Rhodes: Council calls for changes to Fire Towers at Blaxland, Concord roads

A seniors’ village, fire station and 348 units spread over two towers are slated for an inner west suburb but the developer has faced scrutiny for the ambitious project.

Artist's impressions of the seniors' village on the podium and multistorey towers.

A seniors’ village with almost 100 beds, 348 units across two towers and a new fire station is slated for Rhodes but the developer must go back to the drawing board.

The proposal has come under scrutiny from Canada Bay Council over its failure to address a host of concerns from traffic to taking out the trash.

The seniors’ village is planned for the bottom three podium levels at 15-17 and 25-27 Blaxland and 440-442 Concord roads, while 348 apartments are planned over two buildings, also known as the Fire Station Towers, to rise over 17 and 21 storeys.

There will be shops and a four-level basement carpark with spaces for 431 cars, 15 motorcycles and 840 bicycles.

Ecove Group is behind the project which will replace the former emergency services facility, unit block and single-storey homes over the 5608sq m site.

The podium would comprise three levels with 30 independent living units, a residential care facility with 93 beds while the residential towers would house 348 dwellings with communal open space on the podium roof.

A courtyard in the proposed development.

An environmental-impact statement prepared for Ecove states the project, opposite McIlwaine Park, would revitalise an underused precinct near Rhodes train station and generate jobs.

“It creates a more vibrant and activated precinct that provides a range of day to day services and offerings for employees, visitors, residents and the local community,’’ it states.

“It creates an estimated 787 jobs during the construction period and 345 jobs during operation.’’

However, the council has scrutinised the state significant development which the NSW Government will ultimately determine.

In a letter to the Planning Department, the council’s statutory planning manager Shannon Anderson said the proponent’s traffic assessment failed to adequately address critical concerns, including increased traffic on Concord Rd and Mary St East where 85 per cent of vehicles to and from the development would use the intersection.

In an effort to boost public transport and reduce car usage, the council has also called on more bicycle spaces to address the shortfall of 39.

The development is earmarked to the immediate east of Rhodes train station.

It also pointed out the house at 31 Blaxland Rd – which Ecove reportedly made an unsuccessful attempt to buy – for being isolated, when it should be amalgamated.

However there is no opportunity to develop No. 31 because the north is already under development and it is smaller than the 1500sq m required for shop-top housing.

The report said “that means that if development proceeds in its current form, No 31 Blaxland Rd will be sterilised, significantly restricting the future development potential of this MU1 (mixed use)-zoned land’’.

The council also criticised the developer for not providing enough space between buildings, which would raise “concerns about amenity for both neighbouring properties and future residents”.

The building also fails to be setback 3m from Blaxland and Concord roads.

The council also called for a comprehensive flood risk analysis for the building, questioning what firefighters would do in an emergency.

The council also requires the developer to revise plans about how it will better manage drainage, stormwater infrastructure and provide plants so it meets its biodiversity guidelines.

Ecove proposed to remove 47 trees and provide 42 replacements, but the council requires a minimum of 94 indigenous species replacement trees.

Waste management was also on the nose, with criticism over “unsatisfactory” access to bin rooms.

In an effort to boost public transport and reduce car usage, the council has also called on more bicycle spaces to address the shortfall of 39.