Bega Valley Shire Council’s website lists the Bermagui development, proposed for 34 Lamont Street, as having an estimated cost of $2,662,748. Image: Supplied.
A new shop-top development could be coming to a South Coast street.
The development application (DA), recently lodged with Bega Valley Shire Council (BVSC), calls for a Lamont Street site in Bermagui to be transformed into a mixed-use property with accommodation and commercial tenancies.
The plans were lodged by Gordon Building Design on behalf of Luke Casaceli.
Under the proposal, several buildings and a detached garage would be replaced with a two-building development.
“The site is located within an established retail and service precinct in the Bermagui town centre, characterised by small-scale commercial premises and mixed commercial/residential buildings,” the documents state.
“The surrounding built form is compact and urban, comprising single-storey shopfronts with awnings and display windows, along with several two-storey buildings that incorporate upper-level glazing and balconies.”
The development would be located opposite the heritage-listed Bermagui Police Residence, with the DA documents saying the proposal is not expected to “adversely affect the item’s significance”.
If given the green light, the proposal would be built in two stages.
Stage 1 would focus on the back of the site (adjoining Sherwin Lane) and feature the construction of ground-level garages and a unit.
The unit will feature four bedrooms, an open-plan living and dining area, a “private open space”, a kitchen and bathrooms.
The detached garage would also be demolished, while a legal access route from Sherwin Lane would be created.
That access route means pedestrian access is intended to come from the Lamont Street side of the property.
“The frontage remains uninterrupted by vehicle access because all parking and servicing occur from Sherwin Lane, which preserves the continuous pedestrian character along Lamont Street,” the documents state.
If approved, the development will be built in two stages. Image: Supplied.
Its second stage will involve further demolition works, with those buildings to be replaced with another building.
That would be replaced with a commercial tenancy and office (on the ground floor), each with glazed doors facing Lamont Street and a shared access ramp.
Each tenancy would also have a service door at the rear to manage deliveries and back-of-house operations.
Their internal layouts would include a kitchenette, a unisex accessible bathroom and insulated partitions.
Another residence would sit above those businesses.
Under the proposal, the two-storey residence would have similar design features to the other unit.
“[Both buildings] will be finished in fibre-cement weatherboard cladding for consistency between buildings,” the documents say.
According to the Statement of Environmental Effects, the development would also come in just shy of the 10-metre height limit, with the two buildings to be 9.74 m and 10 m at the front and back buildings, respectively.
However, the documents argue that design elements would also reduce “bulk”.
“The front and rear buildings use simple parapet and skillion roof forms that integrate with the overall facade composition and maintain a low apparent bulk from Lamont Street and Sherwin Lane,” the document states.
“The roof design is consistent with the small-scale commercial character of Bermagui town centre and does not create excessive massing or overshadowing.”
The DA, with Application Number 69/2026, remains under consideration by the council.
