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State Significant Development

Response to Submissions

Novus on Victoria, Chatswood - Build-to-Rent

Willoughby City

Current Status: Response to Submissions

Interact with the stages for their names

  1. SEARs
  2. Prepare EIS
  3. Exhibition
  4. Collate Submissions
  5. Response to Submissions
  6. Assessment
  7. Recommendation
  8. Determination

Construction of a build-to-rent development with ground and first floor retail premises, 260 BTR units, communal facilities and 3 levels of basement.

Attachments & Resources

Notice of Exhibition (1)

SEARs (1)

EIS (34)

Response to Submissions (1)

Agency Advice (12)

Additional Information (1)

Submissions

Filters
Showing 41 - 60 of 147 submissions
Name Withheld
Object
Chatswood , New South Wales
Message
Novus on Victoria, Chatswood-Build-to-Rent will put a huge burden on the nearby apartments (including Metro of 550 apartments, Sebel, Regent, etc.), on Post Office Lane that is used by Chatswood residents, customers visiting District Dining eateries, customers of Woolworths, Red Cross blood donors, delivery vehicles and shops around the area. In the future, if the Novus is going ahead, there will be large amount of construction trucks moving in and out of contrction areas for many months during construction, causing massive disrruptions, noise, and inconvenience to the local communities. Currently traffic area around Victor Street and Albert Ave is often very slow and queuing up. One imagine if the 42 storey project is completed, it will bring in huge number of residents and cause more pollution, traffic jam and may be even more crime to chatswood.
It is a travesty of justic to denny Chatswood residents to use the Post Office Lane if it is used for the building of Novus Victoria Build-to Rent.
Name Withheld
Object
ST IVES , New South Wales
Message
Chatswood is going to become too overcrowded and polluted. Chatswood public and high school are going to be even more saturated with students which the schools cannot accommodate.
Name Withheld
Object
CHATSWOOD , New South Wales
Message
To Whom It May Concern,

As a long-term resident and owner of the Metro Grand building, I write to express my strongest objection to the proposed development at 410–416 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood (SSD-63324208). This project is fundamentally unsuitable for the location and poses unacceptable risks to traffic safety, structural stability, residential amenity, and property values across the entire precinct.



1. Unsustainable Traffic Congestion – A Critical and Overlooked Threat

The most alarming consequence of this proposal is its severe impact on local traffic. The development seeks to inject 260 residential units into a narrow, already overburdened street network — surrounded on all sides by congestion hotspots:
• Post Office Lane is a service laneway, not designed for high-frequency residential access. It is already used for deliveries, waste collection, and back-of-house operations. Adding hundreds of daily resident movements — including car share, ride share, couriers, and service vehicles — will paralyse the laneway and endanger pedestrians.
• Albert Avenue is one of the main access routes into the Westfield car park, with consistent traffic queues throughout the day. The new residents and commercial deliveries will need to access Post Office Lane via Albert Avenue, causing complete gridlock at the intersection.
• Victoria Avenue and Pacific Highway, both major arterial roads, are already experiencing chronic peak-hour congestion. The additional load from construction vehicles, residential vehicles, and increased pedestrian crossings will cause cascading impacts across the Chatswood CBD traffic system.

The Transport Impact Assessment significantly underestimates the cumulative impact on the road network. As a resident who commutes daily and walks regularly along these streets, I can say with certainty: the surrounding road network cannot absorb any more pressure.



2. Structural and Foundation Risks to Existing Towers

The project involves deep excavation for three basement levels in a confined urban block, directly adjacent to the Metro Grand and Metro Spire towers. This raises serious concerns over:
• Ground movement and soil destabilisation, especially in a zone that has already undergone major substructure development;
• Vibration damage during piling and excavation;
• Potential long-term impacts on water tables and stormwater flow.

There is no independent assurance that the stability of our building or neighbouring towers will not be compromised. This is not just a planning concern — it is a public safety issue.



