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But multiple councils have raised concerns over the scale of the current proposals including Bayside Council which fears the Eastlakes redevelopment could have a “major impact” on nearby homes and the surrounding traffic network.
A new Woolworths multistorey unit development in Gladesville has raised concerns from nearby residents.
Plans for a new Woolworths outlet on Victoria Road in Gladesville, topped with a 14-storey tower incorporating 171 units, has also faced staunch opposition from residents – including dozens who turned out for a public rally to voice their concerns over traffic congestion, overshadowing and disturbances to the nearby Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School.
Planning documents by Fabcot – the development arm of Woolworths – stated the $175 million project would boost housing supply and provide residents with convenient access to shops and amenities.
But local home owner Scott Mackenzie said the development could block sunlight to surrounding properties and leave local roads choked with traffic.
“The size of the development is unlike anything in the area and there are real concerns that despite the valid concerns of the community, the proposal will just be rubber-stamped by the government,” he said.
Gladesville residents are concerned about increased traffic. Credit: James Brickwood
Ryde councillor Roy Maggio said the proposal has understated impacts on traffic which is expected to come under additional pressure from other nearby developments including a multistorey proposal to rebuild Gladesville Coles with 500 units.
Other mixed-use retail development proposals in the works include plans to build 300 units in a redevelopment of the Edgecliff Centre and 411 units as part of a redevelopment of the Woolworths Eastwood outlet.
Multiple Coles supermarkets are also earmarked for high-rise construction including plans for 368 units in a 20-storey redevelopment of Coles Sutherland and 70 units on top of the Coles Ramsgate outlet.
UNSW Futures Research Centre professor Chris Pettit said the surge in multistorey units planned on top of retail sites was in line with shifting expectations among Sydney homebuyers who were increasingly willing to trade the dream of a quarter-acre block for high-density living.
An artist impression of the Coles Sutherland redevelopment.
He said owners of large retail centres and supermarkets were also “primed” to take advantage of the state’s housing reforms due to the large land parcels of the sites, making them easier to amalgamate into commercially viable, higher-density developments.
“Cities like Hong Kong and Singapore have been using this housing template for a long time and as Sydney grows to a city of more than six million people and commute times become longer, people are really starting to value proximity to amenities and shops,” he said.
Catherine Gilbert, lecturer of urban and regional planning at the University of Sydney, said while the developments could boost housing stock, questions remained about whether the multistorey projects would ease housing affordability in Sydney.
In some of the largest developments proposed – including the Mandarin Centre redevelopment in Chatswood – plans show 10 per cent of units would be offered as affordable housing for 15 years, at which point the units would return to full market rates.
Current development plans include a new mixed-use housing development with a Woolworths outlet at Waterloo.
Willoughby Council has written to the Department of Planning stating the 15-year cap was “inadequate” and failed to provide permanent affordable housing.
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