Sydney apartment owners fear tower will block all direct sunlight

Seventy apartment owners face a nervous wait amid plans to build two giant commercial towers metres from their balconies, which will block all direct sunlight.

When Paul Christopher and his wife paid $2.3 million for an apartment in 2016, they never thought sunlight would be an optional extra.

But that is exactly what will happen to the retired couple and 70 other St Leonards apartment owners after developers lodged plans to build two giant commercial towers just 23m away.

Mr Christopher said he faces the prospect of having no direct sunlight into his 13th floor apartment all year round, after his dwelling was robbed of winter sun by another building.

“It would mean that the sky would disappear and that there would be a building so close you could almost spit on it,” Mr Christopher said of the planning proposal by Jemalong Property.

“I just can’t pick up and move to a better location. I’m retired.

“It’s so depressing. We bought here to be close to our grandkids and that we were in the medical centre of Sydney.”

Paul Christopher with his dog Macy. Picture: Tim Hunter

When Mr Christopher purchased off the plan into the 36-storey Pacific Highway property, which was completed in 2019, there were no development applications nearby.

Planning controls for nearby sites 46-52 Nicholson St and 29-57 Christie St were limited to 25m building heights (about eight storeys).

In August 2018 the Department of Planning released the draft St Leonards and Crows Nest planning package, which increased heights to 18 storeys.

The government’s final plan released last year said buildings could go up to 30 storeys.

“Those residents purchased based on the draft (2036 plan),” Lane Cove Mayor Pam Palmer said, a point refuted by residents who said they purchased before that plan was released.

Current view from level five of St Leonards building.

The view with the new building.

“It was not until 18 months later the final plan was released with large increases in height in those areas. I feel for residents.

“If this is the future for many people in Sydney I think we need a new standard of liveability.”

Ms Palmer said Lane Cove Council will make a decision on September 20.

“I would imagine that many of the residents will be saying that their views are absolutely obliterated,” she said.

“We have tried to co-operate with the government but more technical planning could’ve been done before the commercial towers were given that uplift.”

Changes negotiated by the council made the building shorter and wider, however apartments from level 20 down will still suffer significant loss of view and light.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes declined to comment because the matter is before Lane Cove Council.

“No development decisions are made without taking into account the community’s views on a proposal,” a departmental spokesman said.

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