Ocean St, North Avoca: Decision made on backyard pool plans that attracted local objections

A decision has been made on controversial backyard pool plans for an oceanfront home in North Avoca that attracted local objections.

Erosion concerns have pulled the plug on plans for a backyard swimming pool in North Avoca.

The Central Coast Local Planning Panel has handed down its unanimous decision to refuse the pool plans at 44 Ocean St.

The plans received 34 objections, sparking concerns relating to coastal erosion concerns along with issues of the house, which is leased for holiday rentals, being used for parties.

The panel has stated that it cannot be satisfied that the proposed pool wouldn’t “cause increased risk of coastal hazards on that land or other land”.

“The proposed location of the swimming pool on the land seaward of the Coastal Building Line as defined … would constitute an undesirable precedent for future development and threaten realisation of strategic planning objectives to reduce risks associated from coastal hazards,” the panel stated in its decision.

Applicant Jonathan Odisho proposed a $50,000 in-ground concrete swimming pool in the flat, grassed backyard which backs directly onto North Avoca beach.

Image of the rear of the house and backyard.

Central Coast Council also recommended the pool be refused due to concerns around coastal erosion and impacts on future plans to reduce risks of erosion.

During the public exhibition period of the plans over November and December 2021, the council received 34 objections mainly regarding the impact the pool could have on beach erosion during storms.

Aerial view of the property in North Avoca.

Other concerns were impacts on the character of the area and the likelihood of “intrusive activities” such as parties as a result of the property’s use as a holiday rental.

During the panel meeting on August 25, Avoca Beach community association president Steve Fortey said the association and its members were against the swimming pool on the ocean front.

“Allowing such a substantial structure on the ocean side of the coastal building line would have major negative impacts and set a dreadful precedent for other oceanfront property owners,” he told the panel.

He said the applicant claimed that the pool could withstand a major coastal erosion.

Mr Fortey said ‘we’ve all seen visions of swimming pools falling into the sea’. This is a well known image from Collaroy Beach. Picture: Adam Ward

“It’s a bold claim … that future extreme weather events will not affect their oceanfront property. North Avoca beach is wide open and exposed to the ravages of the ocean. Whose to say it’s turn will not come. We’ve all seen visions of swimming pools falling into the sea during major storm events, some not far from Avoca.”

He said any structural failure of the pool in a storm would present safety risks to the public from debris.

He said while there were a number of ocean front properties at North Avoca with swimming pools, “none of them at present are on the ocean side of their dwellings”.

Front of the house at 44 Ocean St in North Avoca.

The applicant submitted advice from Horton Coastal Engineering which stated that “the pump enclosure is considered to be sufficiently elevated to be at an acceptably low risk of damage from wave run-up over an acceptably long life”.

They stated that the pool would not impact neighbouring land as it would be supported on piles and be above inundation in an erosion event.

However council’s senior coastal planning officer did not change the recommendation for refusal, stating that the pool was not compliant with local planning rules and would impact any future coastal protection work.