Mixed-use Development Mackenzie St, Lavender Bay

Attached, please find my objection to State Significant Development Application SSD-88702457
1-3, 17-19 Mackenzie Street & 211 Blues Point Road, Lavender Bay - Mixed Use Development - Emeritus Professor James Weirick

I object to the proposed development for the reasons stated below:
• Over-development and excessive Height: The proposed 20-storey tower plus podium is incompatible with the surrounding built form and fails to transition appropriately to the neighbouring one and two storey terrace homes of the Lavender
Bay Heritage Conservation Area.
• Significant Overshadowing: The development would cast extensive shadow over its neighbours to the south, reducing private amenity. St Peters Park would receive no early morning summer sun, reducing public amenity.
• Traffic and access impacts: existing congestion would worsen, and on-street parking would be harder to find. As a long term resident (over 30 years) of McMahons Point it is already very hard to find parking and not just in area 7 where I live but finding parking in neighbouring area 6 where this proposed development is sited will become significantly more of a problem than it already is, impacting resident and business owners' amenity in being able to drive, park, shop and eat out at local restaurants, visit the post office etc.
• At approximately 73 metres in height, the proposed development is six times the existing 12-metre height limit. This is an extreme variation that's inconsistent with the planning controls that apply to the site and if allowed to go ahead will only lead to more overdevelopment in this beautiful, harmonious and largely historical area.
• The changes to St Peter's Church will ruin its beauty and amenity. It is an historical fixture of the area and a drawcard and this overdevelopment will impact these aspects considerably and in perpetuity.
• This development will overshadow the surrounding homes and parkland areas cutting light and impacting the well-being and enjoyment of living in this area for residents around this development.
• The area is currently zoned with a NSW gazetted 12-metre building height limit. A building height of over 73 metres is totally out of line and unacceptable. The subject SSD is in the Lavender Bay Conservation Zone and any development must respect it which this SSD clearly does not.

Refer attached letter of objection.

I object to the project as it is proposed, I would not object to reasonable re-development of the site within existing zoning rules.

I reside in an 1885 terrace house at the north end of Arthur Street, just before the reserve. The proposed development will adversely directly affect the sunlight to my house in winter, it will produce significantly more vehicles in both using quite small streets plus as push more vehicles to park on crowded streets.

The proposed 20 storey tower at 73m is way in excess of the existing 12m height limit. It seems an unreasonable, overbearing, development that is in no way compatible with the Lavender Bay Heritage Conservation Zone. Why should this development be allowed to exceed the 22m existing residential building limit under government Transport Orientated Developments? What becomes the point of having zoning if projects can just exceed them without consideration to existing buildings and public amenities?


When there is an existing significant shortage of public parking for residents and non-residents in Area 6, allowing new developments that have inadequate private parking will just exacerbate the parking problem. Surely such developments should either provide adequate on site parking for any proposed development or not permit residents to have access to resident parking permits for public streets?


The proposed development is only one of 3-5 proposed major developments in the immediate area, all of which are expected to be constructed in approximately the same time frame as this development. The detrimental effect of numerous major constructions at the top of Lavender Bay & southern edge of North Sydney, occurring at the same time, will be enormous. They also hem in the very small heritage residential area and the combined effect of these proposed SSD should be considered, not just individual SSDs.

This part of North Sydney and Lavender Bay is already overcrowded with Units and the proposal of a building up to 20 storeys high will have a very negative impact on the area. The increased traffic, parking requirements and noise associated with so many additional dwellings in an already densely populated area will be extremely detrimental. It will have a very negative impact on the heritage aesthetics of the area which is currently mostly older, low height terrace houses. Although there are of course some nearby more modern units and townhouses they are low rise and do not impact the area is such a significant way as a 20 storey building would do. It would also impact the light/sunshine levels currently received by the surrounding much smaller dwellings and parklands in a very considerable way. This would have an impact of considerable negativity of nearby homes and I dare say reduce the value of these residences. I understand the proposed mixed use of this very large building would include retail shops and I am unsure what additional value that would provide to the local community given there are many shops already nearby the proposed development including the Greenwood Plaza retail shopping area, so to argue more shops are needed is unwarranted. I feel it is very important to be respectful of the heritage in the North Sydney / Lavender Bay area and help retain the charm of the village atmosphere of this area. The proposed location is just not suitable for the area and I respectfully request that such a development be seriously reconsidered and not be approved. Thank you.