3. Noise, Dust and Safety Risks During Construction

Victoria Avenue is a high-footfall pedestrian spine, connecting the Chatswood transport interchange to major retail, commercial, and residential areas. Introducing a major construction site here will create:
• Persistent dust and air quality issues;
• Unbearable construction noise, especially for high-level apartments like ours that rely on natural ventilation;
• Restricted footpath access and constant disruption, raising risks for children, elderly residents, and commuters.



4. Overshadowing, View Loss and Property Value Impact

The proposed 46-storey tower will block iconic district and skyline views currently enjoyed by Metro Spire, Metro View, and Metro Grand residents. These views are not cosmetic — they are a key component of property value.

Combined with privacy loss and reduced sunlight, this proposal will directly cause significant market devaluation of surrounding properties, including my own. It unfairly imposes financial harm on existing residents to benefit a short-term rental model.



Conclusion

The streets surrounding this site — Post Office Lane, Albert Avenue, Victoria Avenue, and Pacific Highway — are already at or beyond their capacity. Injecting this level of population density is not just poor planning — it is a reckless threat to safety, livability, and economic sustainability.

I strongly urge the Department to reject this application or require a complete redesign appropriate to the site’s limited access, fragile foundations, and urban context.
nancy choi chan
Object
Chatswood , New South Wales
Message
The Novus Development is bad concept for the well being of Chatswood Train Station and surrounding areas. The surrounding street (victor Street) and lane (Post Office Lane) will be so congested as becoming very bad for the people using the surrounding area, by the new buiding planned by Novus: there will many many service, moving-house and maintenance vehicless, ubers, bycycles, etc., used by residents of the building developed by Novus.
Name Withheld
Object
NEUTRAL BAY , New South Wales
Message
I am writing to formally object to the proposed Novus on Victoria development on the following grounds:

Traffic Congestion and Safety Concerns
- Victor Street and Post Office Lane are narrow, dead-end streets due to the pedestrian mall. These streets already experience significant congestion from vehicles dropping off passengers and performing U-turns. The proposed development will exacerbate this issue, particularly during the construction phase, posing safety risks to both drivers and pedestrians.

Overcrowding and Pedestrian Impact
- The area surrounding the proposed development is already a high-traffic pedestrian zone due to its proximity to shopping and commercial areas. Introducing a high-density residential development will significantly increase foot traffic, potentially overwhelming existing infrastructure and reducing pedestrian safety and amenity.

Inadequate Parking Provision
- The development plan includes only 9 car parking spaces, which is insufficient for the number of proposed residential units. This shortfall will likely force residents to park on nearby streets, further straining the already limited on-street parking in Chatswood and negatively impacting local residents and businesses.

Long-Term Local Knowledge and Experience
- I have previously lived and worked in Chatswood and continue to visit regularly for over 20 years. I have witnessed firsthand the increasing pressure on local infrastructure, traffic and parking. The proposed development does not appear to take into account the existing challenges faced by the community and risks further degrading the quality of life for residents, workers, and visitors.

In light of these concerns, I respectfully request that Council refuse this development application or require significant amendments to address the issues raised above.

