See attachment

I am writing to formally object to the State Significant Development application for the proposed high-density mixed-use residential development at 47 Darby Street, Cooks Hill.
My objection is based on the development’s excessive height and bulk, its incompatibility with the local context, the undermining of sound planning processes, and the significant risk of adverse impacts on the civic precinct, heritage values and local amenity.

The proposal seeks a substantial increase in height — up to 45 metres — far exceeding the current legal height limit of 14 metres that applies to this site under existing local planning controls. This represents more than a three-fold increase and is fundamentally at odds with the scale and character of the surrounding Cooks Hill and Civic precinct.

A building of this scale will dominate and overshadow Civic Park, the two-storey Newcastle Art Gallery precinct and surrounding heritage buildings, including war memorials, places of worship, and other culturally significant public spaces. The height and bulk are inconsistent with the established urban form and will erode the unique sense of place that defines this area.

I believe the proposal at 47 Darby Street should not be approved in its current form. It is an inappropriate overdevelopment of a sensitive civic and cultural precinct. It fails to respect existing planning frameworks and urban character, undermines community consultation, and would establish a dangerous precedent for future high-rise encroachment beyond existing corridors.

I request that the Department rejects this SSD application or require significant redesign that genuinely reflects local planning controls, heritage values and community expectations.

As a born and bred Novocastrian I am absolutely sick and tired of property developers dictating the course of development in my city. I would formally request impact statements to noise pollution, wind tunnel pollution and traffic pollution which are never thought of. Walk across King Street at the corner of National Park street. Wearing a hat? Not anymore you are. Riding your bike in a windbreaker? Almost bowled over when moving suddenly pass the precipice of these eyesore, corrupt, tax haven, tax exemption, unoccupied, property development garbage, here I specifically refer to the developments between National Park Street and Steel Street on King street.

I will not belabour my opinion on previous decades of auspicious corrupt development such as Honeysuckle, the removal and rezoning of newcastle train line, multiple failed DA proposals on the mall, Legotown - opposite Carrington on the highway after the Carrington Bridge, Merewether Surf House. But I will just make the point that, Honeysuckle is an absolute disgrace. Special so called "Major Project" approval zones and permissions afforded to these; completely ruinous to character of our city, not to mention public transport and traffic pollution disgraces, are downright corrupt. To this day Honeysuckle special precinct foots the newcastle ratepayer an enormous financial burden where they have fixed rates, conduct shoddy strata management practices etc etc etc.

I would call on nothing short of a instant and effective moritorium on all current and future development in the Newcastle CBD.

I would call on million dollar grants to have town planners designate new planning and zoning restrictions and approvals for areas and blocks in the CBD to satisfy the property developers interests. And the town planners should have special powers, not to be stepped over by state representatives in such an undemocratic way and process like the "major project". I am deeply disturbed at the undemocratic process, and the shortsightedness of planning and property developers in an attempt to "play the housing market" and make a quick buck. Who is going to foot the bill when these monstrosities require demoloshing in 40 to 50 years? When they lay dormant an unoccupied accruing tax breaks for the ultra rich and only worsening our housing unaffordability crisis.

ANYTHING would be preferable to this. Hire some city architect from the Netherlands, or Barcelona. Create a Newcastle publicly owned and operated builder and developer to tender these development approvals. Build 3-5 floor townhouse apartment buildings for our young and disadvantaged. Keep it as it is. Build a community hall in the Empty space around the current building. A sanctuary where none other really exist on Darby street minus Civic Park, and brutalist "road having???" Lamen Street.

Newcastle's public housing is a disgrace and I know for certain the solution will not be to refurbish, improve or rebuild, but will be to ship them away to new and expanding ghettoes in our outer suburbs.

Instant moritorium on current and future developments. Ban this specific developer from tendering development in Newcastle for fragrantly OVERproposaling and going behind newcastle regulators for 24months.

Thanks for hearing my submission.

I write as a registered architect in NSW, trained at Newcastle University and a resident of Newcastle for nearly ten years, to formally object to the proposed development at 47–49 Darby Street, Cooks Hill.

Please see my submission letter attached.

Totally out of the character of the surrounding area. Too high and putting it opposite the new extension of the Art Gallery wil overshade this heritage area. Complete domination of Civic Park.
Planing should be going through Local Council and not letting Sydney have planning rights over the State of NSW. I feel it should be situated in a more appropriate location not the start of the village atmosphere of Darby Street.

Newcastle absolutely needs more housing. Increasing density in the right locations makes sense. Preventing further sprawl into green space is responsible planning. More people living in the city and supporting local businesses and cultural institutions is a positive outcome.
I also strongly support affordable and social housing in our city. Newcastle is in a housing crisis and we need more genuinely affordable homes close to jobs, transport and services.
But this proposal is not about affordable housing. It is a luxury high rise seeking to increase the permitted height from 14 metres to 45 metres, more than triple what is allowed, directly opposite Civic Park and the Newcastle Art Gallery, within and alongside multiple heritage conservation areas.
A tower of this size would overshadow and overwhelm our civic and cultural heart. That is not balanced development.
We have strategically identified areas for significant growth, including the west end, Broadmeadow and Honeysuckle. We do not need ad hoc upzoning in one of the most historically significant parts of our city.