Over 1,200 submissions on the $106m Castlecrag residential proposal
A state significant development application (SSD) for a residential flat building on the site of the former Quadrangle Shopping Centre at 100 Edinburgh Road in Castlecrag accrued 1,298 submissions during its recent exhibition period.
The SSD, estimated at $106 million, proposes two 11-storey residential towers (although the Department of Planning describes it as up to 13 storeys due to the fall of the land at the rear of the site), with 150 apartments (including 10 affordable housing units), above ground floor retail and five levels of basement parking.
Most submissions were objections, although over 200 supported the development. Reasons included lack of diverse housing in Castlecrag that would allow down-sizers to remain in the suburb after retirement.
Developer Conquest’s head of placemaking Benji Williams told NL that he was ‘not surprised by the volume or the geographic distribution of the submissions.’
“The fact that hundreds of submissions in support came from outside the immediate area highlights a critical reality – housing supply and density are no longer just isolated local issues, they are Sydney-wide imperatives,” Mr Williams said.
“The public recognises that all areas of Sydney must be accessible for housing, and over-protecting certain pockets solely based on ‘character’ is not sustainable during a housing crisis,” he said.
Willoughby Council strongly opposed the proposal in its submission. “The proposed bulk and scale represent an excessive departure from the desired future character of the area and is a significant overdevelopment of the site.” Castlecrag was planned by architects Walter Burley Griffin and his wife Marion Mahony Griffin, and the development is adjacent to a heritage conservation area.
The Castlecrag Progress Association stated in its submission: “The scale, massing and architectural design of Conquest’s proposal will completely ruin the existing physical structure of historical Castlecrag Estate which has been identified as an urban morphology of national and international significance.”
Sydney North Planning Panel granted consent in December 2024 for a five-storey shop-top building on the site, but landowner Greencliff sold the site to Conquest who subsequently submitted a new proposal, stating in its proposal that proceeding with the approved development ‘would fail to deliver much needed affordable housing and fails to fully utilise the development potential on a highly sustainable site.’
Conquest said it remains ‘incredibly confident’ in the development.
“It is exceptionally designed by renowned architects and is a high-quality development that introduces a vibrant mix of ground-floor services and a fantastic lifestyle, benefiting both future residents and the broader region. It replaces a derelict shopping centre that was languishing on the site for decades.”
Mr Williams said Conquest intends to provide a ‘comprehensive’ response to submissions.
“Every piece of feedback will be reviewed by our project team and specialist consultants to determine where constructive adjustments can be made, ensuring the project delivers the best possible outcome for both the community and Sydney’s housing needs,” Mr Williams said.