21c Billyard Ave, 10 Onslow Ave: $23m Fortis apartments planned for Elizabeth Bay

Luxury apartments, with an expansive shared rooftop, have been proposed by Fortis for one of the inner city’s most exclusive harbourside spots.

21c Billiard Ave DA picture city of sydney

Prestigious eastern suburbs developer Fortis has submitted grand plans for $23m harbourside apartments with rooftop access at Elizabeth Bay, amid an inner city building boom.

Plans submitted by The Trustee for Billyard Ave Development Trust, linked to Fortis director Charles Mellick, to the City of Sydney Council show the developer plans to reimagine two ageing apartment buildings only a stone’s throw from Sydney Harbour.

The 4054sq m site at 21C Billyard Ave and 10 Onslow Ave will be rebuilt as two apartment complexes comprising 22 apartments. The Billyard Ave complex will stand at five storeys and have a communal open rooftop.

The plans include three two-bedroom apartments, 18 three-bedroom apartments and one four-bedroom apartment along with basement parking for 27 cars and 24 bicycles.

Environmental documents prepared for Fortis and submitted to the council state while the buildings sit within the Elizabeth and Rushcutters Bay Heritage Conservation Areas, adapting the existing facades would not protect or improve the character of the local area.

Artists impressions of the development. Picture: City of Sydney.

Artists impressions of the development. Picture: City of Sydney.

Instead the proposed red and pink brick exteriors are set to echo the red brick finishes of the site’s existing Inter-War residential buildings and ensure the new apartments are a sympathetic addition to the historic setting.

“The new development will present as a new contemporary neutral infill building of high architectural quality, which will enhance the architectural character and diversity of the area,” submitted documents state.

Existing building frontages at Billyard and Onslow Ave. Picture: City of Sydney.

View of Sydney Harbour from Elizabeth Bay.

Architectural plans submitted by Sydney architects Smart Design Studio exhibit ‘design excellence’ which will better contribute to the heritage conservation area and deliver high amenity apartments.

The harbourside site is located nearby several noteworthy heritage-listed Elizabeth Bay buildings, including the historic 19th century Elizabeth Bay House.

The inner city suburbs of Elizabeth Bay and Potts Point are amid a building boom, after a raft of old-world nightspots were sold in recent years.

Development and hospitality group Iris Capital won approval from the Central Sydney Planning Committee in mid-2021 to transform the former site of the iconic Bourbon and Beefsteak pub and Les Girls nightclub into a $65m up-market hotel and apartment block, with construction currently underway.

The site of former Kings Cross nightclub the Piccadilly Hotel could soon transform into a 17-room luxury hotel and dining precinct if a proposed rezoning by developer Harphill Pty Ltd is approved by the City of Sydney.

Another Fortis project, the $180m 18-apartment Woollahra Collection, saw $116m worth of residences exchanged in sales in May.

Representatives at Fortis were approached for comment.