Opportunity site consultation (June – July 2010)

Council held a community consultation from 8 June 2010 to 31 July 2010 regarding 24 locations called "opportunity sites" where Council's planning staff have identified potential to change the planning controls to increase dwelling capacity across the municipality. Over 6,000 letters were sent to the owners of each of the opportunity sites, as well as the surrounding residents. The consultation material for each opportunity site is available to view below.

During the consultation period over 500 submissions were received. Most submissions received made comment on one of the opportunity sites, however some submissions proposed extensions to these sites, whilst others proposed additional sites for consideration.

Council has considered the submissions on three opportunity sites and decided: 

1. To include the proposed planning control changes in the draft new LEP for sites 1A: 1-7 Hopetoun Avenue, 22A-24 New South Head Road and 1 Petrarch Avenue, Vaucluse and 1B: 77 New South Head Road, Vaucluse.
2. To proceed with a separate planning proposal to amend the planning controls in the Woollahra LEP 1995 for Site 8: 9A Cooper Park Road, Bellevue Hill.
   

Council resolved to defer consideration of the proposed planning control changes for the remaining opportunity sites and any suggested new sites unless “strong and supportable reasons” are provided.  

The NSW Government still requires Council to provide opportunities for additional dwellings, but will allow this process to occur in stages after the Principal LEP has been completed.  Further public consultation will occur at that time.

Background

Council identified 24 sites to meet the housing targets set out by the NSW Government in the Draft East Subregional Strategy in a report to the Urban Planning Committee on 14 December 2009.

The sites were identified following critical planning analysis of all land within the Woollahra local government area, and are estimated to yield 1,000 new dwellings. There is sound planning rationale to increase development potential at each of these locations, by increasing the maximum building height and floorspace ratio, and in some by rezoning to allow residential flat buildings or mixed use developments.

Council and planning staff are very aware that a suitable balance must be found between protecting character and providing for increased housing opportunities. This is most effectively resolved by focusing the planning changes on the business centres and immediate surrounding areas, particularly Edgecliff and the New South Head Road corridor to Rushcutters Bay.

This strategy of increasing development potential in and around the centres is consistent with good planning practice and promotes more sustainable and transport oriented development. Importantly, it also helps protect the character and amenity of Woollahra’s low density residential areas by limiting the need for significant change to the planning controls in these areas.

The sites are referred to as "opportunity sites" as they would provide the capacity to increase development potential. The planning changes proposed to each site are described in the following documents.

View the entire document (PDF, 4.8 MB)

View individual sites – click on the image to view the PDF document

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Edgecliff                                                      3D modelling

Edgecliff Centre: 203–233 and 235–285 New South Head Road	3D model of Edgecliff Centre
Eastern Gateway: 240–246 New South Head Road (Thane Building)	3D model of Eastern Gateway
Western Gateway:73–79 New South Head Road (service station site)	3D model of Western Gateway: 73-79 New South Head Road
Western Gateway: 2–14 New South Head Road	3D model of Western Gateway: 2-14 New South Head Road

Vaucluse

1–7 Hopetoun Avenue, 22A–24 New South Head Road,  1 Petrarch Avenue	77 New South Head Road (car wash site)	30–58 Old South Head Road

Rose Bay

646–692 Old South Head Road	1–9 Caledonian Road and 740–760 New South Head Road	Ian Street car park: 16–18 Dover Road
12–30 Albemarle Avenue	1–19 Beresford Road and 609–613 New South Head Road

Bellevue Hill

Cooper Park bowling green: 9A Cooper Park Road

Paddington

Sydney Grammar School tennis courts: 33 Neild Avenue	27–31 Neild Avenue (Department of Housing accommodation)	Scottish Hospital: 74 Brown Street
Hampden Street Precinct: 15–21 Hampden Street, 10A, 10 and 23 Roylston Street, 10 Cecil Street and 8 Soudan Lane	52 Hopewell Street	12–14 Wentworth Street and 36 Jersey Road
444 Oxford Street and 22 George Street

Woollahra

1–11 Edgecliff Road and 118 Old South Head Road	Edgecliff and Wallaroy Road (land associated with the Woollahra Station)	30–36 Moncur Street
38–178 Oxford Street

Double Bay

6–12 Leura Road	315–321 and 327-331 New South Head Road

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