Double Bay: Council planning strategy to consider expanded commercial property development

A vision to continue Double Bay’s revitalisation with an expanded commercial footprint is set to take shape, with more than 20 sites currently approved for construction at the centre.

View of Double Bay harbour. Picture: NSW Real Estate.

A vision to continue Double Bay’s revitalisation with an expanded commercial footprint is set to take shape as the council finalises its strategy for future developments.

A series of long standing strategic plans are set to be assessed by Woollahra Council in coming months, with a focus on opportunities for greater commercial uptake of property.

The council’s strategic and corporate committee has recommended the council endorse the draft Double Bay centre planning and urban design strategy, following its public exhibition.

The strategy – which outlines the vision for future development at Double Bay – recommended a raft of guiding principles including increasing building heights in key areas to six storeys and boosting street activity with two new plazas; the already completed Kiaora Lane and the corner of Transvaal Ave and Cross St “to further activate the public domain and promote street life”.

Woollahra Council is rethinking its planning rules, with an eye toward commercial tenancies. Picture: NSW Real Estate.

Notably the strategy also called for a push for non-residential floor space to “enhance its business function and community services” and to increase employment opportunities.

The council received 215 submissions following exhibition of the Double Bay strategy in 2022, following a lengthy process to review the centre’s planning controls that began in 2013.

Of the concerns, 70 per cent centred on increased building heights, followed by the perceived loss of village character.

The strategy limits 4-6 storey building heights to specific areas, with the recent revision outlining a precinct-based approach to planning which recognises the “unique character of each street”.

Artists impressions of the urban design strategy. Picture: Woollahra Council.

Picture: Woollahra Council.

The strategy is focused on retaining heritage buildings while raising height limits in some areas. Picture: Woollahra Council.

Artists impressions of the Cross St streetscape. Picture: Woollahra Council.

The review comes amid a building boom at Double Bay that has seen a large number of development applications approved by the state’s Land and Environment Court with building and floor space ratios above those currently approved by the council.

The committee’s report noted as of September 2023, 20 sites with recently approved development applications were under construction or had been constructed, encompassing retail, commercial and residential.

Fortis is developing Ruby House in Double Bay. Picture: supplied.

Artists impressions of the rooftop at commercial development, Ruby House. Picture: supplied.

Intercontinental Sydney Double Bay rooftop. Picture: supplied.

Fortis, the development arm of the Pallas group, has betted on demand for luxury office suites with its fourth commercial venture in the precinct, Ruby House, a $195m commercial block in Bay Street comprising 31 suites ranging from boutique suites to full-floor terraces.

Fortis associate director Ed Eve previously said the group had seen a “robust appetite” for premium office space in city-fringe locations, “as organisations choose to move closer to where their employees live and socialise”.

Other major projects underway in Double Bay include residential and retail development Ode, TOGA group’s residential project The Hunter, and retail and residential project 55 Bay St.

After legal battles over its future, the InterContinental Hotel Double Bay has also been in developer’s line of sight for a revamp with a powerful group led of developers reportedly looking to buy.

Woollahra Council mayor Richard Shields said the revised version of the strategy incorporated feedback from broad community consultation which has resulted in a “ precinct-based approach to planning for the Centre which recognises the unique character of each street”.

Mr Shields said the vision to balance non-residential and commercial use with residential would “promote vitality and vibrancy in the centre”.

The report will be addressed at Monday night’s Strategic and Corporate Committee meeting.