Council opposes residential build above Crows Nest Metro
Office space should be prioritised in the North Sydney CBD over homes, council has argued, opposing a proposal above the new Crows Nest Metro which would rezone the commercial space into a mixed-use residential tower.
North Sydney Council is against the proposal to rezone the planned office building, which is the first trial of the State Government’s new transport oriented development laws which aim to increase housing density within 400 metres of rail and metro to meet the needs of essential workers. The proposal is being assessed by the government as a ‘state significant development,’ leaving council no authority over the development.
The three residential towers (A, B and C), which would be above and adjacent to Crows Nest Metro, are already in the works, with the concept proposal approved by the former minister for Planning and Public Spaces in 2020. The building on Site C has been completed, and the applicant is preparing a submission for Site B.
The applicant wishes to turn Site A into a mixed use building with 130 residential apartments, including a 15 per cent quota for key workers (nurses, educators, aged care personnel, midwives and hospital staff), and a health and wellness precinct. The three towers would offer 452 apartments.
A spokesperson for council told NL that the new Metro provided an ideal opportunity for people to commute into North Sydney to work.
“Whilst a 15 per cent contribution to affordable housing in this proposal is welcome in principle, North Sydney Council remains opposed to the removal of employment space in light of the exceptional new public transport infrastructure provided in Crows Nest,” the spokesperson said.
“Transitioning from commercial development to residential towers compromises the planned long-term economic function of the centre and may lead to additional environmental, social and economic challenges, as the growing population will need to travel further for work.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure told NL that it would soon issue the ‘secretary’s environmental assessment requirements’ for the detailed development of Site A.
The developers said that while a commercial tower’s aim was to bring jobs to Crows Nest, housing for over 200 residents should address the ‘significant vacancies experienced within health and medical industries.’