Rose Bay residents oppose industrial-style warehouse kitchen for meal delivery service company

The residents of a quiet, leafy Rose Bay street are furious about plans for an industrial-style warehouse kitchen for a meal delivery service to be built on their doorstep.

As food delivery rises in popularity so-called ‘ghost kitchens’ are popping up in affluent suburbs in Sydney’s inner city and east, with a new proposal to put a warehouse-style kitchen in Rose Bay slammed by residents.

Residents on William Street, next to the Royal Sydney Golf Club, are furious at a newly submitted development application for a kitchen that will be used to prepare ready meals.

They say buildings used to service delivery - including a recent plan for a Woolworths that will not be open to in-person customers - are better suited to industrial suburbs like “Rosebury or Alexandria” than their quiet, suburban neighbourhood.

The DA is for a decommissioned Energy Australia substation that had sat dormant for years until it was sold for $6.65 million in May of 2021 after a battle at auction.

The DA is for a decommissioned Energy Australia substation. Picture: Realestate.com.au

A company called Nure, which offers a subscription service for healthy meals similar to popular companies like HelloFresh and Marley Spoon, has lodged the application, with a detailed plan outlining how it intends to transform the space with a kitchen that will cook and prepare food to be delivered.

The site boasts a vast 35m of site frontage and an existing two storey structure. The newly lodged plans propose the building increase from 316.38sqm to 363sqm and to increase staff at the premises from zero to 20.

3-5 The Avenue, Rose Bay.

The proposed development is estimated to cost $120,000 and will build a commercial kitchen that will produce food and drink for delivery to customers in the area.

Plans show the site will become an industrial kitchen and office space.

The documents lodged propose an on-site staff of one professional chef, two kitchen staff, two admin staff, one marketing employee and five delivery drivers who will use cars to deliver the food packaged on-site.

The DA follows a similar application by Woolworths to build a delivery-only store on the site of a former petrol station in April this year.

The drive-through would not be attached to any Woolworths store or offer in-person shopping but instead provide a site where customers could make online orders and then pick them up in an allocated time window.

The site would also become a base for couriers from online platforms such as Uber Eats to deliver groceries direct to customers’ doors.

Meal Delivery service Nure states it delivers daily meals to its customers. Picture: Nure Platform.

Nure, the company that will take over the site, did not respond to requests for comment from the Wentworth Courier.

On its website the company states it offers customers a guided meal plan backed by a team of dieticians.

The company aims to “revolutionise how we eat, and to empower taking charge of our health through fresh, nutrient packed delicious meals that cater to unique needs and lifestyles,” the website states.

A selection of meals that would be prepared at the Rose Bay site.

The website additionally states the company offers “daily delivery” to “ensure you get the maximised nutrition from every meal”.

It states it offers delivery to the Sydney city and Eastern suburbs, but to “follow us on social media for updates on the rest of Sydney”, suggesting the company intends to grow its footprint.

Residents who asked that their names not be published told the Wentworth Courier they had been excited for a new apartment building to join the street, but were horrified by the idea a busy delivery service might be operating at all hours of the day with cars and bikes entering and exiting the street.

Rose Bay has seen a surge in new apartment projects in the past three years including The Benson and luxury projects including The Carlisle at 33-37 Carlisle Street, and Richmond Rose at 6-8 Richmond Road.

Other residents say they don’t understand why a warehouse kitchen would be operating out of their quiet suburban street rather than an industrial suburb in Sydney’s inner west.

The site located off Old South Head Road in Rose Bay. Picture: Realestate.com.au

Michael Jackson, a resident in an apartment building on William Street told the Wentworth Courier many of the residents in his building were young families who did not buy into the area expecting to live next to an industrial kitchen.

“We just think it’s totally not suitable for a little street in Rose Bay,” Mr Jackson said.

He said the plans that state the business would trade between 6am and 7pm were also unconvincing considering the eye watering sale price of almost $7 million.

“What do you think they’re going to have to do to get a return on investment? Do you think they’re going to run a little takeaway food and drink premises?” he said.

William Street near the proposed development site.

Mr Jackson said it was clear the company had big plans to grow the business, which would also potentially increase the impact on the community.

“This is a food manufacturing company that is going to open in a residential area that has said that they’re going to operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” Mr Jackson said,

“This, this is absolutely crazy.”

“We just think that it’s totally unsuitable for the street.”

Waverley Council has not made any decisions regarding the DA, with submissions open for community input currently through the council’s website.