Meanwhile council puts Coles plaza out to tender
Arkadia Property Services wants to increase the building height limit in Neutral Bay Village from 21 to 45 metres, so it can build four residential towers.
The company has lodged a proposal with North Sydney Council to amend the local environment plan (LEP) to knock down their current sites which straddle Military Road and the current Woolworths on Grosvenor Lane. Four buildings would be constructed, from 9 to 12 storeys – between 36 and 45 metres.
Council’s limit is six-storeys (21 metres), and Meredith Trevallyn-Jones of Willoughby Bay Precinct told NL she did not think Arkadia’s proposal would get community support.
“(The previous council) adopted an increase in height for the whole of Neutral Bay Village. It was fair, and all the landowners would have the same legal increase,” she said. “Arkadia is obviously not happy and wants more.”
The council-owned Grosvenor Lane car park has been flagged as a future plaza, with Coles planning to turn the current Woolworths into a shop-top residential tower.
Coles’ original proposal included a plaza and underground car park, which was rejected by council as it wanted to retain the car park as public land. Coles has now removed three residential levels in its proposed tower and says it isn’t ‘feasible’ to fund the underground car park and plaza. Coles is still hopeful of entering into a voluntary planning agreement with council and gaining approval for the additional height, which would enable them to fund the plaza and underground car park. “We feel this is still the best way forward,” Fiona Mackenzie, Coles general manager property, told NL.
Coles has extended the lease with tenant Woolworths until February to allow council time to consider the future of the Neutral Bay Plaza project. On 11 November, council agreed to invite tenders from interested parties to deliver a plaza and underground parking.
Arkadia has also included a $9 million community centre to replace the current council one at the site. It also committed to 15% affordable housing and/or key worker housing for 15 years.
Ms Trevallyn-Jones also said the current community centre had a northerly sunny outlook, which would overlook a new plaza. “Arcadia’s proposal puts it on an upper level facing Military Road,” she said. “In my view, that’s a bit of a downgrade.”