Dear Julia,
Please find attached my submission in response to SSD 88702457.
Thank you for your consideration.
Kind Regards,
Tony Moody

Please find attached an objection from Zurich Australian Insurance Properties Pty Ltd, the owner of the adjoining property at 5 Blue Street, North Sydney.

Please view these photos when reading my submission. Thankyou. L

It is acknowledged that the redevelopment of the the site is inevitable to provide additional residential accommodation and to achieve a better utilisation of the site for the Church.
Full consideration must nevertheless be given to further minimising the overshadowing of the adjacent residential and conservation area. The on street parking is already at maximum capacity and further resident parking permits for the residents of the new development can not be accommodated. Particular restrictions must be made to ameliorate the noise and disruption resulting from the construction activities, particularly by limiting after hours and weekend work. This would be assisted by having restricted construction access at the western end of the site and from the Miller Street frontage where achievable.

1.We have lived in Lavender Street since 1996. The terraces Nos. 10 to 24 are heritage listed built in about 1906 in a modified Queen Anne Federation style. The block bordered by Mackenzie, Miller and Walker Streets is substantially owned by the Anglican and Catholic Churches.
2. Religious and public places do not pay rates in NS council area.Thus other residents are sustaining the buildings all of which contribute to the charm of the area. In addition churches are beneficiaries of significant tax exemptions.
The St Vincent Society’s plan for a hugely inappropriate overdevelopment would devastate our area. This would occur over the medium and long term.
3. The studies of the shadowing of our property reveal an unacceptable impact. The morphology of the land between Mackenzie Street and the foreshore of Lavender Bay is a slope akin to a sandstone cliff. Sandstone is notoriously porous and these properties have an ongoing challenge with damp. This is regularly illustrated such as the frequent break up of the surface of Lavender Street.
Further reduction of sunlight will create a damaging unhealthy environment.
4. The disruption to the amenity of our lives would be immeasurable. We would have to endure construction noise and trucks taking fill out to excavate for the car parks. The short distance back and forth into and out of Lavender Street would render living intolerable.
5. Given the ethos of the proposer we would urge a serious reconsideration of the negative effects on our community both for those of us who stay and for those who would lose their homes.

I object to the proposal for the following reasons:
1.My home is one of the properties shown to be affected on the solar access assessment. We will lose sunlight from the only window in the living room.
2. Parking - 50+ dwellings have no allocated parking. Where are they all going to park, along with their visitors? Parking in the area is already at capacity.
3. Increased traffic in the area cannot be catered for. These are not multi-laned roads. There will be so much more traffic coming and going along my street, and that is already difficult when pulling out next to a pedestrian crossing. Combine that with another tower to be built at the other end of the road and traffic and parking is really compounded.
For these reasons and many more including impact on Lavender Bay's important heritage, safety in a high pedestrian area, and a building that is proposed to be 513% to 765% higher than current planning rules, I ask the Department to refuse the application.

I support the rejuvenation of the area covered by this SSD. Currently this site on McKenzie St is a bit of a desolate wasteland with an ageing 70s? retirement building and an unused and uncared for old school building or church hall. The proposed plan will bring the area back to life and provide an inviting transition zone between North Sydney station to the north and the residential area to the south. It will also, crucially, and most importantly, provide the much needed increase in accommodation levels required in the North Sydney LGA under the National Housing Accord 2022 which, let's face it, is currently lagging substantially behind its targets in North Sydney. I would urge the Department to treat with caution submissions that have been unduly influenced by the Lavender Bay Precinct's ROLBO subcommittee (Residents Opposed to Lavender Bay Overdevelopment) which could legitimately be renamed Residents Opposed to Lavender Bay Development, Any Development. ROLBO, once again, has issued information to spread its particular type of misleading anti-development influence as with Middlemiss/Lavender where, amongst many other things, the term 'affordable' was deliberately conflated to give the impression that a number of affordable units were being sacrificed for many less when the reality is that those blocks currently contain zero affordable units - all are rented at market value and all are privately owned. However, I digress in the interests of setting the record straight because the Department should be aware that there are those in the area who do not want their privileged lives disrupted by more urban density, even though the location, facilities and infrastructure suggest that many more can and should be able to share this special location. The McKenzie St development, as with Middlemiss/Lavender, will allow that and, crucially, will allow St Vincent de Paul to provide short-term accommodation for the less privileged. I support the rejuvenation of this (and both) areas. I urge the Department to approve this development.

Developer hasn’t had enough consultation with local residents.
Negative impact on parking for this area. Development neighbours two churches.
Design is totally out of keeping with the heritage of the area and is grossly oversized.

