Bellevue Hill: Drumalbyn Rd residents oppose seniors housing plan in Land and Environment Court

Residents of one of Sydney’s most exclusive streets have warned buildings risked falling down the hill and sinkholes emerging at neighbouring properties, as a result of major excavation.

View from Drumalbyn Rd, Bellevue Hill.

Residents of one of Sydney’s most exclusive streets have warned buildings risked falling down the hill and sinkholes emerging at neighbouring properties, as a result of major excavation.

The Land and Environment Court held a conciliation conference outside 53-55 Drumalbyn Rd, Bellevue Hill, attended by stakeholders and Woollahra Council’s legal team, on Friday.

The hearing – which attracted a well-heeled crowd of Sydney society’s elite – was held in relation to development plans lodged in 2021 by Drumalbyn B Pty Ltd for a $12.9m seniors housing development at the millionaire’s row.

The plans were sent to the state’s land court last month after an application to alter the plans for an additional unit, further excavation and other amendments raised the ire of neighbours and was rejected by the Woollahra Local Planning Panel.

The proposal initially planned to demolish buildings on the block to build an 11-unit seniors’ housing development, but was later amended to repurpose the existing properties into six units with underground carparking.

The site of the proposed development at 53-55 Drumalbyn Rd, Bellevue Hill.

The proposed seniors development.

The existing properties at 53-55 Drumalbyn Rd were partially preserved after the council placed an interim heritage order on them, with the amended plans also approved by the NSW Land and Environment Court in January.

Residents who addressed the conference named excessive excavation, risks of sinkholes and the impact on the desired future character of the area as their top concerns.

Seven commercial director Bruce McWilliam submitted a letter of objection to Woollahra Council.

The conference heard one of the street’s objectors, Seven commercial director Bruce McWilliam, had planned to attend but was not able to.

Resident Richard Mahoney said he was “terrified” of the impact of excavation to his apartment building, citing three sinkholes which had emerged over 12 years on the street.

Federal Judge Steven Rares told the conference there was a history of heritage-protected buildings falling down in the area.

Another objector, Nick Ridgewell, said vibrations caused by major construction risked neighbouring properties falling down the steep hill.

Geotechnical engineer Warwick Davies said the site’s location on the hill slope made the works an “extreme risk”.

A number of recent eastern suburbs developments have exposed neighbouring properties to risk.

Waverley Council ordered a stop work order after a house at Curlewis St partially collapsed in 2020.

In June NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler closed a Rose Bay building site after cracks appeared at homes nearby and Fair Work assessed excavation had or could cause “significant harm”.