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THE low-rise village of Rozelle has moved closer to getting its first high-rise apartments. The Planning Minister, Tony Kelly, has agreed to consider a redevelopment of the Balmain Tigers club bigger than one rejected last year.
Mr Kelly said that provided the developer cut his planned 16- and 18-storey apartment blocks by two floors each, his department would consider the contentious proposal even though another planning body, the regional planning panel, rejected more modest plans in July.
Mr Kelly said he told the developer to trim the towers ''because of concerns about excessive visual and amenity impacts from the towers'' and said the effect of the towers on nearby properties would have to be addressed.
The proposed towers will be built on a two- to four-storey podium and underground car parking for 900 to 1000 cars, almost double the 500 car spaces included in the development rejected last year.
The managing director of Rozelle Village, Ian Wright, said his revised proposal had an additional 6000 to 8000 square metres of residential space. The retail space had increased from 10,000 square metres to 14,000 square metres and would include a large Coles or Woolworths supermarket.
He could not say how many extra units were likely to be built although a local residents action group says plans shown to them by the developer's representative revealed the number would increase from 136 to nearly 200 and would have as much as 17,000 square metres of retail space.
Mr Wright conceded the size of the towers would be a big issue as they were a lot taller than other buildings in the area. ''Some people may be upset with the height, others may not,'' he said.
The company will open a centre next week to inform residents about the proposal and to collect their ideas to incorporate into the development, which is estimated to cost $200 million.
''We'd like to explore childcare, a fitness centre, a pool and a medical centre. We want to go to the community with these options. The previous proposal did not allow that,'' he said.
He insisted the centre was more than a public relations device and his company wanted to know what the community would like on the site of the Balmain Leagues club, which will rent space in the development.
David Anderson, from the Rozelle Residents Action Group, said the consultation was a sham and local businesses and residents were strongly opposed.
''The prior, smaller application was rejected by the regional planning panel because … it represented unsustainable over-development,'' he said. ''Greater density can only exacerbate the issues of traffic gridlock.''
He said Mr Kelly should never have agreed to consider the proposal under part 3A of the Planning Act, which allows the government to determine projects deemed to be state significant.
[Source](http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/twin-towers-proposed-for-lowrise-rozelle-20110227-1ba0y.html)
THE low-rise village of Rozelle has moved closer to getting its first high-rise apartments. The Planning Minister, Tony Kelly, has agreed to consider a redevelopment of the Balmain Tigers club bigger than one rejected last year.
Mr Kelly said that provided the developer cut his planned 16- and 18-storey apartment blocks by two floors each, his department would consider the contentious proposal even though another planning body, the regional planning panel, rejected more modest plans in July.
Mr Kelly said he told the developer to trim the towers ''because of concerns about excessive visual and amenity impacts from the towers'' and said the effect of the towers on nearby properties would have to be addressed.
The proposed towers will be built on a two- to four-storey podium and underground car parking for 900 to 1000 cars, almost double the 500 car spaces included in the development rejected last year.
The managing director of Rozelle Village, Ian Wright, said his revised proposal had an additional 6000 to 8000 square metres of residential space. The retail space had increased from 10,000 square metres to 14,000 square metres and would include a large Coles or Woolworths supermarket.
He could not say how many extra units were likely to be built although a local residents action group says plans shown to them by the developer's representative revealed the number would increase from 136 to nearly 200 and would have as much as 17,000 square metres of retail space.
Mr Wright conceded the size of the towers would be a big issue as they were a lot taller than other buildings in the area. ''Some people may be upset with the height, others may not,'' he said.
The company will open a centre next week to inform residents about the proposal and to collect their ideas to incorporate into the development, which is estimated to cost $200 million.
''We'd like to explore childcare, a fitness centre, a pool and a medical centre. We want to go to the community with these options. The previous proposal did not allow that,'' he said.
He insisted the centre was more than a public relations device and his company wanted to know what the community would like on the site of the Balmain Leagues club, which will rent space in the development.
David Anderson, from the Rozelle Residents Action Group, said the consultation was a sham and local businesses and residents were strongly opposed.
''The prior, smaller application was rejected by the regional planning panel because … it represented unsustainable over-development,'' he said. ''Greater density can only exacerbate the issues of traffic gridlock.''
He said Mr Kelly should never have agreed to consider the proposal under part 3A of the Planning Act, which allows the government to determine projects deemed to be state significant.
[Source](http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/twin-towers-proposed-for-lowrise-rozelle-20110227-1ba0y.html)
