This size of this building is completely incongruous with the visual aesthetic and historical styling of the surrounding area. It will create major overshadowing, creating a dark and uninviting part of the neighbourhood. It will reduce the visual appeal of the adjacent parkland, a site which is used extensively by the community for both organised and impromptu leisure activities. It will create enormous traffic pressure on Darby street, reducing its ability to continue as a pedestrian-friendly dining and shopping hub.
Construction will include demolishing of an historic, cultural site - the machine shop - which is a loss to Newcastle's culture and heritage which is incomprehensible. This development should absolutely not be allowed to continue as, on balance, it is not in line with the community's best interests.

The size of the development is not compatible with the proposed site for many reasons but particularly in relation to the traffic issue it will cause, lack of parking, overwhelming the existing services there.

The impact on public space will be disproportionate to the benefit derived for the Newcastle community.

I’m very happy for developments in Newcastle to increase our affordable housing but this project is in the wrong location.

This does not fit in with surrounding buildings and will have a major impact on existing properties.

I strongly oppose the height, lack of heritage consideration and the impact on a beautiful cultural precinct by the proposed development at 47 Darby Street. Local developments should follow local planning rules.

I am writing to formally object to the proposed development at 47 Darby Street and the associated request for a spot rezoning to permit a building height of up to 45 metres in a location with an established height limit of 14 metres.

This proposal represents an excessive and unjustified increase in height and bulk that would cause lasting harm to Newcastle’s Civic Precinct. A more than threefold increase over the legal height limit cannot be considered minor or reasonable. Allowing such an extreme variation through a spot rezoning sets a concerning precedent and undermines confidence in the integrity of the planning framework.

The visual and spatial impact on public and civic spaces would be severe. The proposed front tower would visually dominate the adjacent two-storey art gallery, Civic Park, surrounding gardens, landmarks, war memorials, and nearby historic and cultural buildings and places of worship. This area is one of Newcastle’s most regionally significant civic and cultural precincts, valued for its openness, human scale, and heritage character. The proposal would fundamentally erode these qualities.

The planning design itself is poor. Inadequate setbacks on both buildings result in a bulky and overbearing form that fails to respect neighbouring sites or the public domain. Rather than contributing positively to the streetscape, the development would overwhelm it.

Strategically, the proposal conflicts with Newcastle’s long-standing and well-established planning strategy to concentrate high-rise development within defined corridors and precincts. The Civic Precinct has never been intended to accommodate buildings of this scale, and approving this development would represent a clear strategic failure.

The public benefit offered by the proposal is minimal when weighed against its significant impacts. While the provision of housing is often cited, this alone does not justify such an extreme departure from planning controls in a highly sensitive civic location—particularly when there are numerous other, less constrained sites across the city better suited to high-rise development.

Traffic and pedestrian safety concerns have also not been adequately addressed. The development would add pressure to Tyrrell, Laman, and Darby Streets, an area already heavily used by schools, pre-schools, pedestrians, and cyclists. Increased congestion and safety risks are inevitable.

Community consultation has been inadequate. The developer failed to release an artist’s impression of the proposal until the 14-day public exhibition period. Given the scale, prominence, and permanent impact of this development within the Civic Precinct, the consultation process has fallen well short of the standard expected for a State Significant Development.

The site also presents serious mine subsidence risks. While subsidence is a known issue in Newcastle, this location is particularly constrained, sitting above the additional undermined Yard Seam. This risk was known at the time of purchase. The cost and complexity of ground stabilisation should not be used to justify pushing for a larger building at the expense of a highly valued civic and cultural precinct, especially when alternative sites exist elsewhere in the city. The subsidence mapping clearly illustrates these risks.

Finally, the proposal would result in the loss of an important heritage building. The former 1930s Interwar Period electrical machine shop on Tyrrell Street, classified as a ‘Contributory 2’ Historic Building by the City of Newcastle, is proposed for demolition. This represents an irreversible loss of local heritage and further erodes the historic character of the area.

For these reasons, I strongly urge Council to reject the proposed spot rezoning and development application. The Civic Precinct is not the appropriate place for a development of this scale, and its long-term cultural, historical, and public value must be protected.

Thank you for considering this submission.

Yours sincerely,
Beth Nelson
Newcastle

This state significant project will help meet NSW Government's target to deliver 377,000 new homes by July 2029. The additional residents and retail will help support the local businesses and should have a positive contribution to Newcastle. The proposal also provides more landscaping and trees than the existing site.

I understand and support the need to make housing more available and accessible. Our adult children can no longer to afford to buy housing unless they come from a wealthy family. This situation is increasing disadvantage and inequality in Australia.

However the developers proposal for47 Darby St is deeply offensive and seems to be an unashamed attempt to take advantage of the new NSW planning laws. It appears to be more about greed and maximising profit than a concern for contributing positively to Newcastle as a regional city.

I object on the following grounds-
1. The proposal is immediately opposite the newly expanded and significant regional art gallery. The height and bulk of the 12 and 7 story buildings is three times the legal limit and will dominate the immediate civic and cultural area.
2. I understand Newcastle City Council is well ahead in the approval and building of medium to high density dwellings. The new NSW planning laws completely disregard years of careful planning as to where higher density buildings can be placed. Currently they have been placed along busy arterial roads eg Hunter, King and Brunker Rds. 47 Darby St is on the edge of a popular cafe /shop and heritage housing area. It is completely out of proportion in size.
3. I note the development is for luxury units only! A more appropriate development would be a 2-3 height building creating well built and designed units at an affordable price including landscaping and green space.
4. The plan will significantly adversely affect the long standing medium density housing presently located in the immediate vicinity.

Revitalisation of Newcastle City and providing much needed housing are priorities for me. The site is well located to all amenities including public transport, and the more density / people living in the city brings more activity and associated cultural and economic flow-on.
As such, I am supportive of the adaptive re-use of the site as proposed.

Hunter Water as adjoining landowner has no objection to the proposed development subject to all works being undertaken within the boundary of the above property and no works or drainage to affect Hunter Water Freehold Land.

However, please refer to letter dated 06/11/2025 issued to the Developer for further comments from Hunter Water as statutory authority.

The development is out of keeping with the local neighbourhood, it's MUCH higher than surrounding buildings. Height is three times the current legal limit. It will create more congestion in Darby Street. Overdevelopment in a village community will not enhance the area. Parking provided will not be adequate and contribute to parking problems that already exist in the local area.