A development of 201 prefab homes on the mid-coast of NSW is hoping to dodge rules on building in areas of coastal erosion by making owners legally obligated to dismantle and move their homes if the water gets any closer than 50 metres.
In a development application to Greater Taree Council, Olmwood Pty Ltd proposes an “encumbrance” on the property owners to take apart and remove the kit houses if the coast recedes to within 50 metres.
If approved, the development could set a precedent for developing along Australia’s receding coastlines.
The site on the Old Bar sea front is just south of a location where homes have already been moved because of dune erosion.
Multi-disciplinary design practice, Foster and Associates, is responsible for the site masterplan along with three typical housing types that were submitted to the council.
“It’s a valid solution to an obvious problem,” Ian Foster told Architecture & Design. “Council has to have some level of security before it will allow development on coastal land.”
There are challenges in designing a prefab home for a site with so many variables, Foster said. As modular homes that are manufactured off site, the base model had to be standardized.
“The challenge is coming up with typologies that respond to the site, orientation and aspect but can be placed in various locations within the site plan,” Foster said.
However, while the council will need to approve the site plan in order for the development to go ahead, it will not need to approve detailed plans for the houses themselves because they are not considered permanent dwellings, Foster said.
A buyer could theoretically get a different manufacturer to create a totally different design for them, providing it met the controls, he said.
However, local residents are warning of coastal erosion of frightening proportions, with one resident claiming he has lost 30 metres of his property within four years.