Thank you for considering my submission.
Name Withheld
Object
Chatswood , New South Wales
Message
1. Traffic conditions do not support this project. The Victor Street and Albert Street intersection experiences severe traffic congestion at peak hours, particularly around 5:30 pm on weekends. In the event of an emergency, it will severely impact the ability of ambulances and fire departments to reach their destinations.
2. The proposed building is extremely tall, it will block the sunlight of surrounding buildings.
3. This high-density build-to-rent building will change the population demographic at Chatswood and affect the safety profile of the suburb, potentially increasing the crime rate.
4. The night market and performance events are located right next to the proposed building, which will affect the quality of living for tenants living in the building, it would be too nosy for them.
5. The practicality of building this tall building is a concern. Will they shut down Victor Street while transporting materials? How will Sebel Chatswood residents get out? The noise of constructing this will severely impact all the residential buildings surrounding it.
Stella Li
Object
CHATSWOOD , New South Wales
Message
Increased traffic congestion
Out of scale with local streetscape
Retail use doesn’t justify tower scale
Disruptive to community character
Ah Moey Ong
Object
Chatswood , New South Wales
Message
Building a residential block right in the middle of the Chatswood CBD and pedestrian mall will only lead to further density and overpopulation of an area that is already busy. Traffic is already bad currently on Victor St during peak hours as is and building a high rise tower with hundreds of new residents will only worsen things and not improve the quality of living of Chatswood residents. It will also block light going in to Chatswood Mall and compromise the openness and beauty of the current street. Furthermore, it will also impact the light and privacy of the surrounding residential blocks. It would be more ideal to focus on the building homes outside of the Chatswood Mall instead of trying to build right in the heart of the Chatswood which will adversely impact the residents, visitors, students, children and elderly who walk the streets daily. This proposed build impacts not just the residents in the area but anyone who visits the Chatswood mall on a regular basis since it is currently sitting right on a heavily used public street. Consideration should be given to the suitability given to the character of Chatswood city centre where the commercial spaces are kept low rise to give openness to the pedestrian mall. Building right in possibly the most expensive lot in Chatswood is probably also not going to help make housing accessible to the general public.
Name Withheld
Object
MIDDLE COVE , New South Wales
Message
The project will increase traffic congestion, cause obstructed views in my north facing apartment, potentially decrease the property value, overshadow public and residential areas. The proposed building is out of scale with local streetscape, and will cause a disruption to community character.
Natalie Tang
Object
Chatswood , New South Wales
Message
Grounds for Objection – Novus on Victoria Development Proposal
1. Breach of Clause 4.3 of Willoughby Local Environmental Plan (WLEP 2012): Podium Height Exceeded
The proposed development exceeds the maximum allowable podium height of 7 meters, reaching up to 9.2 meters (a 31% variation) along Victoria Avenue.
- The developer submitted a Clause 4.6 Variation Request to justify this non-compliance.
- They admit that the non-compliant podium height will cause additional overshadowing, particularly to Victor Street at 3pm on the winter solstice.
- While the applicant claims the impacts are 'minor', this does not negate the fact that the proposal breaches a statutory development control.
This is a clear planning control violation and represents a legal and community precedent concern.

2. Deep Excavation Poses Geotechnical and Structural Risks
The Geotechnical Assessment reveals the project involves excavation to a depth of 10–12 meters, which raises serious concerns:
- Potential ground movement and vibration impacts on adjacent buildings.
- Possibility of groundwater inflow, which could require dewatering licenses.
- Anchored shoring systems would need legal access permissions from neighbouring property owners.
- The report admits that site-specific borehole and water monitoring are still pending.
These risks could directly affect the stability of surrounding buildings and the safety of nearby residents during and after construction.

3. Inadequate Landscaping and Non-compliance with Deep Soil Zone Objectives
Though SSDs are exempt from mandatory DCP compliance, the applicant concedes that the proposal:
- Does not meet the 35% deep soil landscaping objective.
- Relies on planter boxes and slab-on-structure planting instead of genuine deep soil zones.
- Fails to deliver mature canopy trees that provide shade and urban cooling.
This falls short of the spirit of the Willoughby DCP 2023 and diminishes local amenity and environmental performance.

4. Inadequate Waste Collection and Traffic Interface
Due to access constraints on Post Office Lane:
- Council’s waste trucks (HRVs) cannot access the basement loading dock.
- A temporary solution using smaller private trucks (SRVs) is proposed, which may not be sustainable in the long term.
- This could lead to increased congestion and noise impacts on Victor Street and Post Office Lane.
The proposal demonstrates a poor integration with existing infrastructure and will burden local residents with ongoing traffic and service disruptions.

Summary Recommendation for Objection Letter
In your objection, you may focus on the following key arguments:
1. The proposal violates the statutory height control under WLEP 2012, and the justification lacks sufficient merit.
2. The depth of excavation poses serious geotechnical risks to surrounding structures and lacks confirmed groundwater assessment.
3. The inadequate provision of deep soil planting contradicts key urban design and environmental sustainability objectives.
4. The waste management and vehicular interface are poorly resolved, and will negatively impact local streets and amenity.
Name Withheld
Object
CHATSWOOD , New South Wales
Message
I am writing as the resident of Apartment 2105 in Metro Spire (1 Post Office Lane, Chatswood) to express my strongest opposition to the proposed Build-to-Rent development at 410–418 Victoria Avenue.

