I object to increasing the height of the buildings to 31 and 38 storeys

I wrote a letter of objection to the pruposal by DASCO.

I am in favour of more housing, but it must be a net positive for the overall community. More housing can be achieved without compromising existing housing and community amenity.

As such, I strongly object to the following aspects of the project:
- Height. The height is significantly higher than anything in the area, will dominate it, changing the character, which has high rise but these are double the height of existing buildings.
- further to above, the extreme heights will cause issues with cumulative overshadowing. More housing is needed , but what good is it (and how fair is it) if it makes existing houses unlivable?
- impact on infrastructure. I am an elderly resident and regularly use public transport. The 304, 320 and 392 are frequently overcrowded. What planning is the State Government providing alongside these huge developments to address these shortages?

Additional units will increase traffic and make parking harder in the area. As well as unsightly tall buildings.

I strongly oppose to the project as the proposed changes due to the following:
Infrastructure strain — the extra residents would place unacceptable pressure on local roads and public transport, all of which are already stretched. Services such as the 304 bus and peak-hour trains from Green Square are already at or near capacity, and buses often pass by because they’re full.

Shortage of amenities - Public amenities are already under pressure and are unlikely to keep pace with the additional residents. Even now it can be difficult to find a place to sit and work at the library. This development would add further strain and make an already crowded situation worse.

Visually overbearing development - The proposed height is far too large for its surroundings and is out of character with the existing neighbourhood. Its scale would dominate the local streetscape and create a serious visual impact, undermining the current character of the area.

Overshadowing impacts - The two oversized towers proposed at 903-921 Bourke Street, together with the tower proposed at 881-885 Bourke Street, would create significant cumulative overshadowing during the winter months, affecting a large area of nearby homes, streets and public open space.

5. Wind tunnel effects at street level - which reduces pedestrian comfort and makes the public domain unpleasant to use.

Parking pressure — the additional 233 apartments are being matched with only 20 extra parking spaces, which is clearly inadequate and will push more cars onto already congested local streets. This will worsen parking competition for existing residents, visitors and businesses, especially in an area already under heavy development pressure.

I strongly object to the proposed major changes to the proposed modifications to the development plans for 903-921 Bourke Street, Waterloo (SSD-95997711). The proposed increase in height and density, is excessive and a gross departure from the originally approved concept. The impacts of this development will include:
1. Infrastructure strain — the extra residents would place unacceptable pressure on local roads and public transport, all of which are already stretched. Services such as the 304 bus and peak-hour trains from Green Square are already at or near capacity, and buses often pass by because they’re full.
2. Shortage of amenities - Public amenities are already under pressure and are unlikely to keep pace with the additional residents. Even now it can be difficult to find a place to sit and work at the library. This development would add further strain and make an already crowded situation worse.
3. Visually overbearing development - The proposed height is far too large for its surroundings and is out of character with the existing neighbourhood. Its scale would dominate the local streetscape and create a serious visual impact, undermining the current character of the area.
4. Overshadowing impacts - The two oversized towers proposed at 903-921 Bourke Street, together with the tower proposed at 881-885 Bourke Street, would create significant cumulative overshadowing during the winter months, affecting a large area of nearby homes, streets and public open space.
5. Wind tunnel effects at street level - which reduces pedestrian comfort and makes the public domain unpleasant to use.
6. Parking pressure — the additional 233 apartments are being matched with only 20 extra parking spaces, which is clearly inadequate and will push more cars onto already congested local streets. This will worsen parking competition for existing residents, visitors and businesses, especially in an area already under heavy development pressure.

Put simply, the infrastructure around Waterloo (especially public transport) can not support the current residents - let alone any further increases in significant developments.
The buses are always at capacity (especially the 304 even though it runs every 10 minutes). And the "Waterloo" station is so far away from Waterloo itself that no one I know who lives in Waterloo uses it.

The second reason for my strong objection is the departure from the original, approved design is so extreme. Had it been reasonable (eg: an extra floor here or there) - then it is what it is. But the Bourke St North proposal is almost TRIPLE the original plan and would impact the neighbours significantly in regards to shadows and wind.
This request, if allowed, makes a mockery of the original approval process.

I am writing to object to the proposed amendments to SSD-95997711 for the mixed-use development at 903–921 Bourke Street, Waterloo.

My main concern is that the proposal represents a substantial intensification of the already approved development. The proposal seeks to increase the number of apartments from 376 to 580, increase the maximum building height from 65 metres to 126 metres, and increase the Floor Space Ratio from 1.5:1 to 3.2:1.

In my view, this is a significant increase in height, density and population for the site. I am concerned that it may create adverse impacts on the surrounding area, including increased traffic and parking pressure, greater demand on local infrastructure, overshadowing, visual bulk, privacy impacts and reduced residential amenity.

I am also concerned that the proposal seeks to exclude the application of certain planning controls, including the competitive design process. Given the scale of the proposed uplift, I believe strong design scrutiny and clear public benefit should be required.

For these reasons, I object to the proposal in its current form and respectfully request that the Department carefully reconsider the proposed height, density, apartment numbers and planning control exemptions.

Kind regards

I was disappointed to learn after initially being supportive that an increase in size of the DASCO development on Bouke street Waterloo is sort. The great increase in size will be a blight on the skyline I believe, overshadowing the neighbourhood and being not in keeping with the rest of the new developments in the area. I feel it also will put a too large a demand on the existing infrastructure of the area given the other sites being redeveloped. I also feel it has the potential to put downward pressure on the value of my apartment in the area. I like where I live presently, I'm not sure that will be the case with this new development, and to move away may not be possible financially if my home is devalued.