Rebel Resets 227-Apartment Plans at Woolloomooloo

A developer has abandoned approved concept plans for a Woolloomooloo site, returning to the drawing board and adding a public park. The proposal for 227 apartments on the inner-city site east of the Sydney CBD are now on exhibition as a State Significant development as fresh data shows apartment approvals have risen. Rebel Property Group first proposed a 230-unit project in 2022 , which was approved by the Central Sydney Planning Committee in 2023. But with the introduction of Housing SEPP changes allowing height and floor space ratio increases in return for affordable housing elements, and a design excellence competition that added a park, the developer has shelved the concept DA and launched its State Significant bid. The group had been approved for three buildings of up to 10 storeys—now it has significantly increased the scope of its project in terms of built form. The $415-million plans now on exhibition detail four buildings between 6 and 18 storeys, including a stepped building that rises from 10 to 18 storeys. ▲ A rendering of the Forbes Street building proposed by Rebel Property Group. Apartment numbers have changed only slightly from the original concept plans—the main addition is a 1356sq m publicly accessible park. The project is being designed by FJC Studio, Studio Bright and Tribe Studio, following a Competitive Design Alternatives Process. Of the 227 apartments, 60 would be affordable housing for 15 years managed by Bridge Housing; 26.4 per cent of the total number. There would also be ground-floor retail along William Street, and four levels of parking for 332 cars as well as a communal terrace for residents on level nine. ▲ The design includes a new public park in the inner-Sydney neighbourhood. The “challenging” 6398sq m Woolloomooloo site at 164-172 and 174-194 William Street is near Kings Cross Station and 700m from Hyde Park. The proposal would replace an office and ageing car rental facility. Approvals up 12 per cent According to seasonally adjusted data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the number of homes approved rose 12 per cent in September to 17,019. In NSW seasonally adjusted construction approvals for the month jumped 30.4 per cent, from 3680 homes in August to 4800 homes, marking one of the largest monthly increases in the country. ABS head of construction statistics Daniel Rossi said the rise was driven by a 26.0 per cent rise in private homes, excluding houses. It followed consecutive falls in July and August, Rossi said. “Private sector houses also rose, up 4 per cent to 9547 homes ... off the back of a 1 per cent fall in August,” he said. Meanwhile, Cotality’s Home Value Index for October reported the strongest month of established homes price growth in nearly 2½ years, with strong growth reported around the country. October’s 0.9 per cent increase in national homes prices was the ninth consecutive monthly increase, all since the first rate cut was delivered in February. The Property Council of Australia group executive, policy and advocacy, Matthew Kandelaars said that despite the volatility of apartment approvals from month-to-month, the rise was a welcome sign of progress. “We’re very pleased to see a strong rise in approvals but one strong month alone is not enough to meet our welcome and ambitious housing targets,” he said. “We need to build over 20,000 homes each month to meet our housing targets, meaning that we need our approval figures to be consistently above this benchmark to keep pace with our targets. “The volatility of apartment approvals shows how difficult it is for apartment builders to navigate the approvals process.”

Rebel Resets 227-Apartment Plans at Woolloomooloo

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