This proposal poses an unacceptable threat to my quality of life, mental wellbeing, and property value. The impacts on light, privacy, amenity, and safety are so severe that they would cause irreversible disruption to my daily life.

1. Severe Loss of Sunlight and Natural Light
My apartment on Level 21 directly faces the proposed development site. The new 46-storey tower would cast extensive shadows over my apartment, especially during critical morning hours in winter. Losing natural light in a high-rise home is devastating—affecting my health, mood, and general wellbeing. This impact is not minor or theoretical; it is deeply personal and unacceptable.

2. Destruction of Views and Loss of Privacy
From my balcony and living room, I currently enjoy open city views—a major reason I chose this home. The proposed development would completely block my outlook, replacing open sky with a looming concrete wall just meters away. Not only will this ruin the visual amenity of my home, but it also invades my privacy, with hundreds of windows directly facing mine.

3. Extreme Construction Disturbance
This project will involve years of excavation and high-rise construction right outside my window. I will be forced to endure unrelenting noise, dust, vibration, and air pollution, affecting sleep, concentration, and peace of mind. As someone who spends significant time at home, I find this disruption completely intolerable.

4. Traffic Overload and Safety Risks
The planned vehicle access and loading zones via Post Office Lane and Victor Street will further worsen already-congested traffic, especially near Chatswood Station and Westfield. Delivery trucks, construction vehicles, and daily tenants will overcrowd narrow roads and footpaths, putting pedestrians like myself at risk.

5. Emotional and Financial Harm
This development would inflict lasting psychological and financial damage. The loss of sunlight, views, and liveability will not only reduce my property value but also cause daily stress and anxiety. The sense of stability and comfort I have in my home will be destroyed—without any consultation or compensation.

Conclusion
The proposed development is entirely incompatible with the surrounding residential environment. It offers no meaningful benefit to existing residents and instead imposes a massive burden—physically, mentally, and economically.

I firmly urge the consent authority to reject this application in full. My home, health, and peace of mind depend on it.
Name Withheld
Object
CHATSWOOD , New South Wales
Message
Dear Minister,
I am writing as owner of the unit right next to the proposed development currently on exhibition. This project fundamentally threatens our quality of life and the established character of our beloved community.

Our primary concerns, which will directly and negatively impact us, include:

Loss of Sunlight, View, and Privacy: This development will cast significant shadows over our property, plunging our home into gloom. It will destroy our cherished views and completely erode our privacy, making our sanctuary feel like a public space.
Construction Disruption: We anticipate prolonged and intolerable noise, dust, and air pollution, coupled with heavy construction traffic. These conditions are unacceptable, especially for retirees, and will severely impact our health and well-being.
Overdevelopment and Infrastructure Strain: Chatswood's existing road infrastructure is already struggling. This project represents egregious overdevelopment that will only worsen traffic congestion, strain utilities, and degrade public services.
Traffic Congestion and Safety: The influx of residents and vehicles will exacerbate current traffic problems on our already busy roads, creating significant safety hazards for pedestrians and drivers alike.
Negative Impact on Community Amenity and Lifestyle: The cumulative effect of this development will be a permanent decline in the relaxing but bustling, family-oriented lifestyle we value in Chatswood. It will diminish the very reasons we chose to purchase our property here.
Environmental Impact on Local Wildlife: Large-scale developments like this inevitably lead to habitat destruction, threatening the local birdlife and other native creatures that contribute to our area's ecological balance.
Socio-economic Impact of "Build-to-Rent" Model: We are particularly concerned by the "build-to-rent" nature of this proposal. Introducing a large, concentrated rental population into an already crowded area risks negatively altering the socio-economic fabric of our community. This model often brings a more transient population, potentially straining local resources and impacting the stable, community-focused environment we have cultivated over decades.
Minister, we urge you to genuinely consider these profound and detrimental impacts. We respectfully request that this project be rejected in its current form to protect the character of Chatswood and the quality of life for its existing residents, including ourselves.
Jiji Lee
Object
ARTARMON , New South Wales
Message
My elderly parents live in Chatswood CBD, and I travel there and back almost every day. Respectfully, it seems unbelievable that the state is even considering such a huge project that will impact our already heavily congested Chatswood CBD streets, and the lack of solutions that we are currently enduring every single day.

