Name Withheld
Object
Name Withheld
Object
REDFERN
,
New South Wales
Message
To the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure,
I write to object to the proposed mixed-use development at 881–885 Bourke Street, Waterloo NSW 2017 on the grounds that the scale and intensity of the project are incompatible with the capacity and established character of the existing neighbourhood.
The proposed building height is entirely out of character for the precinct, which is defined by a lower-scale built form. The height and massing of this development would create an inappropriate visual impact, overshadowing, and a sense of overdevelopment that is inconsistent with the surrounding streetscape.
In addition, the excessive number of apartments will place significant and unsustainable pressure on already overstretched local infrastructure. Roads in the area are consistently congested, parking availability is severely limited. Traffic is already congested and many secondary roads are being used as a "rat race" with speeding and traffic infringements a plenty. The limited policing in the area simply creates a new norm.
Public transport services are frequently overcrowded. Local schools, community facilities, medical facilities and essential services are operating near or at capacity, and this development would worsen these conditions.
Pedestrian footpaths have become increasingly hazardous with the rising use of e-bikes. Public transport (particularly buses) during peak times are already overwhelmed and over crowded. Furthermore, the distances to Green Square Station, the Light Rail, and the new Waterloo Metro Station, make these options impractical for many commuters and do not provide a reliable alternative to car use. The size and height of the 35+ storey tower will
The proposal does not demonstrate that the surrounding infrastructure or local environment can support such a substantial population increase, nor does it provide adequate mitigation measures. Approving this development in its current form would diminish local amenity, reduce quality of life for existing residents, and undermine responsible, evidence-based urban planning.
I respectfully request that the application be refused or significantly amended to address these concerns.
I write to object to the proposed mixed-use development at 881–885 Bourke Street, Waterloo NSW 2017 on the grounds that the scale and intensity of the project are incompatible with the capacity and established character of the existing neighbourhood.
The proposed building height is entirely out of character for the precinct, which is defined by a lower-scale built form. The height and massing of this development would create an inappropriate visual impact, overshadowing, and a sense of overdevelopment that is inconsistent with the surrounding streetscape.
In addition, the excessive number of apartments will place significant and unsustainable pressure on already overstretched local infrastructure. Roads in the area are consistently congested, parking availability is severely limited. Traffic is already congested and many secondary roads are being used as a "rat race" with speeding and traffic infringements a plenty. The limited policing in the area simply creates a new norm.
Public transport services are frequently overcrowded. Local schools, community facilities, medical facilities and essential services are operating near or at capacity, and this development would worsen these conditions.
Pedestrian footpaths have become increasingly hazardous with the rising use of e-bikes. Public transport (particularly buses) during peak times are already overwhelmed and over crowded. Furthermore, the distances to Green Square Station, the Light Rail, and the new Waterloo Metro Station, make these options impractical for many commuters and do not provide a reliable alternative to car use. The size and height of the 35+ storey tower will
The proposal does not demonstrate that the surrounding infrastructure or local environment can support such a substantial population increase, nor does it provide adequate mitigation measures. Approving this development in its current form would diminish local amenity, reduce quality of life for existing residents, and undermine responsible, evidence-based urban planning.
I respectfully request that the application be refused or significantly amended to address these concerns.
Name Withheld
Object
Name Withheld
Object
WATERLOO
,
New South Wales
Message
We object to SSD-80441462 on the following grounds:
1. Late and inadequate notification: Exhibition letters arrived after the exhibition began, preventing fair opportunity to review extensive SSDA material.
2. Failure of community engagement: Despite claims of pre-lodgement contact, no residents on Morehead Street received any engagement material or invitations to briefings/webinars. More than 70% of the street consists of public housing tenants who face barriers to participation.
3. Excessive height and bulk: The proposal seeks an uplift from 29m to 125m with oversized frontages (up to 71m), far exceeding local context and eliminating vistas, sunlight and ventilation. Reliance on distant Green Square towers for justification of heights is inappropriate in the existing and planned context of the area.
4. No transition to the Waterloo Heritage Conservation Area (HCA): The proposal presents a 10–19 storey street wall at the edge of a 2–4 storey HCA. The VIA testing did not adequately cover the impact of the proposal when viewed from residential streets at the edge of the Waterloo HCA.
5. Heritage and visual impacts: Overlays show the proposed form overwhelmingly dominates views from Morehead Street and Grosvenor Terrace, removing sky views and altering the heritage setting.
6. Residential amenity: Deep floorplates, overshadowing, limited cross-ventilation and an investor-heavy apartment mix undermine both internal and neighbouring amenity. Lack of family housing contradicts strategic housing goals.
7. Missing CMP: No construction timeline or staging plan is publicly available despite references in multiple documents. The community cannot assess construction impacts.
8. Barriers to participation: The Planning Portal requires new login accounts and rejects existing Service NSW emails; the site was also offline for times during the exhibition period. These barriers make submissions inaccessible to many residents.
We support redevelopment and believe the site is under-utilised by the approved DA, but cannot support a proposal that exceeds reasonable density, disregards design excellence principles for transitioning building scales and undermines equitable participation of the community through a short and inaccessible review process.
We request reduced heights to the north and western edges in keeping with principles of the approved DA to transition from the higher density to the south-east, full HCA visual testing, improved housing mix to address the lack of affordable family-sized dwellings, release of a CMP, and re-exhibition or extension of the exhibition period.
1. Late and inadequate notification: Exhibition letters arrived after the exhibition began, preventing fair opportunity to review extensive SSDA material.
2. Failure of community engagement: Despite claims of pre-lodgement contact, no residents on Morehead Street received any engagement material or invitations to briefings/webinars. More than 70% of the street consists of public housing tenants who face barriers to participation.
3. Excessive height and bulk: The proposal seeks an uplift from 29m to 125m with oversized frontages (up to 71m), far exceeding local context and eliminating vistas, sunlight and ventilation. Reliance on distant Green Square towers for justification of heights is inappropriate in the existing and planned context of the area.
4. No transition to the Waterloo Heritage Conservation Area (HCA): The proposal presents a 10–19 storey street wall at the edge of a 2–4 storey HCA. The VIA testing did not adequately cover the impact of the proposal when viewed from residential streets at the edge of the Waterloo HCA.
5. Heritage and visual impacts: Overlays show the proposed form overwhelmingly dominates views from Morehead Street and Grosvenor Terrace, removing sky views and altering the heritage setting.
6. Residential amenity: Deep floorplates, overshadowing, limited cross-ventilation and an investor-heavy apartment mix undermine both internal and neighbouring amenity. Lack of family housing contradicts strategic housing goals.
7. Missing CMP: No construction timeline or staging plan is publicly available despite references in multiple documents. The community cannot assess construction impacts.
8. Barriers to participation: The Planning Portal requires new login accounts and rejects existing Service NSW emails; the site was also offline for times during the exhibition period. These barriers make submissions inaccessible to many residents.
We support redevelopment and believe the site is under-utilised by the approved DA, but cannot support a proposal that exceeds reasonable density, disregards design excellence principles for transitioning building scales and undermines equitable participation of the community through a short and inaccessible review process.
We request reduced heights to the north and western edges in keeping with principles of the approved DA to transition from the higher density to the south-east, full HCA visual testing, improved housing mix to address the lack of affordable family-sized dwellings, release of a CMP, and re-exhibition or extension of the exhibition period.