Rosalind Street residents riled up about $68m six-storey building
A group of residents has opposed a $68 million seniors living development at 19 to 23 Rosalind Street in Cammeray.
The site would include a five-storey and a six-storey building containing 49 independent living unit (three and four bedroom), a residential aged care facility care hub with two rooms, two basement levels of parking for 82 cars, a shop, cinema, pool, gym and sauna.
Meryl Hare lives directly opposite the site and is a spokesperson for the Rosalind Street residents group. “We understand the need for more housing, and I just want to make it clear it’s not about NIMBYism,” Ms Hare tells NL. “But the (current) zoning is for four storeys and the height (of the proposed development) is entirely out of character for Cammeray.”
The site is zoned R4 High Density with a maximum height allowance of 12 metres, but a State Environment Planning Policy (SEPP) Housing 2021 seniors housing bonus adds 3.8 metres. The proposed development is 18.36 metres for building B, and 17.8 metres for building A and therefore a height variation will be required.
Ms Hare said that the development was not increasing housing but reducing it as the existing affordable one-bedroom apartments on the site would be demolished and replaced with three and four-bedroom units.
“Four bedrooms is not downsizing,” said Ms Hare. “They’re creating luxury apartments and going up six storeys so that they can have lovely harbour views. You’re not getting diversity and you’re not getting more affordable housing.”
In a community consultation webinar on 16 March, a representative from CHROFI Architects said there were 55 units across the existing three buildings on the site and the future occupants of the proposed development would exceed that number.
Perifa has amended its original concept design following a community consultation session in November 2025, reducing the number of apartments by two and the number of car parking spaces by seven. It also reduced the footprint and increased the setbacks of building B’s sixth storey and relocated building B’s plant areas to one level below (sixth storey). The height of both buildings was also reduced by 300mm. Three trees have been saved (27 will be removed), there is an increase in privacy planting and new mature trees were to be introduced.
The care hub with two residential care facility (RCF) rooms on the lower ground floor will provide meals, personal and nursing care, and cleaning services, designed with an ‘ageing in place’ typology to provide onsite care and keep residents out of hospitals.
Perifa is in discussions with an experienced care operator to finalise the services to be provided as part of the care hub including palliative and end of life care and care for residents with dementia.
A spokesperson for North Sydney Council said Council was ‘aware of community concerns about tree loss, building height and traffic’ and would be making a submission.
