Woollahra Council: Double Bay Building heights capped to five storeys in move to rule out overdevelopment

A Sydney council has doubled down on height limits in an eastern suburbs commercial centre, despite calls for increases to height limits and more housing. Here is what it means for you.

A Sydney council has ruled out increasing height limits in city’s eastern suburbs – deciding to cap buildings to five-storeys in the Double Bay commercial centre.

Woollahra Council greenlit the Double Bay Centre Plan, highlighting caps on building heights on several main roads.

It is among a series of long standing strategic plans to revolutionise the aging CBD.

The strategy – which outlined the vision for future development at Double Bay proposed 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”.

Double Bay urban design strategy artist impression of streets of Double Bay

Last month, The Daily Telegraph reported, that the Planning Minister Paul Scully is looking to increase housing by taking planning control from councils across Sydney – expected to deliver as many as 112,000 new homes.

Major reforms would allow dual occupancies (like duplexes) in all low density residential zones across the entire state, with a series of heritage sites exempt from the proposed plan.

Council supported an increase in building heights on the north side of Knox St and reduce the proposed heights on both sides of New South Head Rd and Patterson St to accommodate five storey mixed use, shop-top housing, residential and commercial development.

The council received 215 submissions following exhibition of the Double Bay proposal last year, 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 four to six 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”.

Double Bay urban design strategy artist impression of streets of Double Bay

The review comes amid a building boom at Double Bay, which 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.

As of September 2023, 20 sites with recently approved development applications were under construction or had been constructed, encompassing retail, commercial and residential.

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”.