The new proposal shows the developer instead wants to convert the 14-storey block into a mixed-use development of 340 build-to-rent units with shops,a “recreational” rooftop and 100 car spaces.
Mayor Zoe Baker said turning the block into units “will be the death knell for our CBD”,which is being transformed by a multibillion-dollar wave of commercial development to coincide with the opening of Victoria Cross Station on the Metro rail line in 2024.
“In one fell swoop,something like this undermines that careful planning and conservatorship of that core for commercial purposes,” Baker said. “We’ll be making a very strong submission that this not proceed.”
She said the proposal would not provide affordable homes and was rather a “gift to developers” that would turn North Sydney into a “luxury dormitory suburb”.
“It’s greed over good planning,” Baker said.
But Councillor Jilly Gibson praised the plan as a “brilliant idea” that would re-energise North Sydney’s core and locate more homes close to jobs,shops and schools.