My reasons against this project are as follows:
Firstly, the Chatswood road infrastructure can not possibly facilitate the construction and traffic of more vehicles. The current road structure surrounding Mandarin centre, namely Victor Street, Albert Avenue and Orchard road is currently facing heavy traffic from pedestrians and vehicles trying to travel to and from Chatswood Westfields causing excessive travel times for commuters particularly during busy weekend periods. These roads are too narrow and allow far too low a rate of car travel through to even cope with current levels that any obstruction; partial or full, would have detrimental effects to surrounding residents in these roads as well as surrounding suburbs trying to enter. Victor street and Orchard road have many residents that any obstruction would inhibit their ability to even enter their homes and Albert avenue is far too major of an arteriole of Chatswood to be obstructed. If road infrastructure remains as it is currently, it will most definitely not cope with the new proposed development. In other words, short term pain for long term pain.
Secondly, sound and air pollution that the construction would bring would be incredibly disruptive. There are many new families in the area along with neighbouring schools and parks, the level of pollution this project this would bring for the duration of construction would be unacceptable. As someone who suffers from severe sinusitis, living above the construction site would make my current situation unliveable.
Thirdly, the project would obstruct the natural light of surrounding buildings and parks.

The main concern here is the increased security risk building this project so close to the residences of Sebel. Our building is not equipped to account for the lack of privacy that will be a result of this project. We are already experiencing increased robberies from our adjacent buildings. From break ins to lobby robberies, we are very risk distressed. This project will allow people to look straight into our homes and efficiently plan more robberies. The view is the second main issue. People have been working to own this residence all their lives to retire with a view of the city centre, this project will block off all views and create significant decrease in life quality. The roads are already too small to accomodate present traffic needs. The noise of the project will also decrease the quality of life. Elders cannot move out while it is being built, and they are also the target of robberies. We already need to account for the risk of the Metro expansion, we do not want to also deal with this project repercussions. This project has more cons than pros.

As a Victor Street resident, I object to this proposal on five grounds:
Solar access — The development would cause significant overshadowing of both The Sebel and Chatswood Oval, diminishing residential amenity and public recreational value.
Wind impact — Two towers in close proximity will generate street-level wind channelling that has not been adequately assessed.
Traffic — Victor Street is a no-through road already serving apartment residents, station commuters, shoppers, and market vendors. Adding car park access for this development would make an already dangerous situation worse, and no cumulative impact assessment has been provided.
Building separation — The proposal does not meet the minimum separation required under Section 2F of the NSW Apartment Design Guide, leaving residents of both buildings with direct sightlines into each other's homes.
Unclear plans — The Major Projects portal contains both a single-tower and a two-tower scheme. The community cannot properly assess a proposal when it is not clear what is being proposed.
I urge the State Government to require these matters to be resolved before the application proceeds.

I am a resident of Victor Street, Chatswood, and I object to the proposed Mandarin Centre redevelopment on the following grounds: the development would significantly reduce solar access to The Sebel and to Chatswood Oval; the configuration would create adverse wind conditions at street level; Victor Street, a no-through road already operating beyond capacity, cannot absorb the additional traffic generated by the development's car park access; the proposal fails to meet the minimum 25metre building separation requirements under Section 2F of the NSW Apartment Design Guide, resulting in direct overlooking between The Sebel and the new building; and the application materials on the Major Projects portal contain conflicting architectural schemes, leaving it unclear what is actually being proposed. I urge the State Government to require the applicant to address these deficiencies before the application proceeds.

As someone who lives on Victor Street, I am writing to formally object to the proposed Mandarin Centre redevelopment. I have reviewed the application materials carefully and believe they fail to adequately address several serious planning concerns.
Solar Access to The Sebel- The proposed development will cause Sebel residents on the south side to lose meaningful access to daylight.
Wind Impact at Street Level- Two tall structures positioned in close proximity will generate significant channelling effects at ground level.
Victor Street Cannot Absorb Additional Traffic- Victor Street already functions beyond its capacity. As a no-through road, it simultaneously serves residents of surrounding apartment buildings, commuters being picked up and dropped off near the station, shoppers, and market vendors. Routing the development’s car park access through this street would introduce a further and substantial volume of vehicle movements. The cumulative impact has not been assessed and the proposal as designed would make an already dangerous situation worse.
Impact on Chatswood Oval- Chatswood Oval serves a genuine community function — The loss of sunlight to a shared public recreational space is not a minor amenity question; it is a meaningful reduction in the quality of life for Chatswood residents, and it has not been weighed appropriately against the private benefit of the development.
Failure to Meet Separation Requirements
Section 2F of the NSW Apartment Design Guide prescribes a minimum 25-metre separation between habitable rooms and balconies of facing residential buildings. The submitted plans do not achieve this separation between the proposed building and The Sebel. Residents of both buildings — those in south-facing units of The Sebel and north-facing apartments in the new development — would have direct sightlines into each other’s homes. These standards exist for good reason. A development that openly fails to meet them should not be approved without detailed justification, and no such justification has been provided.
I urge the NSW State Government to require the applicant to address each of these matters before the application proceeds further.

