Luxury Mona Vale Apartment Project Waved Ahead by Court

A court has cleared the way for a luxury apartment complex in the Northern Beaches that is mixing and matching policy reforms to gain height in the lowrise suburb. The NSW Land and Environment Court approved the development at Mona Vale, 40km north of the Sydney CBD, where median unit prices have risen 12.6 per cent in the past 12 months to $1.5 million. Luxury Sydney-based developers Laxale wanted to build a four-storey luxury apartment project on the site. However, approval was deemed refused by the Northern Beaches Council, which did not determine the 2025 application within allocated timeframes. Residents objected to issues around stormwater management arrangements, built form, design, amenity and traffic, among others. A conciliation conference in October 2024 led to amended plans being prepared and an agreement was reached with the Northern Beaches Council to address those concerns. Laxale chief executive Lucas Laxale told The Urban Developer that while the LEC process had been smooth, it highlighted ongoing problems with assessment timeframes. “The court process itself works well, however councils can still take considerable time to move through conciliation,” Laxale said. “A more streamlined conciliation process would save time and money for all parties and ultimately support the delivery of much-needed housing.” Laxale will now be able to build 27 apartments, two of one bedrooms and the remaining 25 split between two and three bedrooms. Designed by Walsh Architects, the plans for 4 Kunari Place and 94-96 Park Street include parking for 65 cars. ▲ Rendering of the Mona Vale project by Laxale approved by the LEC. The site is in a low and midrise precinct, 630m from the Mona Vale town centre. LMR policy reforms paved the way for the project, which is also in a low-density residential area where, prior to the reforms, residential apartment buildings were prohibited. Providing five affordable apartments that account for 15.4 per cent of gross floor area means the developer also takes advantage of State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) bonuses for height and floor space ratios. Laxale welcomed the government reforms, saying that they had reinforced rather than changed their development strategy. “The LMR reforms are a welcome and necessary change, particularly in enabling well-located sites close to existing amenity to be developed—sites that previously would not have been feasible,” he said. “In Mona Vale specifically, we have held the site for over 10 years, with the view that its proximity to such a strong village centre would eventually justify rezoning. LMR has made that possible. “Across Sydney, the reforms have helped unlock feasibility on appropriately located sites and improve certainty in getting high-quality projects off the ground.” The Land and Environment Court found that the amended DA satisfied existing issues and upheld Laxale’s appeal. Builder-developer Laxale is expecting construction to begin in April 2026, with completion planned before the end of 2027. ▲ Rendering of Vitale’s updated plans from Shirley Street. Meanwhile, in the north of the state, the Vitale family’s Byron Bay project Eade also appeared before the LEC this month. Vitale Property Group lodged plans for the 26-unit luxury development at 2-4 Milton Street and 29 Shirley Street on the NSW North Coast in 2022 . The development in the A-lister playground was approved in October 2023. However, a 2025 modification application to increase the building height by a “minor” amount and increase the usable area of the rooftop terrace was deemed refused by the Byron Shire Council. The council and Vitale agreed that the development was substantially the same as that originally approved, a prerequisite of the modification application. At a conciliation conference in January 2026, the council agreed to the changes. The LEC upheld the appeal and approved the modifications.

Luxury Mona Vale Apartment Project Waved Ahead by Court

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