Residential development with In-fill affordable housing - East Walker Street, North Sydney

Cbus' latest submission does not address the issues I raised in my objection previously raised in the submission SUB-73816725, submitted in July 24. I therefore maintain my strong objections to Cbus' development plan, as explained in my previous submission SUB-73816725.

Cbus has revised its plan with nothing to alleviate the concerns raised in my objection previous submitted in July 24 (SUB-73823956).
I therefore maintain my strong objections to the proposed development because of its inappropriate size, height, scale and location as explained in my previous submission (SUB-73823956).

I object to this high-density residential development in an already crowded North Sydney that's based on the following reasons:

Traffic Congestion: the developments will result in increased traffic congestion, longer commute times, higher levels of pollution, and greater stress on public transportation systems.

Overcrowded Public Services: Schools, hospitals, and other public services
Noise Pollution: Increased noise levels

Parking Shortages: Increased population density can exacerbate parking issues, making it difficult for residents and visitors to find adequate parking spaces and leading to illegal parking and associated problems.

Quality of Life: Overall quality of life for current residents may be negatively impacted by the increased noise, traffic, and reduced availability of public amenities and green spaces.

Infrastructure Strain: Increased population density can place a significant strain on existing infrastructure, including roads, public transportation, water supply, sewage systems, and waste management services, leading to potential breakdowns or overuse.

I hope the above interpretation is given serious consideration, and that we can maintain North Sydney as a better place to live and a sustainable place to grow.

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to formally object to the proposed construction of the 30-storey building at 173-178 Walker St. As a resident of the Aura Building at 168 Walker St, I am deeply concerned about the excessive height and scale of the proposed development, which starkly contrasts with the character and skyline of our community.

The proposed structure not only disrupts the architectural harmony of our neighbourhood but also significantly impacts the iconic views of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and harbour views that residents like myself cherish. These views are a quintessential part of the living experience here and contribute to the value of our properties.

Furthermore, it is important to consider that our building, which is currently only about 40% occupied, continues to welcome new residents who are in the process of moving in. Many of these new and future residents, who are making significant investments in their homes, may not have a voice in this matter as the occupancy continues to increase throughout the year. It is unfair to these individuals, who might otherwise object, to proceed without adequate community feedback.

I urge the planning committee to reconsider the scale of the proposed development to ensure it aligns more appropriately with the existing buildings and maintains the aesthetic and environmental quality of our neighbourhood.

Thank you for considering my concerns.

My opposition to the project persists even after the developer made minimal changes to their proposal. The core of my objection lies in the unaddressed potential negative impacts on us, the residents. I concur with our local council's points and evaluation of this project. It appears that the developer is merely leveraging the 'affordable housing' label to gain approval, exploiting the ongoing housing crisis and the State Government's earnest efforts to address supply problems.
The community, along with the local council and the Environment Planning Panel, have justifiably rejected the project several times over the past decade. I trust that the new assessment will be comprehensive and impartial. Approval should not be granted solely based on buzzwords like 'affordable housing,' as this does not truly serve the community and its residents.

the recent changes make no material difference to my objection previously made. the development takes away green space in an already restricted area, it adds significantly to already overstretched loadspace and will produce enhanced dangerous traffic conditions before and after school hours as well as at other peak times. the land should be sold by bus to the council for open green space

tim nash

This project should not be approved as it increases significantly the traffic on walker street and surroundings, will have a significant impact on neighbouring properties (blocks views, sunlight, etc.).

See attached submission objecting to the proposed development

I object to this project because there are only minor changes to the previous submission, and I continue to believe that the project is an over development

We have recently moved into the newly completed Aura by Aqualand residential apartment building at 168 Walker Street. We have not previously heard of the proposed development at East Walker Street and have therefore not had an opportunity to make a submission before now.
It also follows that as the Aura building has only recently become occupied - approximately 40% occupancy - any new owners will also not have had an opportunity to submit their objection.

Our objection is that the proposed building is too high and too big for the site and there is no doubt that it will block out iconic structures and views which are high value elements for us and other residents of Aura and due to its close proximity and height, will also have some impact on privacy.

Aura is a truly iconic luxury residential development enjoying expansive views of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Garden Island and Kirribilli. What is proposed to be built will have a devastating impact on many Aura residents as the design of Aura was intended to capture these iconic structures which are such a prominent part of our view.

We understand that there are at least 9 or 10 residential buildings in the surrounding area that will also be negatively impacted by this proposed development. This is not conducive to liveability in North Sydney where there are already many high rise commercial buildings and high rise residential buildings.

