North Sydney Council plan angers developers Neil Werrett, CBUS

Black Caviar owner Neil Werrett has fired up at North Sydney Council over plans to halve the number of private car parking spaces.

Black Caviar owner Neil Werrett has fired up at North Sydney Council over plans to halve the number of private car parking spaces. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/AAP Image

Black Caviar owner Neil Werrett has fired up at North Sydney Council over plans to halve the number of private car parking spaces allowed in nine new apartment towers in a bid to “influence car ownership rates and sustainable travel behaviour” at a council meeting on Monday night.

Mr Werrett, who is proposing a $700m apartment project in North Sydney’s Walker St with superannuation giant CBUS, said the council’s proposed changes to the development control plan are being rushed through without due process, lacked transparency and contained incorrect facts.

“The ultimate intention is to discriminate against families, and reduce visitors parking which will put pressure on street parking (which will have a negative impact on business) and to stop development of residential buildings in North Sydney. In effect, it is contrary to its previous intention for the ward precinct in North Sydney,” Mr Werrett said.

If agreed at the council meeting, the amount of car parks in the nine proposed apartment blocks in St Leonards and Crows Nest will be reduced from a total 1160 to 626 spaces. The council says the area is very well served by public transport and wants to shift consumer behaviour away from car dependency and car ownership.

“The St Leonards Crows Nest precinct and in and around North Sydney CBD are all very well served by public transport,” according to North Sydney Council’s draft development control plan.

Mr Werrett said the proposed changes are being rushed through without due process, lacked transparency and containing incorrect facts.

“The ultimate intention is to discriminate against families, and reduce visitors parking which will put pressure on street parking (which will have a negative impact on business) and to stop development of residential buildings in North Sydney. In effect, it is contrary to its previous intention for the ward precinct in North Sydney.”

In an interview on Monday morning, Mr Werrett added that North Sydney Council’s plan would reduce the car parking at his proposed Walker St development from 240 spaces to 119. He said the council had “fast tracked the proposal and did not have the background to make an informed decision.”

Mr Werrett purchased the site last year and has had several meetings with the council and was not advised that the council planned to reduce car parking which will see two bedroom apartments allocated 0.6 car spaces (down from one space) and three to four bedroom apartments dropped from 1.5 car spaces to 0.7 if it proceeds.

“If they were going to make radical changes they should have advised us,” said Mr Werrett.

In a letter to North Sydney Cr Jilly Gibson, obtained by The Australian, a concerned local citizen claimed the City of Sydney took two years of community consultations to overhaul its parking rates to allow the housing industry to adjust.

“The proposed changes (by North Sydney Council) are the most restrictive maximum parking rates in Sydney that we have identified, including those applicable in the Sydney CBD,” said the concerned citizen.

“Reducing parking for two to three bedroom homes is likely to reduce the number of family homes that are bought to market in North Sydney. Our family oriented residents may not use their private vehicle for daily travel, but it is important to them that they can store it throughout the week to use for late night activities and weekend activities including shopping, family trips and kids sports.”