Our building is one of the few residential communities within an area otherwise dominated by commercial uses, and we are deeply concerned that the proposed State Significant Development (SSD 80441462) does not properly account for the sensitive nature of our site or the planning expectations that were communicated to purchasers over many years.
When the precinct was rezoned and redeveloped, the masterplan clearly identified a 7-storey height limit for the sites surrounding us. This is still what is shown in materials held at the City of Sydney’s City Office.
However, after meeting with the developer, we were informed that only certain tiers would be altered—yet the current proposal now shows mass extended across the entire Young Street frontage, pushing height and bulk directly toward our homes and disregarding the existing residential interface.
Below is a summary of the key issues outlined in our formal submission:
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1. Loss of Sunlight and Solar Access
The proposed height and massing will cause severe overshadowing of our building.
By 3:00pm in winter, no direct sunlight will reach our apartments, removing critical daylight access.
As our building was designed with west-facing living areas, the only reliable sunlight we receive is morning light into our east-facing bedrooms. The proposal would dramatically reduce even this limited solar access, contrary to the Apartment Design Guide (ADG) principles relating to daylight, cross-ventilation, and residential wellbeing.
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2. Major Privacy Impacts — 19 Storeys Overlooking Low-Rise Homes
The development introduces a 19-storey tower immediately adjacent to our low-rise residential homes.
Balconies and habitable rooms have been oriented to face directly into our apartments, causing constant overlooking, loss of privacy, and visual intrusion.
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3. Excessive Massing and Inequitable Built Form
The proposal shifts the bulk of the building toward our boundary, seemingly to maintain greater distance from the new Dasco development on the opposite side.
This creates a disproportionate built form outcome that places the most significant impacts on the smallest and most vulnerable residential site in the precinct. The design lacks adequate setback transitions, height modulation, and scaling appropriate for a mixed-use neighbourhood.
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4. Departure from the Original Masterplan
The proposal represents a substantial departure from the agreed and long-publicised masterplan that guided our decision to move into this community.
Residents reasonably relied on the understanding that the surrounding built form would be consistent with the established planning framework.
The current scheme undermines that masterplan, eroding trust in the planning process and creating uncertainty about future development controls.
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5. Imbalance of Interests for a Small Residential Community
Our building is surrounded by commercial sites whose occupants are far less affected by issues such as overshadowing, privacy loss, and acoustic impacts.
The proposal does not appear to recognise this imbalance, and the unique needs of our residential community have not been adequately considered within the development’s design or justification.
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6. Visual, Acoustic, and General Amenity Impacts
The expansion of the building footprint over Young Street places active balconies and living areas directly overlooking our homes.
This will lead to increased noise, loss of visual privacy, and a higher level of activity facing our windows and courtyards—impacts that have not been sufficiently mitigated or addressed.