I object to this proposal. I am also owner of properties in the lavender bay Nieghbourhood

I Oppose this development for the following reasons:

The development is of excessive height and scale in the context of the locality. council needs to coordinate a well resolved master plan that addresses a desity increase policy within the station environs for all HOA developments.

The development will cast unacceptable shadows on most of the properties generally south of its annual shadow sweep.

The development has no regared for the visual, privacy and noise impact on neighbours

The development presents the worst precedent for the destruction of this conservation area

Impact of traffic and onstreet parking is unjustified andunaccetable in this locality

It disregards and destroys the significane of the adjacent church nor providing an acceptable curtilage

The North Sydney station is NOT covered by the state TOD policy, so this application cannot rely on that and must comply with the local LEP.

The development is a destructive , ill conceived overbearing development that must be refused.


Andrew Kremer Architect and Townplanner

I’m objecting to this proposal because the scale is completely out of character for Lavender Bay and would have major impacts on the people who already live here. North Sydney behind this site is already full of huge high‑rises, and this pushes that intensity straight into a small residential pocket that was never meant to absorb a tower of this size.

My biggest concern is the sunlight and privacy loss. Lavender Bay is one of the few places in this part of Sydney where homes still get good natural light throughout the day. A tower of this height will throw long shadows over Mackenzie Street, Blues Point Road and the surrounding heritage houses. These aren’t minor impacts - this will change how people live in their homes. Morning light, winter sun, and the general sense of openness will be significantly reduced. The overshadowing diagrams in the proposal don’t reflect the lived reality of how much sunlight this neighbourhood relies on, especially in the cooler months when direct sun is essential for warmth and amenity.

The scale also overwhelms the heritage buildings nearby. Keeping a heritage façade doesn’t mean much if it’s immediately dominated by a high‑rise behind it. The character of Lavender Bay comes from its human scale, its older homes, and the way the area steps down from the ridge. This development ignores that completely.

I support development when it’s appropriate for the area, but this is simply too big, too tall and too dense for this location. It extends the CBD into a residential neighbourhood and will permanently change the feel of Lavender Bay. The sunlight impacts alone make it unsuitable, and the cumulative effect with the existing North Sydney towers is unreasonable for a street like Mackenzie Street.

Please see attached submission for and on behalf of The Owners - Strata Plan No. 2266 (16 MacKenzie Street, Lavender Bay) - it comprises our submission and reference document.

Whilst I understand the need for more housing, I feel that the current proposal for mixed use residential at Lavender Bay will only make the area too populated with the amount of extra living being made available.

I am concerned about the effects of noise during the lengthy development, the amount of resulting foot traffic on MacKenzie and Walker Street to much greater levels and to the privacy and natural sunlight that will be lost at our house.

I am also very concerned that the amount of digging and the vibration caused from this will jepodise our home structure and will most likely negatively compromise the foundations of the house and will cause stability issues with regard to the walls and ceilings.

The amount of debris and dust from the building would also be most undesirable and this is of concern to us and our health.

Also - the proposed height of the 20 storey tower is way too high and the amount of on street parking will be severely limited.

There will also be excessive amounts of foot, cycle and car traffic along MacKenzie street which creates safety concerns and excess noise.

Please reconsider your 20 storey development to 5-10 storey development. And please keep the charm, heritage and quiet aspect that Lavender Bay is known for.

If you want to build affordable housing for young Aussies, then this is not the answer. It will still be unaffordable by most.

Kind Regards

Ben OKeefe

I object this, rationally, objectively and with facts (see attached).

Hi there, Having lived in Lavender Bay, I know firsthand what a special place it is. It’s a small, close-knit community with a unique character, and I’m concerned that developments of this size will slowly take away what makes the area so special.
Lavender Bay is not North Sydney. It has its own identity, charm and village feel, and it should not be treated as an extension of the high rise developments we see in North Sydney.
The proposed building is simply too high for its surroundings and would add even more density to an already built-up area. I’m particularly concerned about the impact on neighbouring residents’ privacy, natural light and potential overshadowing. Increased traffic, overcrowding and additional pressure on local infrastructure are also real concerns.
I’m not against development, but I believe it needs to be in keeping with the character and scale of the neighbourhood. Lavender Bay is a beautiful part of Sydney, and we need to preserve its charm and liveability rather than continue to squeeze more and more into such a small area.
I strongly urge Council to reconsider the height and scale of this proposal and take into account the impact on the local community.

Submission attached in objection to the Mixed-use Development Mackenzie St, Lavender Bay proposal.