerging of a growing link
between the shopping experience and
leisure and recreation activities.
Consideration should be given to
confirming the desirability for high level
recreation/leisure facilities in the plan area.
If the rezoning is to proceed prior to the
resolution of these issues, then the zoning
provisions should be flexible enough to
allow changes to the design to be able to
achieve a satisfactory resolution. The
primary retail objective is to secure the
additional discount department store to
supplement existing Nowra services and to
reduce escape expenditure.
9.2.3 Residential
Section 7.4 indicates that in terms of
location this area is potentially suitable for
special needs housing. Other residential
development suitable for town centre
locations ie shop top housing should be
permissible in the area.
Any other additional retail floor area should
be controlled by making it conditional on
supporting the activity axis along Junction
Street.
LP No. 335
63
9.3
Accessibility, traffic and
parking
9.3.1 Roads and traffic
The present lack of roads in the area is of
major concern. The outcome of transport
study indicates the importance of the East
Nowra sub-arterial proposal to the town
centre and the Highway/Kalander Street. It
is necessary to safeguard a route for this
proposal to connect to North Street.
While a more preferable alignment would
be through the Department of Education
and Training land at this stage no such
alignment has been negotiated.
Until a better alignment can be achieved
the provisions in DCP 94 for the extension
of Brereton Street south should be
maintained and strengthened by inclusion
in the draft LEP.
The transport study also indicates the
importance of both utilising the Highway
and Junction Street for full accessibility and
the importance an efficient and feasible link
from both the existing and future car parks
to the East Nowra sub-arterial. At present
this is achieved through the existing
Junction. Until suitable alternatives can be
found, this link should be maintained.
At present the only public transport loop
envisaged is via North Street, Brereton
Street and Junction Street. To achieve this
route requires Junction Street to remain
open. Extending the road network to link
with Plunkett Street was considered but is
not favoured as it is more indirect and
potentially opens up that residential area to
through traffic which would be exacerbated
by the installation of traffic lights at Wallace
and Kalander Street.
Council has for many years actively
excluded through traffic from that area.
The value of the land in the eastern part of
the plan area to make a contribution to the
town centre has been indicated in the
previous land use section.
Any closure of Junction Street would
restrict accessibility of this area to the town
centre. The same comments apply to the
need to maintain the link between the
existing cycleway/footpath system and
skate park and the CBD.
The need to preserve the efficiency of this
Highway requires the maintenance of the
provision in LEP Amendment 178 that
there be no additional access to the
Highway.
9.3.2 Accessibility
The potential loss of both the in and more
importantly the out slip lane onto the
Highway by both the need to widen the
Highway in that location and the stated
Roads and Traffic Authority objective to
rationalise all accesses to the one major
intersection provides major problems for
public transport servicing.
64
LP No. 335
9.3.3 Parking
At present, between 80-130 cars park on
the land immediately north of Junction
Street. Many of these are all day parking
for people working in the CBD west of the
Highway. In addition, in the peak holiday
periods there is major overflow parking in
this area and on the playing fields.
The transport study identified a parking
shortfall in the town centre in the order of
1,200-1,500 spaces by 2016. This shortfall
consists mainly of all day parking but does
not take account of major seasonal
overflows. The plan area is potentially an
area to cater for some of this demand but
its effectiveness relies on good road
accessibility and direct pedestrian links to
the west.
9.4
Visual
9.4.1 Vistas
The vista along Junction Street to the rural
area has been identified as important and
provides an element in the character of the
town centre.
With the added focus on Junction Street
previously discussed, the importance of
this visual aspect is increased and any
structures or changes should enhance the
value of this vista.
9.4.2 Highway
Clearly the importance of the visual
presentation to the Highway increases with
the demonstrated increase in traffic. There
will be a need to pay particular attention to
conveying a sense of arrival in the CBD
and also to forewarn motorists of the
conflict where the Junction Street core
crosses the Highway.
Considerable attention will need to be
given to visually reinforcing the regulatory
controls at that point.
LP No. 335
65
10.
Conclusions
A local environmental study has been
undertaken for the plan area Nowra east of
the Princes Highwy and between North
Street and Plunkett Street. The study has
included specialist studies and report on a
range of issues which are relevant to the
site and identified in consultation with State
Government agencies.
The major findings of the studies are as
follows.
Soils/geotechnical
That significant areas are likely to be
affected by a layer of soft clay which will
require special consideration in footing and
foundation design for buildings in
infrastructure. Areas of fill are
unconsolidated and will require special
consideration. As a precautionary measure
any removed fill should be classified in
accordance with NSW EPA Environmental
Guidelines: Assessment Classification and
Management of Liquid and Non Liquid
Wastes to determine where the material
may be disposed. Acid sulphate soils were
not a factor except the drainage channels
existing in the area.
Agriculture
That the area has been altered or not used
for agriculture and that the area west of the
proposed new East Nowra sub arterial can
be considered as urban land provided
appropriate buffers are incorporated.
66
Flooding
That a significant area was identified high
hazard flood storage. Filling would be
feasible and would not lead to a significant
loss of floodplain storage. There are a
number of conditions that would be
required to be addressed at Development
Application stage. The flooding planning
level should be set at 5.1 metres AHD but
