A $1.3 million residential dwelling is planned at 16 Smith Street, Broulee. It is a very leafy area, close to the beach, but does not have water views. Photo: Google Earth.
The leafy and unassuming nature of the area around Smith Street in Broulee is threatened by a proposed development, residents claim.
Peter Thornton, who co-owns a Smith Street address with his sister, addressed Eurobodalla Shire councillors at the council public access meeting on 11 February (Tuesday).
The application for the $1.3 million development at 16 Smith Street is being assessed by council staff.
Mr Thornton, a graduate in civil engineering and environmental planning, said he had good interactions with council staff since they notified him of the development application (DA) in November 2024.
He wanted councillors to be aware that the development “didn’t respond to the values of the location”.
Mr Thornton said the “modest” houses at 16 and 18 Smith Street were built around the late 1960s and early 1970s.
They had been owned by the same two families all that time, until 16 Smith Street was sold in March 2024 for $1.17 million.
Drawing of the residential dwelling proposed at 16 Smith Street, Broulee. Photo: Eurobodalla Shire Council website.
DA0206/25 “to demolish existing and construct new dwelling house” at 16 Smith Street was accepted by the council on 15 November 2024 and submissions closed on 3 December.
The area is flood prone and the DA’s supporting documents explained that is why the top walls of the lower floor exceed the 4.5-metre limit and are less than the required 1.5 metres off the side boundaries.
“The site requires a considerable level change to comply with the Flood Planning Level (FPL) specified for the site,” the document said.
Mr Thornton said his house took up around 30 per cent of the land size and they had managed to retain significant trees.
The flora and fauna assessment report that forms part of the DA said the development would require the clearing of all three native canopy trees, being two bangalay and one blackbutt, along with several sweet pittosporum.
It was the loss of the “green boundaries” that Mr Thornton spoke about to the councillors.
“We offered to meet with the new owners of number 16, but they didn’t take us up on that,” Mr Thornton said. “One of the things we would have liked to explain is what was important to us in the way that our property and their property might interact.
“We would have discussed the preservation of greenery, especially along our common boundary, to avoid hard surfaces that reflect heat and all those sorts of issues,” Mr Thornton said.
Mr Thornton said he engaged a professional town planner to make a submission about the DA which explained why it does not comply with planning law in the shire and the state.
Mr Thornton and his sister also made a submission, as did some other residents.
“They really outlined very strong cases why what is being proposed doesn’t comply with the regulations, and particularly in regard to the environmental aims of council,” he said.
Kathy and Peter Thornton. Their family has been visiting Mossy Point and Broulee since 1958. Photo: Via Weebly.
He said the proposed development did not respond to the values of its location.
Mr Thornton said Smith Street and Elizabeth Drive were quite unique, with a diversity of housing, generally not big houses. There are no water views, but most houses have retained considerable vegetation.
“A lot of residents around us treasure the atmosphere and we would like to see that enhanced,” he said. “They like the vibe, the space, the trees, and the birds and animals that rely on them,” he said.
When Councillor Mick Johnson asked if Mr Thornton felt that the development did not fit in with the existing nature of the street, Mr Thornton said “the street could end up with a line of aircraft hangars if we are not careful”.
Councillor Amber Schutz asked if Mr Thornton just wanted councillors to be aware of the situation and to outline his concerns.
He said yes, adding, “It would be really great if the council could continue to encourage developers to talk to neighbours.”
He said in his experience as an environmental planner and engineer, it was better to have conversations upfront.
“When I have run public consultation campaigns, we have often been able to come up with solutions that while not everybody will be totally happy with, the majority will be happy, and we can move forward.”
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