I am a resident at Sebel building, on the south side. I believe this development will be very detrimental to me. I object for the reasons below:
Victor St is a very narrow dead end road, with two way traffic. It is already very congested. Also very congested from Albert Avenue all the way to Pacific Highway. A new building will increase traffic and make it more dangerous for pedestrians and drivers.
Parking is a huge challenge already, this will be made worse by a new development.
The new building and Sebel are too close, and there will be significant loss of natural light to residents on the south side of Sebel. In particular in the winter it can be very depressing and impact mental health and wellbeing.
Loss of privacy, due to the closeness of the new building with Sebel- essentially people will be able to see into private living areas.
The new development will give rise to more cleaning at night, which will also add to the noise issue and more workers at night.
The new building will also overshadow Chatswood Oval. This is a key area for exercise, and the shadowing will be detrimental to local residents.
The increased in density will compromise safety and negatively impact the environment.

Rebuilding Mandarin Centre with the proposed plan will further contribute to issues regarding overcrowding, density, and traffic going into and out of Chatswood. These are already existing issues with the current infrastructure, the proposed plan to rebuild the Mandarin Centre with 34 storeys will worsen these existing issues.

There will also be reduced natural sunlight to Chatswood Park between early morning and afternoon as mentioned in the plan, which are the most important times a park should be receiving sunlight.

The construction process will majorly impact surrounding buildings, homes and businesses with loud construction noise, dust/debris, road closures, etc. for prolonged periods of time. This will be extremely disruptive to peace and again worsening traffic.

There are more negative than positive impacts to rebuilding the Mandarin Centre, thus I object to this project.

I am a resident at the neighbouring Sebel building. This development will negatively impact my quality of life. I intended to have Sebel as my forever home. Below are the reasons for my objection:
1. Victor Street is already very congested due to shopping centres, other apartment buildings and train station drop off/pick up, and the market stalls. An additional building development of this size would make the traffic situation more congested and next to impossible for residents and visitors alike.
2. The new development will overshadow the nearby Chatswood Oval, which is a key spot for locals to exercise. The building would have a negative impact on our health if it proceeds.
3. Natural light will be blocked from my apartment as well as my neighbours. We would be essentially living in perpetual darkness because not only does the building block the light, we will also need to keep curtains closed for privacy reasons (as the new development will be very close, less than 10 metres). This will be extremely detrimental to our mental health and wellbeing.
4. The new development will also give rise to a wind tunnel, as that is a common issue when there are tall buildings with minimal distance in between. I would no longer be able to use my balcony because of this hazardous issue, and I will no longer be able to maintain my plants, enjoy the fresh air and light outdoors. I think this would have a huge negative impact on my quality of life and mental health.
5. Having a 32 storey building will also put further pressure on local amenities, such as schools. There would be severe overcrowding and it would negatively impact future generations.

I am a resident of Victor Street and I wish to object to the proposed redevelopment of the Mandarin Centre at 65 Albert Avenue, Chatswood.
My primary concern relates to the dangerous traffic conditions this development will create on Victor Street. Victor Street is a dead-end road that is already struggling to cope with the volume of vehicles it carries. Three residential apartment buildings would feed traffic onto this street, including the recently approved NOVUS build-to-rent tower. A commuter kiss-and-ride zone near the train station causes constant stopping and queuing. Furthermore, market stall vendors load and unload via Victor Street, often blocking the already narrow road in the mornings and evenings. The proposal to have vehicles entering and exiting the new development via Victor Street will make it even more unsafe for motorists and pedestrians alike.
I am also concerned about the impact on Chatswood Oval. A building of the proposed height will throw significant shadow across the oval, reducing the sunlight that makes it such a valued and well-used community space. Diminishing the amenity of this important park to accommodate private development is not a trade-off that should be accepted.

Dear NSW Major Projects
Please find attached Letter of Objection to the proposed Mandarin Centre development at 65 Albert Avenue Chatswood.
I object to the proposal in its current form and request that the matters outlined in my submission be addressed.