Push for Increased Height Limits in Zetland Causes Tension Between Local Councils

By LAUREN FROST

Astonishingly, Lord Mayor Clover Moore and billionaire property developer Harry Triguboff are in agreement over the controversial plans to redevelop the former Suttons car dealership site in Zetland.

The pair are gunning for an increase in the building height limit for the site from 45 metres to 90 metres in order to permit 25 storey residential towers.

Meriton’s plans for the development include a supermarket, childcare facility, and retail shops in addition to 30 townhouses and 785 apartments in medium to high density buildings.

These plans have been met with concern by Randwick Council as the Zetland site sits on a boundary they share with the City of Sydney.

Randwick Council Against Overdevelopment

Randwick Labor Councillor Alexandra Luxford told The Sydney Morning Herald that she has “no faith in this planning process that has delivered the worst overdevelopment of a suburb”.

Cr Luxford is concerned that the development will cause shadowing over surrounding residences. She also notes the lack of infrastructure in the area, citing concerns regarding public transport and green space.

“To date no consideration has been given to the views of the residents of Randwick”, she said.

Greens Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor Sylvie Ellsmore shares these concerns and adds that the area lacks schools and sports fields and is often overrun with traffic.

A Missed Opportunity

Yet Triguboff insists that “when Meriton buys a site, we consult with the council where the site is located. Nothing is being built now in this housing crisis and this would be worse if we also had to ask the adjoining councils what they think.”

However, perhaps a better salve for the current housing crisis would be to allocate the Zetland redevelopment site to public and social housing rather than prioritise the needs of developers over the needs of the community.

Randwick Greens councillor Philipa Veitch is adamant that the redevelopment of the Zetland site should involve a “full community consultation about its future use.”

To not adequately involve the Council and surrounding community in these decisions would be a lost opportunity to deliver what the area truly needs.

“It could be reserved for green open space, a new school or affordable housing if that’s what the community asks for,” Cr Veitch told The Sydney Morning Herald.

The City of Sydney insists that the council has considered the likely impacts of the development on its surrounding residents, stating that the proposed height of 25 storeys is consistent with other buildings in the area.