some consideration should be given to the
extreme flood level of 7.1 metres AHD.
Flora and fauna
The rezoning is unlikely to have any
significant effect on native flora and fauna
as most of the natural vegetation and
habitats have been cleared and modified.
Water quality
Gross pollutants and sedimentation were
identified as an issue and it is
recommended that the LEP require the
preparation of a stormwater management
strategy that minimises pollutants at source
and incorporate best practice.
Economic Consideration
It was estimated that under the most likely
pattern of major retail development in the
city and a reduction in escape expenditure
that with this rezoning that there would be
this retail surplus of floor space of around
2,083m2 in 2004 and a shortfall of
-8,344m2 by 2011. That if this rezoning
went ahead, Council should reconsider
other proposed 3(a) retail rezonings in the
CBD.
LP No. 335
In relation to the impact on the CBD, that
the market share of the CBD versus Nowra
Fair would fall from 26.8% to 22.8% by
2016. The impact would take about five
years to be fully mitigated by population
and spending growth. The majority of the
impact will fall on non food rather than food
based store. The impact on that sector
would be –16.5% which could lead to some
store closures. The final assessment
should not be based on the prospects of
individual retailer but on services in general
terms.
The impacts of the proposed development
in the plan area on the CBD would be of an
order that take about five years to be fully
mitigated by population and spending
growth.
The majority of the impact would fall on non
food rather than food based stores 90% of
the impact (-$21.2mill) in 2004 is assumed
to be on the CBD non food sector and
would represent a percentage impact of
–10.5%.
It is expected this impact would be
sufficient to lead to some store closures in
the CBD among retailers of non food
merchandise.
If as it is likely that the Vincentia District
Retail Centre is developed at the same
time (already zoned) with a supermarket
and speciality shops the impact becomes
greater and would include the CBD
supermarkets. The impact would be in the
order of -$37mill or –18.4%. Under this
scenario retail sales in the CBD would not
recover their 2004 predevelopment levels
until about 2012. The major criteria that is
required to be taken into account is not the
impact on individual stores but the potential
loss of services to the community.
LP No. 335
Proposed development in this area would
provide an economic benefit to the
Shoalhaven by retaining an estimated $20
mill (2004) and increasing in subsequent
years.
Social Considerations
That the addition of a retail facility such as
another Discount Department Store would
be welcomed by the community and would
supplement existing facilities. It would
obviate the need/desire for people to travel
outside the area for increased shopping
choice and could lead to cost savings to
the community. That the area is well
located to provide special needs housing
and other leisure (recreation facilities).
These latter facilities could add to both the
economy and vitality of the town centre.
That there are a number of safety and
accessibility issues related to the
development within the area.
Roads and Transport
The consultants recommended strategy is
very strongly based on the need to have an
East Nowra sub- arterial road connecting
Kalander Street and North Street. At this
point in time until a better route can be
negotiated there is a strong requirement to
protect the southward extension of
Brereton Street alignment. There is also a
need to fully signalise both North and
Junction Street intersections. The strategy
also requires an efficient and feasible
connection from existing and future car
parks in the plan area to the East Nowra
sub arterial. The best connection is
Junction Street and this should not be
closed until an acceptable alternative can
be found.
67
There are unresolved issues in relation to
public transport routes, servicing and
accessibility through the area which at
present remain unresolved and again it
would not be appropriate to close Junction
Street until suitable alternatives can be
found. The accessibility is further
exacerbated by the strategy requiring the
Highway to be widened at Worrigee Street
which potentially could mean that the
present slip lane access south of Junction
Street into the Nowra Fair Development
could be lost. Another important finding is
that if the Junction Street/Highway
intersection is fully signalised to all
movements there is a need to retain the
Junction Street Court.
Pedestrian safety is enhanced by the
provision of lights at North and Junction
Streets but other safety issues will still
need to be addressed.
The area is well suited for a variety of uses
that can make use of its central location.
Priority should be given to uses that
supplement the social well being of the
town centre and its economic well being in
the broader sense. The importance of the
Junction Street vista should be recognised
and the visual presentation to the Highway
given careful consideration. The sense of
arrival to the area along the Highway
requires special visual treatment, as does
the Junction Street crossing.
The main core of the town centre should be
reorientated along Junction Street and
reinforced by high activity uses (see figure
23). The proposed commercial 3(a)
zonings as envisaged in the current CBD
Strategy north of North Street and south of
Worrigee Street should not proceed at this
stage.
Water and Sewer
The major issue with these services is the
protection of the existing infrastructure,
most notably the new water line to the
industrial area at Bomaderry.
Planning and Urban Design.
That the strategic location of the plan area
adjoining the CBD makes it an important
addition to the town centre. With the
development of a Transport Strategy that
by fully signalising North and Junction
Street there will be major movement
integration with the CBD despite the
existence of the Highway. The strategic
importance of the whole area is further
increased by the East Nowra sub arterial.
68
This environmental study has been
prepared in accordance with Section 57 of
the Environmental and Planning
Assessment Act 1979.
…………………………………………………
E J Royston
Planning Services Manager
2 January 2003
LP No. 335

Shoalhaven Draft LP335 Big W Proposal Nowra Environmental Study

Transcription

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