North Sydney Centre

Capacity and Land Use Study

Public Exhibition Summary November / December 2016

North Sydney Centre

Socially Dynamic and

Engaging

Attractive

and Inviting

INTRODUCTION / VISION

The North Sydney Centre is an increasingly vibrant and economically diverse commercial centre. North Sydney Council is working to help create a more engaging and resilient Centre that offers a range of activities and unique public spaces for workers, residents and visitors.

Economically Diverse and Competitive

NORTH SYDNEY CENTRE PLANNING REVIEW

The Capacity and Land Use Study forms the final component of the North Sydney Centre Planning Review, initiated in

2014. Other parts of the Review included:

• Public Domain Review

• Late Night Trading Study

• Traffic and Pedestrian Management Study

• Marketing and Promotion Strategy

Capacity and Land Use Study

OBJECTIVES

The Study aims primarily to develop a framework to unlock additional commercial floor space capacity within the Centre, thereby ensuring it maintains and improves its status as a resilient and competitive economic centre. Other objectives include:

• Accommodating forecast commercial demand

• Taking advantage of new transport infrastructure

• Offsetting commercial floor space losses

• Identifying specific land use needs

• Identifying future residential opportunities

CONSTRAINTS to GROWTH

Opportunities to grow the North Sydney Centre laterally are very limited. Additional floor space capacity, at least for the short to medium term, needs to be found within the Centre’s existing boundaries.

Future Capacity

CAPACITY STUDY

Council engaged external architectural consultants to undertake a future capacity study for the Centre. A number of planning scenarios were tested in order to understand the impact of various hypothetical planning interventions on floor space capacity.

Results of these tests ranged from a 2% increase of potential floor space capacity over existing, up to a 130% increase.

TestAdditional Capacity

(above existing)% Above existing % Above Base Case

BASE CASE 382,796m² 42% n/a

TEST 1 664,117m² 73% 21%

TEST 2 427,897m² 47% 3%

TEST 3 2,056,234m² 226% 130%

TEST 3A 780,937m² 86% 31%

TEST 4 834,817m² 92% 35%

TEST 4A 528,953m² 58% 11%

TEST SUMMARY

TEST 1: Remove ‘special areas’ controls

TEST 2: Remove small sites controls

TEST 3: Remove height controls

TEST 3A: Refinement of Test 3

TEST 4: Apply 10 am - 2 pm shadow restrictions

TEST 4A: Refinement of Test 4

Strategy

BALANCED APPROACH

The capacity testing produced a wide range of results. Developing a strategy for future growth required the establishment of an appropriate and supportable balance that provided both additional floor space and employment capacity in the North Sydney Centre, and a reasonable level of amenity protection to surrounding residential areas.

PROPOSED STRATEGY

Current height controls in the North Sydney Centre are based generally on the principle of no additional overshadowing of special areas* or residential land outside the North Sydney Centre between the hours of 9 am and 3 pm.

The Study proposes that this principle be amended to provide for protection between 10 am and 2 pm mid-winter.

9am - 3pm 10am - 2pm

Existing Proposed

*Special areas are explained further under ‘Other Elements of Study

Solar access protection to residential land outside the North Sydney Centre

What Would Change?

Subject to further consideration under Ward Street Masterplan

NEW HEIGHT CONTROLS

The implementation of the proposed strategy would produce a new LEP Height of Buildings Map. The map at right illustrates potential height controls under this strategy, with coloured circles representing the scale of change from existing height controls.

Heights are express as reduced levels (RLs) - height above sea level.

The heights suggested under this strategy are subject to further consideration and amendment during the public exhibition process.

It is important to note that this represents a proposed strategy, which we are inviting comment on. It is not a proposal to amend the LEP 2013 height controls at this stage.

Sites with proposed height increases

1 - 20m

21 - 50m

51 - 100m

+ 100m

Other Elements of the Study

ADDITIONAL KEY ELEMENTS

The Study considers a number of additional matters relating to land use and built form within the North Sydney Centre, including:

• The value of maintaining a commercial core

• Serviced apartments

• Opportunities for future lateral expansion

• Incentivising specific land uses

SPECIAL AREAS REVIEW

Special areas are places of important public domain within the North Sydney Centre, protected under controls within LEP 2013. The Review includes the assessment of the value of existing special areas and the identification of potential changes or additions.

The Review recommends the removal of two special areas (Elizabeth Plaza and Blue Street) and the addition of a new one (rear 100 Pacific Highway).

Recommendations

1STRATEGY 1

Apply new height controls to the North Sydney Centre based on the following:• A 10 am to 2 pm restriction on additional overshadowing to residential land

outside of the North Sydney Centre; and

• The continued prohibition of additional overshadowing to land identified as special areas under NSLEP 2013.

• Any other measure identified as a result of further detailed consideration

2STRATEGY 2

Apply new height controls via the following mechanisms:

B3 Commercial ZoneNew heights controls will be applied via a Council-initiated planning proposal.

B4 Mixed UseThe achievement of potential additional height identified by the Study will be subject to the consideration of a proponent-initiated planning proposal, where appropriate land uses and development mix can be assessed and assured.

4 STRATEGY 4

Prohibit the development of serviced apartments within the B3 Commercial Core zone.

5STRATEGY 5

Undertake a review of North Sydney DCP 2013 Part B Section 2 Commercial Development and Part 3 Section 2 North Sydney Planning Area Character Statement, to further consider built form issues within the Centre.

3STRATEGY 3

• Amend the Special Areas Map of NSLEP 2013 to remove Blue Street and Elizabeth Plaza special areas and add the green space at the rear of 100 Pacific Highway.

• Revisit Miller Street Central and Tower Square special areas to align with the public domain outcomes of the Victoria Cross Metro station.

• Review Berry Square as part of the Ward Street Masterplan

Further Information

PUBLIC EXHIBITION AND SUBMISSIONS

Council adopted the Study for the purposes of public exhibition at its meeting on 24 October 2016. The Study and its recommendations are being publicly exhibited to allow all interested stakeholders to consider any potential impact of those recommendations. The Study will be publicly exhibited from Thursday 3 November 2016 to Thursday 15 December 2016.

Submissions, addressed to the General Manager, will be accepted up until 5:00 pm Thursday 15 December. Submissions can be posted, or emailed to council@northsydney.nsw.gov.au .

FULL VERSION OF STUDY

The Study in full is available for viewing on-line, at Council chambers or at Stanton Library.

ENQUIRIES

Enquiries regarding the Capacity and Land Use Study can be directed to Brad Stafford of Council’s Strategic Planning department, council@northsydney.nsw.gov.au or telephone 9936 8100.