‘Excessive’ or ‘strategic merit’? Eastern suburbs’ tallest building given green light

A proposal to construct the tallest building in the eastern suburbs has overcome a significant planning hurdle three years after first being rejected, despite opposition from Woollahra Council.

The 35-storey development of the Edgecliff Centre satisfied a three-person panel led by former Labor minister Carl Scully at a rezoning review on November 28.

An artist’s impression of the 35-storey residential tower that could replace the Edgecliff Centre, above Edgecliff railway station.Credit:

Longhurst Property has submitted plans to demolish the 1971 pebblecrete development adjacent to Edgecliff railway station, replacing it with a residential tower with 275 apartments for 500 residents and a 13-storey office along the bustling New South Head Road corridor.

The approval came three years after the same panel rejected Longhurst’s previous application for a single 45-storey tower, with Scully saying at the time the development had not demonstrated the “public benefit” of the “substantial uplift” above the bus and rail interchange.

Woollahra Mayor Sarah Swan said the Longhurst proposal was “excessive for this location” and well above the council’s approved Edgecliff Centre strategy for 26 storeys, saying there were concerns regarding the bulk, scale and lack of supporting infrastructure proposed by the developer.

The panel, however, unanimously agreed that Longhurst’s proposal had “strategic merit”, noting that housing supply was a “priority issue for Sydney”, as was the provision of affordable housing in this area. Despite the council’s concern about the scale, the panel accepted the maximum height limit of 128 metres should apply across the site.

The successful rezoning review was lodged with the government in September after the council failed to indicate support within 115 days.

Longhurst purchased the site for $139 million in 2016.

The rezoning is now expected to progress to gateway determination, with the Planning Department to consider whether the proposal should proceed to public exhibition.

Planning insiders said the project could become one of the first to be considered by the recently established Housing Development Authority, the three-person committee recently empowered by NSW Labor to expedite major proposals through the planning system.

An artist’s impression of the proposed Edgecliff Centre redevelopment as seen from the Double Bay side of New South Head Road, with Ranelagh on the right.Credit:

Longhurst chief executive Paolo Razza welcomed the decision, saying the development would make better use of Edgecliff’s underutilised transport infrastructure while providing additional homes in an area where the population has declined by 15 per cent since 1966.

“Sydney needs more homes across all market segments, especially in areas with great amenity and infrastructure,” he said.

Asked about the panel’s request for additional affordable housing, considerably above the 5 per cent monetary contribution, Razza said Longhurst acknowledged the panel’s recommendations and was “carefully” reviewing them.

Liberal Vaucluse MP Kellie Sloane called on the Minns government to step in and negotiate with Longhurst to “get this right”, saying while she supported the significant uplift, the proposal “offers less affordable housing, fewer community facilities and a design that is imposing”.

“While the site is ripe for development, and I support a substantial increase in height, we need to extract the best value for our community,” she said.

“It’s not the size that matters, but what you do with it.”

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