Develotek 34-Storey Scheme Approved for Chatswood

After tinkering with its affordable mix in order to squeeze in parking spots, Develotek has got the nod for a 34-storey building on a Pacific Highway development hotspot.

The 101-unit, $107-million project will sit a 32-storey residential tower above a two-storey podium on the site that neighbours the Chatswood Bowls Club and Chatswood Croquet Club.

The 1810sq m parcel at 691-699 Pacific Highway will carry a floor space ratio of 7.8:1, yielding a gross floor area of 14,122sq m. The majority of that, or 12,275sq m, will be dedicated to residential use, including 15 per cent affordable housing.

An eight-level basement will provide 179 parking spaces, although the Willoughby City Council’s development control plan mandates a maximum of 82 and the Housing SEPP mandates a minimum of 113.

Develotek had approval for a smaller 27-storey, 89-apartment tower for the site, won via the Land and Environment Court after a council refusal in 2023. That plan offered a 10 per cent affordable component, in the form of a monetary contribution. 

However, approval was sought and granted for the upscaled version through the State Significant Development pathway. The larger affordable component, and onsite contribution, was a key plank in the application’s argument for the change.

▲ The Chatswood Bowling Club and Chatswood Croquet Club have in the past objected to a number of neighbouring development proposals.

The council was again opposed to the project, on the grounds of impacts on local traffic, excessive carparking spaces, and the insufficiency of public through-links and green landscaping, among other concerns. The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure also commented on the over-allocation of parking spaces.

The affordable component of 15 per cent would have comprised seven one, 16 two, and four three-bedroom units under the initial application.

However, in response to objecting submissions, that mix was adjusted to seven one and 19 two-bedroom apartments. As a result, the carpark allocation was adjusted, although the total number of parking spaces remained unchanged.

The architectural design by Squillace has been retained from the earlier proposal, while incorporating a 30 per cent uptick in height and FSR.

▲ Inadequate public through-links and landscaped green space were among objections raised by the council.

The area is a hotspot for mixed-use highrise proposals. In November 2025, a 35-storey, 91-apartment project at nearby 5-9 Gordon Avenue was approved after developer LFD also sought an upscaling of previously approved plans.

Also pursuing projects outside council pathways are Billbergia, for a 28-storey LEC-approved building at 2-8 Wilson Street, 849-859 Pacific Highway and O’Brien Street; and the Vakili family, with a $311-million SSD proposal at 38-42 Anderson Street, 3 McIntosh Street and 2 Day Street that replaced one rejected in 2021.

In December, Develotek won the laurel of first approved project under the HDA pathway, for its $110-million, 106-home project in the Ku-ring-gai council area. That project is about 15km north of the Sydney CBD, at 3A, 3B, 5A and 7 Burgoyne Street, 1 and 3 Pearson Avenue, and 4 Burgoyne Lane.