March 2009 Cover Story

The approval in mid-February followed one last ditch stand by a handful of activists intent on stopping the development which would be a shot in the arm for the region’s hard-pressed building industry.

A centrepiece of the development, which proved in the end to be a controversial sticking point, is the addition of a Clocktower, forming part of what is known as Building D, fronting Campbell Crescent.

The overall development comprises six buildings over an area of 10,100 sqm with boundaries to The Esplanade, Campbell Crescent and Paynters Lane. Mr Seraglio said that the development would be staged with what may be called the Clocktower Building and another building facing The Esplanade, on the former Snapper Spot site, being the first stage.

The development to be known as Aria Terrigal will comprise exclusive residential accommodation and ground floor retail and commercial space with underground security parking. Architect, Peter Israel of PTI Architects said the development design had been updated with strong curved white forms and large areas of glass presenting an elegant and classis building fronting the ocean.

There will be ten apartments in Stage One comprising 2,3 and 4-bedrooms and ranging in size from 120sqm to 200sqm internally, with large balconies for some. When all six buildings are completed there will be around ninety units. There will be a range of retail tenancies on the ground and first floors of both buildings, totalling 1,200sqm. This will increase to around 2,000sqm when the whole project is completed.

Since the beginning of the Christmas period Mr Seraglio has maintained a sales office to gain a measure of interest from potential buyers. “We have had good enquiry,” he said, “certainly enough to encourage us to start on construction as soon as we can”.

Mr Seraglio said that three builders have been invited to quote on the project. Construction time for the first stage will be in the order of fifteen months and is expected to employ about one hundred persons giving a much needed flip to the Central Coast building industry.

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