Wests Group has lodged plans for a $68.97 million serviced apartment development at one of it's Hunter clubs seeking approval for 71 tourist apartments to be built on the site's western car park.
The development application for The Nelson Bay Diggers club proposes a five-storey building housing 26 one-bedroom, 40 two-bedroom and five three-bedroom serviced apartments, along with minor alterations to the existing club.
The proposal covers the 4621-square-metre western portion of the club's 1.51-hectare landholding at 72-90 Shoal Bay Road, 71-73 Achilles Street and 2 Dixon Drive, which is currently a car park and a gymnasium that are already approved for demolition.
Because of its cost, the application is classified as regional development and will bypass Port Stephens Council, instead going before the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel for determination.
The plans include a ground-floor reception fronting Shoal Bay Road, a second level swimming pool, spa and outdoor play area, and pedestrian links connecting the apartments to the club's dining, entertainment and function facilities.
Vehicle access would continue from both Shoal Bay Road and Achilles Street.
The development would remove 103 car parking spaces from the site's western car park, retaining 172 spaces for club patrons at the eastern end, while adding 75 new spaces, including 45 with electric vehicle charging, for apartment guests.
The application states there will be no increase in the club's licensed area or change to its patronage.
The application is seeking an exception to Port Stephens Local Environmental Plan height limits, which vary across the site between 9 and 15 metres.
The proposed building would reach a maximum of 17.1 metres, exceeding the 15-metre limit by 2.1 metres, and would reach 13.95 metres in a 12-metre-limit zone.
A separate visual impact assessment found the site is largely visually screened by topography and vegetation, with only "moderate-low" impacts on nearby viewpoints and negligible impact from more distant vantage points, including from Bill Strong Oval and Fly Point Park to the west.
The Wests Nelson Bay site has operated as a registered club since 1966, when the Nelson Bay RSL moved to the location.
It was renovated in 2008 after Wests group took over the site.
A former motel and pool on the western portion of the land were demolished in 2009 and replaced with the car park now proposed for redevelopment.
The applicant held a pre-lodgement meeting with Port Stephens Council in May 2025, and the design was twice reviewed by the council's Urban Design Review Panel, in April and July this year.
Changes made in response included switching from curved to linear balconies, an "earthier" material palette, and a reduction in the apartment count from 75 to 71.
