My brother and his now wife had been living in Catho, and under the suggestion of my parents had gone to the site office to look at land and put a holding deposit on Lot 2046 - we took one look at their's and made the quick decision to put our own deposit down on Lot 2074, which fronted their block.
It was pretty clear this was a rare opportunity to secure a piece of the beautiful Australian east coast, and we were so excited to be in a position to jump on it!
It's been a long, slow, drawn out process and definitely a lesson in the art of patience, but as we draw closer to the pointy end of the operation, the excitement is building.
In early October, the re-opening of Montefiore St was a huge milestone in the process, enabling residents and those curious to access the development and get a first proper glimpse at the layout of this new community.
Wow.
Driving down Montefiore st from the Pacific Highway, you round the last bend and are hit in the face with the expansive view that will greet the majority of new residents each morning from their new homes; this being the case due to the undulating layout and generous size of the blocks. The streets are defined by gentle curves and are lined with native trees and elegant street lamps. There is a feeling of space; and with the DCP stating that builds can cover no more than 40% of each lot, that sensation is bound to continue once the homes are in place.
There was a fair bit of resistance when the development was in it's planning phase; existing residents and many locals were concerned there might be repercussions detrimental to the area and it's historic identity. But to their credit, the Rose Group appear to have considered 'Old Catho' and taken steps to achieve an almost seamless integration into the existing village, as well as the surrounding bushland. I'm sure looking at it now, even the most staunchly opposed locals would have to admit the development is most definitely an improvement on the eyesore that was the old colliery. If they're honest with themselves ;)
Crystelle and David at the site office have been extremely patient with me and my 1000 questions I bombard them with almost weekly. It has been very handy having the site office manned by people that we as new residents can build a relationship with and who are only too happy to assist with clarification of any guidelines imposed. The removal of the independent Beaches Guidelines have definitely simplified the process for us, but there are still quite a few quirks in the DCP that we are having difficulties implementing into our design, so they haven't seen the back of us yet....
I have started this blog to document all the trials and tribulations that are sure come with any build, and I can tell you they have already begun!
After over 18 months of sifting through builders, we have decided to go with local company Montgomery Homes for our double storey build. But more about that in my next post!
