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The battle over the building, which fronts 10 Onslow Avenue and 21C Billiard Avenue, is seen as a milestone in the struggle between residents and developers over the future of Kings Cross, Elizabeth Bay and Potts Point and their ongoing gentrification.
Five other studios and one-bedroom apartments in the area are also slated to be demolished and replaced with luxury condos for wealthy downsizers, which could reduce the number of homes at those six sites from a total of 209 to 85, a net loss of 124 homes.
An artist’s rendering of the proposed Fortis development at 21C Billiard Avenue, Elizabeth Bay. Credit: Nine
The hearing was told that last month a man After hearing that the rental house he had lived in for 23 years was going to be rebuilt, he jumped from the top floor of the building.
Commenting on the case, Dr Peter Sheridan, chairman of the Potts Point Conservation Group, said this was just the weakest part of the matter.
“The developers are proposing to demolish some of the functional buildings and replace them with luxury apartments for the wealthy to provide affordable accommodation for the area’s hotel workers, nurses and firefighters,” he said.
“This area has always been a diverse community, home to everyone from the wealthy to the working class to the artists, and all kinds of people from all walks of life. These people and their homes are the soul of the community, and if they are kicked out, we will all be the poorer for it.”
The building at 10 Onslow Avenue, Elizabeth Bay (left), which developer Fortis wants to demolish and rebuild.Credit: Dominic Lorimer
The City of Sydney has proposed a plan to ban developers from reducing the number of existing apartments by more than one or 15 per cent, whichever is greater, but it will take some time before the plan comes into effect as it is still seeking community feedback.
Town planner Tony Moody told the meeting he disagreed with the developer’s contention that the Onslow Avenue block had structural issues, saying an additional floor on top was approved three years ago and should remain.
“The new development will restrict the ‘corridor’ views from the public realm to Shark Island and the harbour, which have always been an important part of the shared landscape,” Moody added.
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Other representatives from neighboring buildings said the larger development would deprive their own properties of sunlight, light and views and could overshadow their homes, while also being too large to allow for adequate yards and plantings.
The City of Sydney has received more than 130 submissions totalling 871 pages from 22 nearby buildings objecting to the development.
Next-door neighbour Rosie Fairburne told the hearing that only 15 people were in favour. “Fourteen of them were Fortis employees and none of them could remember where they lived,” she claimed.
The commissioner adjourned the hearing to visit several apartment buildings that had raised objections, and will then call a meeting between the developer and the City of Sydney to see if they can agree on the project. If not, a contested hearing will be held in court at a later date.
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