New Yamba medical centre a risk to safety say business owners

‘We believe the safety of the Yamba community should be the highest priority and Council’s decision.’

Business owners are happy to see the construction of a new medical centre and chemist in Yamba’s CBD, but not at the cost of the community’s safety.

During the July 20 Clarence Valley Council Open Forum, secretary of Strata Plan 55549 Owners Corporation Fiona Smith made a deputation to councillors about several potential negative impacts from the development.

The application in question, DA2021/0193, lodged in March 2021, includes a medical centre with three doctor’s rooms and a surgery, and a chemist that will take up most of the design space. Access to both facilities will be via Coldstream Street along with 12 carparking spaces to the rear of the property.

Ms Smith, who represented the executive centre and eight owners of the strata at the open forum on Tuesday said they were “not against the development… but have some concerns that the statutory regulations have not been fully addressed.”

Mr Smith said the redevelopment of the proposed site is subject to Clarence Valley Council’s Development Control Plan (part 9), specific to lane widening of Little High Street and Coldstream Lane to the required 1.5m minimum.

It’s understood amended plans were lodged to incorporate lane widening to Little High Street, and a request to reduce the lane widening requirement for Coldstream Lane from 1.5m to 0.6m.

“This is a particular concern to our owners,” Ms Smith said.

“This lane is quickly becoming increasingly congested. Coldstream Lane is frequented by trucks, often two or three at once, to unload goods to retail shops along Yamba Street that have no loading bays. It’s increased vehicular and pedestrian movement as more of Coldstream Street is redeveloped and Yamba in general becomes busier.”

Ms Smith said that the original application also included a footpath along the eastern side of the property, adjacent to Coldstream Lane, but that it has since disappeared from the amended plans.

“The lack of a footpath associated with this development … staff, clients and shoppers expected to walk onto the laneway to access the front of the building from the rear car park further ads to existing problems,” she said.

“We believe the safety of the Yamba community should be the highest priority and Council’s decision regarding the lane width.”

During the Environment, Planning and Community Committee meeting later that day, Councillor Debrah Novak made a motion that the development application be reviewed by the CVC Access Committee for potential compliance matters with regards to accessibility, and the matters raised about Coldstream Lane and Little High Street be reviewed by the CVC Traffic Committee.

Ms Novak also recommended deferring any decision until the October meeting.

However, after more than 30 minutes of discussion on the matter, a recommendation was made to revisit the issue at next week’s full council meeting rather than delay the development further.

Clancy and Novak voted against the motion.