St Leonards: Ten homes to become 232 units in $149m development plan

New plans have been revealed for three towers standing up to 19 storeys tall in St Leonards as the suburb’s population is set to surge by more than 3000 residents. See where the units will be built.

A north shore mayor says there are few options available to the council to thwart a string of major developments planned in St Leonards as the suburb braces itself for a population and construction boom.

A 232 unit development on the site of 10 low rise homes on Holdsworth Ave, Canberra Ave and Marshall Ave is the latest planning proposal revealed for the rapidly changing north shore suburb.

Plans for the $149.6 million project released last week show the development would have three buildings standing 12, 15 and 19 storeys tall on the site.

A concept plan of two of the towers.

The development would have 309 basement carparks, along with a swimming pool, outdoor working spaces, a public park and rooftop terraces boasting views across Sydney Harbour.

The proposal is the latest development earmarked for the St Leonards South precinct that is set to become home to 3600 new residents across 2000 apartments over the next 10 years.

In the last 12 months alone, there have been plans lodged for 319 units on the corners of Canberra Ave and Holdsworth Ave, 104 units on the corner of Marshall Ave and Holdsworth Ave, a 13 storey tall building at 13-19 Canberra Ave and 245 units on Berrys Rd, River Rd and Holdsworth Ave.

Plans have been lodged to Lane Cove Council.

Combined the developments represent $500.3 million worth of construction activity and 984 new units.

The precinct is currently defined by a suburban mix of one and two storey homes extending from the Pacific Hwy in the north to River Rd in the south.

Lane Cove councillor Merri Southwood previously told the North Shore Times that existing services such as schools, hospitals and roads could come under additional strain from the cumulative impacts of the developments.

“We’ve only had a taste of what it’s like with the developments already underway (in the suburb) – River Rd and Greenwich Rd in peak hour are at gridlock and it’s a sign of things to come,” she said.

A concept plan of the development.

“If they’re all built together the concern is traffic, dust, and sediment control because almost all of the developments will involve excavation and cutting into the slope of the land.”

Lane Cove Mayor Andrew Zbik said the council was committed to mitigating impacts from the amount of development activity planned in the suburb, partly through a council-run St Leonards South Coordination Unit that will oversee activity such as traffic management plans, building compliance and monitoring.

Cr Zbik – who opposed the development of St Leonards South during his term as a councillor before being appointed mayor in December – said there were few available avenues to stop the developments from proceeding.

Ten homes would be demolished for the project.

“It’s a project that was adopted by the last council and it’s now council policy and an adopted position of council, so as mayor it would be improper for me to denounce it,” he said.

“The honest truth is you can’t turn these things around. I see our responsibility now is to mitigate disturbances and disruptions and monitor the development when it happens to reduce the impacts on the community.”

SLS Holdsworth Residences – the developers behind the new proposal – said the project would provide “high-quality residential dwellings within a strategic location, close to jobs, entertainment, places of interest, and public transport and services.”

A concept plan of the development.

“The site is located within a rapidly evolving and strategic location (and) has been carefully considered in relation to the surrounding context and character of the evolving precinct,” the plans stated.

“It will redevelop an under-utilised site to provide a much better outcome that is consistent with the vision and direction of St Leonards South.

“The environmental impacts associated with the proposal are generally positive and will not give rise to any adverse impacts that cannot be mitigated and managed.”

The development is the latest proposal for St Leonards South.

Landscaping works at the site would include a ‘nature walk’, open lawns, picnic tables, a kids’ cycle area, communal vegetable gardens, and a grove of palm trees that SLS Holdsworth said would offer a place where residents could “live in harmony with the landscape”.

The proposal has been lodged to Lane Cove Council and is under assessment.

The lodgement of plans come as the council is considering closing off a section of Canberra Ave to create more green space to keep up with the suburb’s population surge.