Five-story seniors accommodation approved for abandoned site
Inner west building abandoned since 2003 will turned into a five-storey high mixed-use seniors accommodation.
- Summer Hill MP becomes part of first gender equal frontbench
- Inner west florists picked for Fresh Awards
Plans for a new five-storey seniors accommodation block at Leichhardt on an old, abandoned lot have been given the green light.
The Harold Hawkins Court building, which has remained unused for about 16 years, will be demolished to build 49 self-care seniors units.
The Uniting Church Property Trust of NSW owns the land.
The works are estimated to cost just under $17 million.
The development will include new retail shops fronting Norton St, accommodating 57 vehicles across two levels of basement parking.
In 1964, 27 aged-care units were built in place of the once-popular Marlboro Theatre, until its doors closed in 2003.
The Inner West Local Planning Panel yesterday approved the development, citing cohesion with the “future character of the local area”.
The Panel noted the three metre setback of the building from the rear laneway and said they felt that the application could not be refused on the grounds of traffic and access.
Twenty-one submissions were received from surrounding properties.
The main issues raised included the danger of increased traffic on the narrow rear lane, pedestrian safety around the site, visual privacy to residences on Macaulay St and sound from the proposed community courtyard.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne spoke on behalf of residents at the Local Planning Panel concerned about an increase of vehicles in the unnamed rear laneway.
Resident Antoinette Botman raised the concerns of 10 neighbours, and said, although the residents hadn’t asked for much, “the council didn’t take a lot of our concerns into account.”
Carlos Oliveria, who also addressed the panel, said: “(the landowners performed) very few modifications we requested.”
With 15 per cent affordable housing, Head of Property Development at Uniting, Adrian Ciano said: “It’s a genuine contract for Uniting.”
He said the aim is to “pepper” social housing throughout the community rather than creating big villages, due to better social outcomes.
In 2016, a planning proposal submitted to then Leichhardt Municipal Council required at least 15 per cent affordable housing within a mixed-use redevelopment of the former Harold Hawkins Court building.
IN OTHER NEWS
‘Trailblazer’: Long serving Sydney councillor, mayor dies
Former Inner West councillor and mayor Rochelle Porteous has died, with colleagues paying tribute to the “trailblazer” for not only the Greens, but women, in local government.
Archibald Prize winning artist’s creative haven for sale
Archibald Prize winning artist Guy Maestri is selling his $2.7m home, that’s full of some of Australia’s greatest art and holds some of the secrets of his success.