The proposed development should not be approved in its current form. The impact of the proposed development would be severe , completely blocking views of iconic structures - see reference page 134 of the EIS Section L - View and Visual Impact Assessment. A more considered scaled back design is required to, at a minimum, allow shared views of iconic structures and maintain structural integrity and value of all of the south facing Aura apartments, as intended by the developers (Aqualand). In particular all south facing apartments, particularly the high value four bedroom units will be negatively impacted with the owners seeking compensatory value should the proposed development go ahead unaltered.

In summary, North Sydney is already one of the most densely populated LGA's . There needs to be balance in the provision of new developments. Further intensification and inappropriate development will impact the character, amenity and environment of the area. The proposed building is too high and too big and will block iconic structures and harbour views which are high value elements for residents of Aura. These iconic structures are a prominent part of our view and value of our property.

We reserve the right to take legal action to recover lost value should the development be approved in its present form.

The scale of the project too large with too many resident capacity and building too tall.
1. Traffic increase : Unacceptable amount of traffic will be generated from the project along the already busy Walker St with already another approved development across the street at the corner of Walker and McLaren St. and a new school also at McLaren St starting school term from early year ( both opposite my home). Furthermore the North Sydney council plan on closing part of Miller St between Pacific HWY and Berry St for pedestrian only will further aggravate the congestion along Walker St.
2. The height of the proposed building will adversely impact the amount of sunlight to the adjacent buildings especially the lower floors
3. The height of the proposed building will adversely affect the existing views of adjacent buildings and impact adversely the value of all surrounding buildings.
I would urge the council to reject the scale of the project to a more reasonable height so as to reduce any impact on all surrounding buildings

I understand that moderate density and affordable housing developments are necessary in order to meet the demands for housing in Sydney and I am not against such developments. However, where are the town planning rules that developers must observe so that the end result does not destroy the value of everyone else's property as well the carelessly discard the mental health benefit of a suitable window prospect when we already don't have the luxury of a backyard? Where are the height restrictions that require buildings to be complimentary to its surroundings and follow height tapering rules of a high rise city? I do not understand how such a large and tall development that that has such negative impacts on all the surrounding apartment buildings can be exceptionally approved. It is extremely distressing for those whose windows facing east to have such an imposing building puncture the peaceful aspect, as well as block views of the sky, greenery and the harbour as well as blocking natural light. Such a development risks turning North Sydney into an apartment ghetto as the attractiveness of many residential buildings are destroyed. The government should be making city and apartment living enticing rather than driving people away with rule changes that favour developers - unless an apartment ghetto is the longer term plan for North Sydney.

Our request to the approving body is to balance the profit of the developers against the concern of surrounding apartment owners. We strongly ask the 173-179 Walker St development to be scaled back in height and imposition on the landscape for the well-being of all that live in the area.

The project is to high and will block all the view from our apartment and the construction will be very annoying which will influence the living quality.

We strongly object as detailed in the attached objection letter.

The project is too high for the surrounding buildings and need to be revisited in terms of its height. It will have significant impact the views and value of properties within the Aura development at 168 Walker street. It is unreasonable that this building being the last to be approved destroys the views and values for thousands of existing owners.
Aura residents did not have the chance to object to this building in then past and many have not yet occupied their units and will not have the chance to object to this building.
Traffic in the area is already set to be impacted by existing developments at 45 McLaren street and the introduction of the school on McLaren street and this will further exasperate the issue and cause safety issues for the residents and students in the area.
If the building must go ahead then it should be aligned to the approved heights for 45 McLaren street at 15 stories and twice as high at 30.

I continue to object on the same basis as previous submission. The revisions do not mitigate impacts on parking, traffic, overlooking into balconies and front bedrooms, privacy, noise, light and dust pollution and many other aspects detailed previously. There is now more pressure on parking with 80 fewer onsite parks within the proposal, while reducing on street parking for our terrace enormously. Heights have increased not decreased. Impact on local low rise terraces is unacceptable.

This building will severely impact views from essentially all apartments on the eastern and southern sides. and this building is too big and too high.

The re-exhibited proposal does not address the unacceptable impacts on street parking for the terrace residents in Hampden street. The huge reduction in parking is completely unacceptable. It also does not address any of my previous objections or those of fellow Hampden Street residents. This huge and very significant proposal will need to do much better. Please refer to all our previous submissions. Thank you.

we just moved in to Aura apartment 4 months ago and the unit has the harbour view which costed us a lot of money with the nicer view, also there is another of 386 residential moving in, the new building is going to block our view, so we would like to reject the project
thanks

Too tall. Too bulky. It needs to be reduced in size. It has a huge impact on my view from Aura in Walker St.