The one and only issue that this development will address is the BTR quota that Willoughby LGA is apparently falling short of. This development is a knee-jerk reaction to try to meet this quota; however at what expense?
ALL residents living in the Chatswood CBD area AND all the new renters that this development is supposed to help, will suffer the consequences; but the and the developers will be long gone and moved onto the next suburban development nightmare. I am not against development, but it must be in keeping with, and not ridiculously out of proportion with the surrounding landscape, both in logistics and in aesthetics.

I ask you to consider the following:

1. CONGESTION AND TRAFFIC FLOW
The Council has not even had a chance to get the traffic congestion right in the Chatswood CBD, namely Victor St. flowing onto Albert Ave., flowing onto Orchard (to Artarmon, St. Leonards etc.), and Pacific Highway (anywhere in Sydney: south, west, north of Chatswood). Non-peak travel time from Chatswood to Artarmon should take 5-10 min. In peak time, it has taken me 30 min and even 45 min- just to get to the next suburb! The traffic congestion in Chatswood is a well known joke.... and everybody knows it's quicker to walk from Chatswood to Artarmon than drive! It does not reflect well for government of any level when they do not listen to the people they serve.

I plead with and urge anyone (or everyone) sitting on your panel to come down and see the traffic for yourselves- especially peak hour. You will then wonder from where the Applicant intends to have an extra thousand cars coming in and out? It is a nightmare just thinking about it. This does not appear to be of the Applicant's concern.

2. OVERSHADOWING ALL OF VICTOR ST.
This development will block ALL of the northern sun for EVERY other building in Victor St. Because we are in the southern hemisphere, this is basically ALL their sun across the entire day. I ask the panel, is this a fair and reasonable development if only one party benefits?

3. EYESORE- TOTALLY OUT OF SCALE WITH SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE
Please consider that this development is NOT in keeping with the surrounding landscape (see the Urban Digest artist's impression). It is one sudden 46-storey building jutting out of nowhere. Everyone agrees BTR is important, but please consider spreading it out over all of Willoughby LGA, not all in one ugly skyscraper where it just exacerbates all the traffic, parking and congestion issues that are already a reality of living in Chatswood CBD.


This would be a great opportunity for the panel to make a difference but in a fair and reasonable way, not a knee-jerk reaction to try to have this one development solve all of Willoughby LGA's BTR problems. To reject this development and demand that the Applicant comes back with a more feasible solution that is spread out over other parts of Willoughby LGA; to demand that developers try harder to help solve these problems rather than add to them, and create cities that people actually want to live in, is what we expect of our cities' planners.

Thank you for your time.
Jiji Lee
Name Withheld
Object
CHATSWOOD , New South Wales
Message
1. The proposal violates the statutory height control under WLEP2012, and the justification lacks sufficient merit.
2. The depth of excavation poses serious geotechnical risks to surrounding structures and lacks confirmed ground water assessment.
3. The inadequate provision of deep soil planting contradicts key urban design and environmental sustainability objectives .
4. The waste management and vehicular interface are poorly resolved, and will negatively impact local street and amenity.
Name Withheld
Object
CHATSWOOD , New South Wales
Message
As a resident of the Metro Grand building, I strongly object to the proposed development at 410–416 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood (SSD-63324208). The scale, location, and nature of the Build-to-Rent (BTR) proposal present unacceptable and irreversible impacts on existing residents — not just in terms of lifestyle, but also in financial, safety, and environmental terms.

1. Loss of Views, Sunlight and Privacy = Loss of Livability and Property Value
The proposed 46-storey tower will directly block our east-facing apartments' skyline views, drastically reduce sunlight, and introduce overlooking balconies and windows that severely compromise our privacy. These effects go far beyond minor amenity reduction — they materially degrade our quality of life.

