I wish to make a submission objecting to the proposed redevelopment of 47 Darby St for the following reasons:
I. I believe that it is a gross, opportunistic overdevelopment of the site - three times Newcastle Council’s height restrictions for the locale.
2. Unacceptable visual impact and overshadowing.
Its insensitive overbearing presence would overwhelm the surrounding public and heritage buildings as well as the amenity of the public green space that is Civic Park.
3. The height, scale and bulk of the proposed building is inappropriate. It will be at odds with the area’s village-like community, its dining venues and the relaxed vibe that the Darby St precinct is renowned for.
4. The “Darby” building residents will be entering and exiting onto Darby Street contributing to the existing traffic congestion in the street.
The commercial spaces on the lower floor would also contribute to the already problematic traffic and parking and impact on the safety of the area.
5. This proposal completely disregards and disrespects the considered, long term planning of Newcastle Council which has plans and rules in place to protect our community from overreach such as this.
6. The height of this building needs to be limited to 14m - the height that complies with Newcastle Council’s DCP.
7. The need for more residential apartment housing can be more appropriately addressed in the many areas in inner city Newcastle where high rise development is already permitted - Honeysuckle, Hunter Street, Wickham and the western end of Hunter Street.
In conclusion, I request that the State Government Consent Authority reject this proposal.

I do not support this location for a building for that size. It would be detrimental to the city in that location. please consider it somewhere else

My objection is to the size , being 3 times the legal limit of the area. Competing with the current proportions of the stately buildings of the civic precinct.
Constraint should be shown to respect the cultural and heritage institutions that line the streets surrounding Civic Park.where heritage has been given priority. Both The Hill and Cooks Hill suburbs fall in the heritage conservation area, meeting at the Civic Area of the city. Maintaining the graciousness of the past and respecting it by maintaining integrity in recent buildings like the modest size of the newly built Art Gallery.
Large residential mixed with business belong in areas like Honeysuckle and Newcastle West along the public transport route of the tram.
The civic area is a place of gathering. With people moving between the restraunt area of Darby St and the Night life of the city. It is often very noisy as crowds of people move about enjoying the evening/ night The city. We have seen how the residential high rise in the city bought an end to some of the night clubs and bars due to noise complaints of the BBC residents. I would hate that to happen in this area.
I do not see this proposed development as completing the missing link between Darby and Hunter Streets , as put by the developer. They are linked perfectly by this beautiful Civic Space.
The last thing I would like to mention is the effect the increase in traffic. Tyrrell Street is a bottle neck already throughout the day. Construction of this magnitude, during both the building phase and the consequence of it being filled with residents would magnify this problem and cause chaos for all those living , going to the schools in the area, those who work in the area, and the police who frequently use it going to emergencies.
Thanks

The proposed development is out of character for the environment. The height is extreme and will negatively impact the local aesthetic. If this proposed development goes ahead it will forever change the nature of developments in Newcastle. All developments should be considered and approved by locals and not be approved by people from major cities. Newcastle does need to increase housing supply but not at the expense of dramatically changing the landscape. A 45 metre high building is excessive and will cast shadows, increase traffic which the town can not sufficiently sustain. These types of proposals should not be approved so fast and should be given time for the local newcastle residents to consider and provide feedback. I fundamentally disagree with this development. Change is always needed but not to the detriment of our city. Development should be considered but this development is excessive and will line the pockets of the developers and is not in the interest of anyone but themselves. Newcastle needs to be protected from becoming a concrete jungle. We need progressive and thoughtful development for a sustainable future.

The height of the building and its profile in a cultural area as proposed is ridiculous. If you can't build a 3 storey building and make a profit, you can't be much of a developer.
Take a walk around the area and see the precinct as is. The proposed building is unnecessary and would seriously harm the character of the area.
Not that any of the people associated with this development are going to live anywhere near it.

This would significantly change the streetscape und the character of the Cooks Hill neighbourhood

I write to formally object to the proposed 12-storey apartment complex within Newcastle’s Civic Precinct.

The current legal height limit for this site is 14 metres. The proposal seeks to more than triple this limit to 45 metres through a “spot rezone.” Such an extreme departure from established planning controls is inappropriate for this location and sets a damaging precedent in a community that is proud of its village feel. The scale and bulk of a 45-metre tower is entirely inconsistent with the surrounding built form.

The proposed front tower would visually dominate the two-storey art gallery, Civic Park, surrounding gardens, key landmarks, historic and cultural buildings, war memorials, and nearby places of worship. This area forms the heart of Newcastle’s civic identity. A 12-storey structure would overshadow and overwhelm the established character and diminish the human scale of these important public spaces.

The proposal conflicts with Newcastle’s long-standing planning strategy to concentrate high-rise development within designated corridors and precincts, rather than dispersing it into sensitive civic and heritage areas. Approving a spot rezone of this magnitude undermines strategic planning certainty and weakens community confidence in the planning framework.

For these reasons, I strongly oppose the proposed development and respectfully request that it be refused. The scale, strategic inconsistency, and heritage loss, collectively demonstrate that this proposal is not in the public interest.

45m is way higher than the legal height. The bill and scale of the build is too much and the set backs are small. It will over shadow the community spaces like Civic Park, art gallery, library, etc. There are already designated areas for high rise development in Newcastle.

Newcastle needs more development, and this is the perfect way to do. The original building is brutalist and ugly. Newcastle needs to go up, not out.

I have lived in McCormack st, one block from this proposed development, for 5 years and I am alarmed by how inappropriate this development is for the proposed location.
My street is one way and exits onto Tyrrell St. It is already over serviced as a thoroughfare for Church street and surround streets in the suburb. It is increasing difficult to turn out onto Tyrrell St over the last few years due to the increase in traffic and this enormous proposed development would be disastrous for local residents.
I think the current building height restrictions are more than reasonable in this area, and any building exceeding this size are completely inappropriate for local infrastructure. There are already areas nearby that have been approved for high rise developments such as Newcastle West and this would be a more appropriate location for a residential complex of this size.
My child attends the small  local public school which is only  two blocks  from this development. It  already has very limited outdoor area and is catchment for the large developments in the East End and Sovereign Park. I think further large development should be placed in areas that are better able to mange this considerable increase in local population.

There are many reasons our current planning controls limit building sizes in this area and a proposed increase of about 300% is completely out of keeping with this culturaly and historically important.
This development is absolutely the wrong choice for this area.