Reusing their religion: The Sydney churches with eyes on high-rise futures

A north shore church is a step closer to transforming into a multi-storey development as faith lobby groups push for more religious sites to be given high-rise futures to answer Sydney’s housing prayers.

The Sydney North Planning Panel has given the green light for St Andrew’s Anglican Church in the heart of Lane Cove town centre to become an eight-storey building with a redeveloped church, 48 units, a community facility and a 150-space car park.

The Lane Cove church has received the green light for an $80 million redevelopment. Credit: Lane Cove Council

The approval of the $80 million development comes after the proposal was met with a baptism of backlash when residents and community groups raised alarms over potential traffic impacts, noise and loss of heritage.

Resident Carolyn Levin, who lives next to the 102-year-old site, said the noise and public disturbance from people using the community facility late at night and trying to get home “will be terrible”.

“The scale and nature of the development are simply not in harmony with the existing character of our neighbourhood [and will] bring about challenges and disruptions that we are not prepared to accommodate,” resident Lisa Stramand wrote in another submission to Lane Cove Council.

Not all residents were opposed. Lane Cove Youth Orchestra president Lyndall McNally said the proposal would address a shortage of performance space in the community.

A concept image of the Lane Cove church redevelopmentCredit: Lane Cove Council

The panel’s approval comes weeks after Faith Housing Australia, which advocates for faith organisations, urged the NSW government to relax zoning rules so that more housing could be added to church sites.

The group identified 747 faith-owned sites within 800 metres of railway stations across NSW that could be redeveloped for up to 20,000 homes if the current SP2 place of public worship zoning definitions were relaxed.

Speaking at a Lane Cove Council meeting, Anglican Property Development urban renewal manager Priscilla Tran said the redevelopment of the Lane Cove parish would enable the church to “sustainably serve the community”.

“It will deliver social infrastructure, [including] affordable housing and ministry facilities which can be shared with the community,” she said.

A Kingsford church is also earmarked for high-rise housing.Credit: Randwick Council

The church is not the only religious site eyeing a high-rise future.

In Sydney’s south, there is a proposal to turn Kingsford Church of Christ on Anzac Parade into three towers that stand up to 14 storeys tall with 532 student accommodation rooms.

The proposal, which is being considered by the NSW government, would include a community facility and a redeveloped church hall.

Another religious site proposed for new housing is St Paul’s Anglican Church in Bankstown, which has been earmarked for 185 apartments.

The Sydney North Planning Panel, in deciding the fate of the Lane Cove church development this week, found the proposal had been subject to “extensive consultation” and the addition of housing and community facilities “warranted approval”.

Planning Minister Paul Scully said he “encourages members of the Faith Alliance interested in delivering affordable housing on church land to submit an expression of interest to the Housing Delivery Authority”.

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