Planned skyscraper exceeds height limit
Image: An artist's impression of 115 Bathurst Street
A mooted skyscraper for 115 Bathurst St, slated to be Sydney’s tallest building, has attracted controversy for contravening the City of Sydney’s 235-metre height limit.
The 240-metre skyscraper is planned by Chinese developer Shanghai Greenland Group, and would be a mixed use development with retail, office and residential space.
City of Sydney Councillor, Angela Vithoulkas, said the height implications of the large skyscraper have to be carefully considered.
“Where there are such tall developments, it is often that the environmental footprint needs to be of central consideration, balanced with the needs of the existing residential environment,” she said.
“If you have large buildings obscuring views or creating shadows, there needs to be consideration and an analysis of the benefits and the costs of the development as a whole, not just the proposed development. We need buildings which, on the one hand, ensure economic growth, and on the other [provide high] quality public space and amenity for the community”.
The process of constructing the skyscraper may be a more pressing issue. There is no clear timetable for development.
A spokesperson for the City of Sydney said they have not yet received a DA.
“The City of Sydney considers development applications on a case by case basis and work with the applicant to get the best outcome for the whole community,” they said.
“The City has yet to receive and exhibit a DA from the Shanghai Greenland Group”.
The skyscraper would be the tallest building in Sydney, eclipsing the nearby, 230-metre tall ‘World Tower’. Sydney Tower soars to 309 metres but is officially considered an observation tower, not a habitable building.
By Tom Neale
