![The five dwellings will be built behind the Gunnedah Dental Centre. Picture by Gareth Gardner The five dwellings will be built behind the Gunnedah Dental Centre. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/150521478/8cbb4e72-4cfc-4845-947d-9a71f462f9ed.jpg/r0_285_5568_3428_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
RESTRICTIONS around parking will be bent to allow five dwellings to be built behind a medical centre in a bid to attract more staff.
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Gunnedah Shire Council has voted to override development parking regulations in favour of hopefully bolstering the town's health work force.
The rule change will mean five one-bedroom units will be built behind the Gunnedah Dental Centre on Barber Street, with hopes to add more housing options for potential staff recruitment.
Standards set out in the Gunnedah Development Control Plan 2012 require the medical centre to have nine carparks available for staff and patients, but the construction of the units would mean there would only be space for five.
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In a submission to council, the application says the reduced parking should not outweigh the potential benefits the units could bring to the community.
"Patients typically park on-street rather than onsite due to the entry position to the centre," the report says.
"The provision of additional spaces onsite via the reduction in units or servicing promotes no positive impact to the development or the community."
Council's director of planning and environmental services Andrew Johns recommended councillors support the application.
He was satisfied the report adequately weighed up the carparking needs compared to the need for accommodation.
"Five one-bedroom units would be in high demand that close to the CBD," he said.
The units will be built with the intention to provide housing for medical practitioners visiting or living in Gunnedah, with the development anticipated to create a "positive social impact".
The applicant and owner of the centre, Karthikeyan Muthusamy, claims the development may have a positive impact on Gunnedah's economy by employing local tradesmen and sourcing local resources during construction.
Councillor Robert Hooke said the units would be an "exciting development" for the town.
"Congratulations to the developer on having the forthright to know we need more accommodation in this town for the benefit of the whole community," he said.
The units have been on Mr Muthusamy's radar for sometime but the development was "significantly" redesigned following an assessment by council staff.
Private, open space outdoor areas were "virtually non-existent" in the original plans.
With the new designs, all units include open space areas, but only one of the units complies with the open space requirements.
But, the developer said this should satisfy council's requests due to the nature of the units.
"The development units are all single-bedroom and are unlikely to house families, which would require greater levels of outdoor space," the application says.
The development will be built adjacent to a railway line but with the units 62 metres from the rail corridor it is anticipated no noise or vibration mitigation measures will need to be taken.
The tick of approval from council will also include a new storage room for the medical centre.
A shed will be demolished and a carport relocated to make room for the new development.
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