New-look plans for what would be the tallest building in the eastern suburbs have been lodged with the state government in what the applicant hopes will end a decade-long impasse over the future of a notorious Sydney eyesore.
The proposal would rezone the site above the train station, occupied by the Edgecliff Centre, to enable a 35-storey residential tower with 275 apartments, a 13-storey office building, a community facility and a village green.
A drawing of a 35-storey residential tower that could replace the Edgecliff Centre, above Edgecliff train station.
It reconfigures an earlier plan for a single, 45-storey tower that was rejected by Woollahra Council and a state-led planning panel in 2021. The new rezoning request was lodged with the government last month after the council failed to indicate support within 115 days.
The Edgecliff Centre, built in 1971, sits on top of a hill and is in prominent view for motorists heading eastward on New South Head Road. While the centre has long been slated for redevelopment, Woollahra Council and the owner, Longhurst, have disagreed on its future.
Documents lodged with the government on behalf of Longhurst say the site is ripe for absorbing another 500 residents as it is directly above a train station and next to the Edgecliff bus terminal.
They point to Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing the population of the Woollahra Local Government Area had fallen 15 per cent since 1966, while one in 10 homes in the LGA has three or more unused bedrooms.
The much-maligned Edgecliff Centre, with flags on the roof, sits at the top of the hill on New South Head Road.Credit: James Brickwood
The population is also expected to keep getting older. “Low-maintenance housing near services and transport is essential,” the documents state. “New housing would also free up larger, under-utilised homes for families and provide entry-level options for younger professionals.”
Edgecliff has become a target for urban renewal because of its proximity to the CBD, transport connections and the age of some buildings. It was left out of the state government’s Transport-Oriented Development Program due to doubts about water and sewerage capacity, though Sydney Water has since said it is not a problem.
In April this year, Woollahra Council endorsed a new planning and urban design strategy for the Edgecliff commercial core – a project it began in 2015. The strategy does not change zonings or height limits, but sets out an overarching plan for the New South Head Road corridor.
Under the council’s strategy, the Edgecliff Centre would be demolished for residential towers, but only to a maximum height of 26 storeys, and with a lower floor space ratio than sought under the proposal now before the state government.
An artist’s impression of the proposed building - as seen from the Double Bay side of New South Head Road - which would be the tallest in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. The Ranelagh tower is on the right.
Re-elected Liberal councillor Sean Carmichael said the public expected the site to be redeveloped as the ’60s-style pebblecrete Edgecliff Centre was an “embarrassing” gateway to the eastern suburbs.
“In saying that, a redevelopment should not completely dwarf the neighbouring Ranelagh tower [in Darling Point] either,” he said. “If they could maybe clip a few storeys off the top of it, then I think it could actually be quite promising and gain a reasonable amount of social licence from the people.”
The rezoning request says the height would “align” with Ranelagh, although it would be about 25 metres taller, relatively, making it the tallest building in the eastern suburbs.
Woollahra Council said staff were still reviewing the proposal, and aimed to report to a planning panel on October 17, ahead of a meeting of the newly elected council.
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