Moreover, such permanent negative impacts will lead to measurable devaluation of our properties, which are largely owner-occupied and purchased at a premium for their views and sunlight access. We are facing significant financial loss as a result of a planning decision that benefits transient rental operators at the expense of established community members.

2. Traffic Gridlock Will Become Unmanageable – Albert Avenue Is Already at Capacity
The development funnels all access through Albert Avenue, which is already overwhelmed:

Albert Avenue is the primary access point for Westfield’s parking garage, generating continuous retail-related traffic;

It also connects to Post Office Lane, a narrow laneway that was never designed to support hundreds of daily movements by residents, service vehicles, rideshares, and delivery vans;

The addition of 260 non-permanent residents in a single tower will increase vehicular and pedestrian load to unsustainable levels.

This congestion is not hypothetical — it is already experienced daily by local residents. Adding this scale of development will paralyse movement along both Albert Avenue and Post Office Lane, increasing the risk of accidents and disrupting emergency access.

3. Construction Disruption in a High-Footfall Area
Victoria Avenue is one of the busiest pedestrian corridors in Chatswood, connecting the transport interchange to retail and residential buildings. The construction of this oversized tower will cause:

Prolonged noise and dust pollution, severely affecting indoor air quality and resident well-being;

Restricted pedestrian access and footpath closures, making the area dangerous and disorienting, especially for seniors and children;

General safety risks from heavy machinery operating in a confined, high-traffic area.

As a resident who walks daily along Victoria Avenue, I find the proposed construction timeline deeply concerning. The urban environment will be intolerably compromised for years, and no meaningful mitigation has been proposed.

Final Note
We, the long-term residents of Metro Grand, did not purchase our homes expecting to have our living environment compromised, devalued, and destabilised by a dense rental tower squeezed into an unsuitable block.

I urge the Department to reject this development or mandate a substantial redesign that aligns with the actual capacity and character of the site.
Attachments
Name Withheld
Object
CHATSWOOD , New South Wales
Message
I am the owner and resident in the Metro Grand building, located adjacent to the proposed “Novus on Victoria” development at 410–416 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood (SSD-63324208). I am writing to formally express my strongest opposition to this proposal, based on serious concerns over public safety, traffic congestion, and geotechnical risk.

1. Post Office Lane Cannot Accommodate This Scale of Development
The proposed tower sits at the dead-end of Post Office Lane, a narrow laneway that already struggles to accommodate waste trucks, delivery vans, and local access traffic. Introducing 260 residential units and associated retail uses into this bottleneck will create a traffic disaster.

The laneway lacks:

Proper turning space for large vehicles;

Pedestrian safety buffers;

Adequate sightlines or signalisation to support increased traffic volumes.

We anticipate daily traffic gridlock, noise, and safety hazards, especially during move-ins, waste collection, and high-traffic periods. The developer’s Transport Impact Assessment does not reflect the realistic operational conditions of this constrained laneway.

2. Uncontrolled Increase in Transient Population
As a Build-to-Rent project, this development is designed for short- to medium-term tenants. This dramatically alters the character of the area and introduces significant risks for building security, noise, and community instability.

Unlike owner-occupiers, a high turnover population lacks established ties to the community. For residents in Metro Grand, this represents a direct degradation in living environment and security, especially for families and elderly residents.

3. Risk of Ground Movement and Damage to Nearby Structures
The proposed excavation includes three new basement levels, adjacent to our existing deep foundations. This introduces unacceptable risks of:

Vibration and subsidence during excavation and piling;

Changes in subsoil water flow and stormwater detention;

Long-term settlement or cracking of nearby foundations.

The proponent has not provided any independent, peer-reviewed geotechnical analysis demonstrating there will be no adverse impact to the stability of our building or underground structures.

4. Prepared to Take Legal Action
We have engaged legal counsel and are fully prepared to initiate legal proceedings should the government approve this flawed and dangerous project. The proposal ignores local constraints, fails to ensure safety, and jeopardises the integrity of surrounding buildings and streets.

