Planning proposal for 529-539 Glenmore Road, Edgecliff
Summary
In November 2013 Council received a planning proposal for 529-539 Glenmore Road, Edgecliff. The proposal was to amend Woollahra Local Environmental Plan 1995 by increasing the maximum building height from 9.5m (3 storeys) to 34m (10 storeys) and increasing the floor space ratio from 1.5:1 to 6:1. The proposal also sought to rezone the site to R3 Medium Density Residential under Draft Woollahra Local Environmental Plan 2013.
Initial Assessment
Council's initial assessment of the planning proposal was reported to the Urban Planning Committee (UPC) on 10 February 2014 with a recommendation that the planning proposal not be supported.
Finalisation
On 24 February 2014(PDF, 630KB), the Council considered the recommendation of the UPC and resolved:
That the planning proposal prepared by URBIS for 529-539 Glenmore Road, Edgecliff as summarised in the report to the Urban Planning Committee meeting of 10 February 2014 is not supported. In summary the proposal:
- is not in context with the character of the surrounding buildings,
- will not reflect the desired future character of the Paddington heritage conservation area,
- does not provide a suitable built form transition between the site and the surrounding areas,
- has significant and unreasonable impacts on 161 New South Head Road.
Subsequently, the applicant requested a Pre-Gateway Review from the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) to prepare a review of Council’s decision.
The proposal was considered by the Joint Regional Planning Panel (Panel) on 29 July 2014. The Panel did not support the scheme as submitted, but noted that the site is close to a major transport node and redevelopment of the site to a higher density is appropriate despite its location within a heritage conservation area. The Panel advised that an alternative proposal with a floor space ratio between 3:1 and 4:1 and a maximum height of 6 storeys, may be acceptable.
On the 21 October 2014 the DPE advised Council that the proposal should not proceed to Gateway determination stage, primarily due to the excessive bulk and scale of the proposal.