Application for high density apartments at 504 Darling St Rozelle resubmitted

Plans for an “inappropriate” unit block on a picturesque high street in Sydney’s inner west have been slammed as “repulsively large”, “disrespectful” and “a clear case of overdevelopment”.

Artist’s impression 504 Darling St Rozelle.

Controversial plans for a high density unit block on a coveted high street in Rozelle have sparked the ire of locals who say the building would be “in contempt of the neighbourhood’s character”.

If approved, the proposal would see a four-storey unit block built at 504 Darling St with 14 apartments of one, two and three bedrooms.

According to planners, the proposal is a “high quality, well-designed accessible residential flat building” on “a prominent corner in a high street setting”.

The plans also state the building would positively contribute to the character and “social fabric” of the heritage conservation area with “no unreasonable impacts on neighbours”.

However, residents have come out swinging at the plans, with the Inner West Council receiving more than 80 submissions featuring grievances such as parking, overshadowing, a loss of skyline views and “overbearing” building dimensions.

The planned unit block has generated lots of backlash.

One submission said the proposal was “a clear case of over development”, another said the building’s “mass and facade” was like “a large box: irregular, repulsively large, and disrespectful to the characterful Wisbeach and Darling streets”.

The proposed floor space ratio, which “is double the standard of local planning controls” would make it a “dominating bulky block” towering over its medium and low density neighbours, other submissions stated.

Privacy concerns were also flagged, with one resident complaining their future neighbours’ balconies “would look directly into our home” and be “an invasion of privacy”.

Some potential neighbours are concerned over a lack of privacy.

Such views are echoed by the council, with documents stating the proposal’s “inappropriate, excessive” density and non-compliant floor space ratio was likely to adversely affect local character and it should be refused.

Plans have been in the pipeline since December 2022, when the original development application was lodged before being rejected.

This time around developers have seen taken the development’s stalled progress as a deemed refusal, prompting them to lodge a Class 1 development appeal in the Land and Environmental Court.

On June 7, the court granted leave for the developers to amend their application and put it back in front of the council before the next hearing date on July 25.