Hello,

I'd like to formally lodge objections to the plans for DA 881-885 Bourke Street as they currently exist. I, together with my wife and my son, live and work at 1 Danks Street, and our apartment building adjoins the parcel of land where development is proposed.

My primary objection relates to the changes in the masterplan for the area. Originally the slated buildings adjacent our property were to be 7 storeys, and the current application now lists a building as high as 19 storey between our lot and Hillsong Church on Young St. We understand the priority of development in our city and are willing to enter the process with goodwill, but if the changes in the current application are allowed to proceed, the living conditions of ours and our fellow tenants - not to mention the material value of our existing property - will be impacted severely.

Privacy is a huge concern. The 19-storey tower as it’s currently proposed will expose living rooms, bedrooms, and balconies that were previously private, to potentially hundreds of strangers.

As is sunlight. By 3.00pm in winter, no direct sunlight will reach a large amount of apartments facing the proposed 19-storey tower, and as these apartments face west, they have no other access to sunlight, and have been designed to maximise the exposure to sunlight they currently receive.

The new proposal represents a drastic departure from an original plan that, as owners buying into our building, we considered and deemed an appropriate amount of risk to take on as tenants adjacent the proposal. The drastic change in size and scope of the project undermines the goodwill in the planning process, and erodes our faith in future development controls.

I’ve attached some visuals that will hopefully add more context around our and our fellow tenants outlook, particularly towards that string of proposed developments that sit between our building and Hillsong Church.

Please see attached submission for further details on City West Housing's objection to this development.

I object on the following grounds:
1. The proposed height of the development is far higher than the existing infrastructure. The new development will change the character of the neighbourhood in a negative manner. It will exacerbate the existing wind tunnels created by the high-rise building, and this one in particular will cast large shadows and block sunlight.
2. Existing road infrastructure is already overwhelmed.
3. Public transport, whilst good, is already stretched. For example, Bus 304 already runs 10-12 services per hour during peak hours. Gadigal Road and Potter Road cannot handle more traffic. Metro and Green Square stations are 15 minutes away on foot, so first port of call is bus or private transport.
4. Addition of affordable housing will have a detrimental impact on property values and adversely affect existing residents that bough in good faith into a gentrifying area.
5. There are insufficient educational facilities. The existing ones are close to full.
6. Insufficient public space. The existing areas are already used to capacity.
7. Parking for private cars is already almost non-existent.
8. Food deliveries by e-bike are already a hazard to pedestrians. This will get far more dangerous.

I would support a development of a lower density, of 10-14 floors mixed use, with no affordable housing, and a plan for increased investment in educational and recreational facilities within a short, defined timeframe.

A building this high will cast shadow on 5 potter st, as well as dramatically increase traffic to an already congested area.
A maximum of 20 storeys would be acceptable.
Waterloo/Redfern have poor public transport. If there was a light rail going down Gadigal avenue, this could be considered.

Summary of Key Concerns
Our building is one of the very few residential communities within a precinct otherwise dominated by commercial uses. We are deeply concerned that the proposed State Significant Development (SSD 80441462) does not appropriately consider the sensitive nature of our site or the planning expectations that were communicated to purchasers over many years.

When the precinct was originally rezoned and redeveloped, the endorsed masterplan identified a 7-storey height limit for the surrounding sites. This remains reflected in the materials publicly available at the City of Sydney’s City Office. Although the developer initially advised residents that only select tiers of the building envelope would be modified, the current proposal now extends significant height and mass across the entire Young Street frontage, pushing bulk directly toward our homes and disregarding the intended residential interface.

Our main concerns are summarised below:
1. Loss of Sunlight and Solar Access
- The proposed height and massing will result in substantial overshadowing of our building.
- By 3:00pm in winter, our apartments would receive no direct sunlight, removing critical daylight access.
- As our building was designed with west-facing living areas, the only reliable sunlight enters through our east-facing bedrooms in the morning. The proposal would dramatically reduce even this limited solar access.
- These impacts are inconsistent with key Apartment Design Guide (ADG) principles regarding natural daylight, cross-ventilation, and residential amenity.

2. Major Privacy Impacts from a 19-Storey Tower
- The development introduces a 19-storey tower immediately adjacent to our low-rise residential homes.
- New balconies and habitable rooms are oriented directly toward our apartments, creating constant overlooking, loss of privacy, and severe visual intrusion.

3. Excessive Massing and Inequitable Built Form
- The bulk of the development has been shifted toward our boundary, apparently to increase separation from the new Dasco development on the opposite side.
- This results in the most significant impacts being placed on the smallest and most vulnerable residential site in the precinct.
- The proposal lacks appropriate setbacks, height transitions, modulation, and scaling, which are essential for a balanced mixed-use neighbourhood.

4. Departure from the Original Masterplan
- The current proposal represents a major departure from the long-publicised masterplan that informed our decision to purchase and reside in this community.
- Residents reasonably relied on the expectation that surrounding built form would adhere to the established planning framework.
- The proposed development undermines this framework, eroding trust in the planning process and creating uncertainty around future development controls.

5. Imbalance of Impacts on a Small Residential Community
- Our building is surrounded by commercial sites, whose occupants are far less sensitive to overshadowing, privacy loss, and acoustic impacts.
- The proposal does not recognise or respond to this imbalance, and the particular needs of our residential community have not been adequately considered or addressed in the design.

6. Visual, Acoustic, and Amenity Impacts
- By expanding the building footprint along Young Street, the proposal places active balconies and living areas directly overlooking our homes.
- This will increase noise, reduce visual privacy, and introduce a much higher level of activity facing our windows and courtyards.
- These impacts have not been sufficiently mitigated or justified within the application.