A state planning panel has refused a 10-storey residential project at Sydney’s Botany Bay, saying it failed to meet multiple planning controls and was an “inappropriately designed development” that is not supported.
The Sydney South Planning Panel said the proposed development on a combined 2554.6sq m was not considered to be in the public interest and “is likely to set an undesirable precedent if approved”.
Kogarah Investments No 3—an arm of family-owned developer and builder Level 33—had 102 apartments of one, two and three bedrooms on a combined 10 lots at 1-5 Stanley Street and 1-11 Princes Highway at Kogarah, about an 18km drive south-west of the Sydney CBD.
Plans for the $35-million project included two basement parking levels for 53 vehicles, roof-top amenity and some ground-floor retail.
However, the planning panel—an independent body not subject to the direction of the NSW Minister for Planning—said the proposal was not compliant with the site’s maximum building height of 33 metres.
In a seven-page letter advising of the planning panel’s decision, Georges River Council said the proposal had failed to show adequate onsite parking and because of that, would have an unacceptable negative impact upon on street carparking availability in the locality.
“The proposal is deficient 62 carparking spaces,” Brendan Leo, a consultant planner with the council, wrote.
Leo said the proposal had not shown compliance with the minimum requirements of the State Environmental Planning Policies’ Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) in terms of water saving, thermal comfort and energy efficiency.
“The proposal has numerous unresolved issues and is not supported from an urban-design perspective as it has not demonstrated design excellence as required by the clause.”
The council was told last year Level 33 tried three times to acquire an adjoining 363sq m property before filing plans for the proposed development on the 10 surrounding lots.
Documents before the council in August showed three lots would be left isolated between two medium-rise residential buildings if Level 33 was approved for the project.
“Level 33 has attempted to acquire 7, 9A and 9 Stanley Street for amalgamation into the development project, in accordance with the requirements of Section 10.1.6 of the Georges River Development Control Plan 2021,” Sutherland and Associates said in the original filing.
The developer successfully negotiated a commitment from the owners of 9 and 9A Stanley Street but had failed to convince the owner of number seven.
Level 33 was asked for comment on this story.
