The development application (DA) is for a 20.49 hectare (50.6 acre) parcel of land known as Appledore to the south-east of the city at 3991 O’Connell Road.

Until recently the property was an apple and stone fruit orchard, but it has now been mainly cleared of fruit trees and prepared for future residential development.

The DA shows the subdivision will include 24 large residential lots of at least 4000 square metres, and a residue lot of 6.8 hectares comprising the existing dwelling and a new road.

Appledore fronts Blue Ridge Drive and O’Connell Road, and it adjoins Blue Ridge Estate as well as the proposed Littlebourne subdivision and small holding rural pasture/grazing land.

The Statement of Environmental Effects (SoEE) report contained within the DA shows the development will be conducted in four stages, with the first to be two blocks that will directly front Blue Ridge Drive.

“The development is consistent with the setting, character and land use of the surrounding residential area that encompasses large residential lots and small rural holdings,” the report states.

“The development provides rural lifestyle living that would reduce pressure on developing primary production land by concentrating the population to adjoining residential locations.”

Primary access to each lot will be from direct frontage to Blue Ridge Drive or the new subdivision road.

“At the finalisation of the development, no lots are proposed to have access to O’Connell Road,” the SoEE report states.

“The Appledore dwelling will maintain access to O’Connell Road by an existing driveway until access to the new subdivision road is constructed.”

The SoEE report also considered access to the site and concluded that the development would lead to an increase in traffic onto Blue Ridge Drive, however, the size of the development did not trigger automatic referral to the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) for its input in the DA.

“Due to council concerns about the carrying capacity of the intersection of Blue Ridge Drive with O’Connell Road, it is proposed that after the release of lots 23 and 24 (stage one), and prior to the release of any further stages, a traffic study be undertaken to determine if the intersection requires upgrading,” the report states.

“If an upgrade is required, the civil works design will incorporate the intersection subject to RMS approval.”