New South Head Rd, Edgecliff: developers behind $346m, 45-storey tower plan bypasses council

A towering 45-storey skyscraper could be built in Sydney’s eastern suburbs despite a refusal from the local council. See the plans here.

A look at the precinct from New South Head Rd.

A $346 million plan to bulldoze the Edgecliff Centre shopping mall and office precinct — which is home to the Vietnam and Lebanon consulate general offices — for a 45-storey high rise residential and commercial tower has been revived.

Developers behind the plan, Longhurst Group, called on the NSW Planning Department to determine the development under a rezoning review application.

It follows Woollahra Council’s refusal to support a planning proposal outlining future plans for the site.

Artist impressions of the bus interchange and 45-storey tower planned for .

The multimillion-dollar proposal for the mixed use, 195m tower for 233 New South Head Rd, Edgecliff is expected to generate more than $1 billion in economic impact, as well as over 800 construction jobs and a massive 2600 jobs.

“The vision for the site is to create a revitalised and vibrant transit-orientated development that enhances intermodal transport connectivity and legibility, provides essential services, increases the provision of housing close to transport and accommodates the provision of employment generating uses,” a planner for Longhurst Group said.

What the mixed-use precinct could look like.

“The renewal will also provide essential retail, medical, health and wellbeing services, and has the potential to provide a new community space and a publicly accessible open green space and plaza areas that will benefit the broader community.”

Plans also propose new links to Edgecliff Station and bus interchange at the site.

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“Redevelopment at the Edgecliff Centre offers the opportunity for … publicly accessible open green space and community space, which will be integrated on the podium level of the bus

interchange that will increase amenity for new residents, workers and commuters,” the planner said.

Meanwhile, the developer said as many as 268 apartments in the residential tower would support new dining and retail shopping podiums below.

Inside the retail and commercial precinct.

In February, Woollahra councillors voted to refuse the towering proposal, as it “does not sufficiently address future infrastructure and community needs that future development on the site would generate” and did not provide affordable housing.

“It is inconsistent with the scale and role of a local centre and the desired future character of the precinct (and) does not provide sufficient public benefit,” council strategic planning manager Anne White said.

The interchange planned for the site.

“The requested Height of Buildings and Floor Space Ratio standards are inappropriate and would create a building envelope which has an excessive bulk and scale.”

Council also argued the building would have an “adverse impact” on the town centre.

A Longhurst spokesman said the council’s decision was “ disappounting.

“The bus and train interchange plays an important role for the public transport needs of the LGA and wider region,” he said. “The proposal will provide a new, state of the art transport interchange, housing well located to infrastructure, increase in and creation of jobs and a much needed rejuvenation of the town centre for Edgecliff and the surrounding area.

“The proposal has significant local and state benefits which will be considered as part of this process.”

a NSW Planning Delegate will decide the proposal’s fate.