We respectfully urge the Department and relevant decision-makers to refuse the current application or demand a complete redesign that addresses these critical issues.
Name Withheld
Object
CHATSWOOD , New South Wales
Message
I am a resident of the Metro Spire building directly adjacent to the proposed “Novus on Victoria” development at 410–416 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood. I write to formally and strongly object to the State Significant Development application SSD-63324208.

Our opposition is based on serious, irreversible impacts the proposed development will have on the residential amenity, specifically:

1. Severe Overshadowing and Loss of Sunlight
The proposed 46-storey tower grossly violates Objective 4A-1 of the Apartment Design Guide (ADG), which requires at least 70% of dwellings to receive a minimum of two hours of direct sunlight between 9am and 3pm in mid-winter. Shadow diagrams show that for residents in Metro Spire and Metro View, particularly east-facing units between levels 5 to 31, natural sunlight will be drastically reduced, with some units receiving virtually no sunlight during winter mornings. This will significantly compromise thermal comfort, natural light, and quality of life.

2. Destruction of Views and Visual Amenity
The development will obstruct long-enjoyed skyline and district views for east-facing residents of Metro Spire and Metro View (levels 11–20). The EIS attempts to justify this impact as a “natural urban outcome” in dense centres, but fails to consider the cumulative psychological and spatial impact on long-term residents, particularly in high-value apartments where views are integral to amenity and market value.

3. Invasion of Privacy
The proximity, height, and bulk of the proposed tower – including its minimal setbacks and overlook angles – will result in substantial visual intrusion into living areas and private open spaces. No adequate mitigation measures have been proposed to protect existing residents’ privacy.

We have already sought legal advice regarding the above planning breaches and their impacts. If the project is approved in its current form, we are prepared to pursue all available legal avenues, including initiating judicial review or civil proceedings to protect our rights as existing residents.

We urge the Department and relevant authorities to reject this development application in its current form. It is not a case of opposing urban growth – it is a matter of preventing avoidable and unjust harm to established communities. The proposal must be redesigned to comply with existing planning controls and respect residential amenity.
Attachments
Name Withheld
Object
CHATSWOOD , New South Wales
Message
1. Podium height exceeds 7 metres
This breaches the clause 4.3 of the Willoughby Local Environmental Plan (WLEP) 2012. This additional height causes harmful overshadowing to Victor Street, particularly at 3pm on the winter solstice, and visually dominates the pedestrian scale intended for the street frontage.

2. This development causes big overshadowing to my Metro Spire apartment and Sunlight access failure

3. Traffic is very heavy at the moment in Chatswood, this development will further worsen the traffic condition in Chatswood

4. Landscaping does not meet deep soil requirements
This development does not comply with the 35% deep soil landscaping requirement. The design relies mainly on planter boxes built over slabs, this will restrict root depth and remove the possibility of planting large canopy trees. This compromises urban cooling, biodiversity and stormwater absorption. This also contradicts with Council's objective for greener, cooler and walkable centres.

5.This 46-storey development will obstruct district and skyline views of Chatswood, especially at the very centre busy station area. This will make Post Office Lane and the nearby street very dark.

6. Risk of deep excavation
This development reaches the depth of 10-12 metres to accommodate three levels of basement. This excavation cause big geotechnical risk such as ground movement, vibration and potential settlement that could affect the structural of the station and the surrounding buildings, particularly it is so close to Metro Spire tower.
Name Withheld
Object
Chatswood , New South Wales
Message
Chatswood has too much traffic and this will add to the burden.

The air quality will worsen.

The views of many apartment blocks will be negatively affected.

Shopping centres will be more crowded.

There is not enough childcare support.

There is insufficient hospital beds.

The project will not benefit locals.
Name Withheld
Object
LANE COVE NORTH , New South Wales
Message
The biggest problem of the proposed 46 storey building is its height, it is not compatible with the surrounding. A building of about half the height would be more appropriate. The increased car access to the Post Office Lane will cause a problem to other users including commuters to and from the Chatswood train station.

Pagination

Project Details

Application Number
SSD-63324208
Assessment Type
State Significant Development
Development Type
Build to Rent
Local Government Areas
Willoughby City

Contact Planner

Name
Judith Elijah