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The battle over this building, with dual frontages to 10 Onslow Avenue and 21C Billyard Avenue, is seen as a landmark in the struggle between residents and developers over the future of Kings Cross, Elizabeth Bay and Potts Point and its continued gentrification.
There are five other buildings of studios and one-bedrooms in the area which are also proposed to be knocked down and replaced by luxury apartments for cashed-up downsizers, potentially reducing the number of homes on those six sites from a total of 209 to 85, a net loss of 124.
Artist’s render of the proposed Fortis development at 21C Billyard Avenue in Elizabeth Bay. Credit: Nine
The hearing was told of one man who last month jumped from the top floor of his building after hearing his rental home of the past 23 years was to be redeveloped.
Outside the case, chair of the Potts Point Preservation Group, Dr Peter Sheridan, said this was the thin edge of the wedge.
“The developers are proposing demolishing quite functional buildings and replacing the affordable accommodation they offer to the hospitality workers, nurses and firefighters of the area with luxury apartments for wealthy people,” he said.
“This area has always been a mixed, diverse neighbourhood for everyone, from the rich to the workers to artists and all sorts of people from every level. These people and their homes are the soul of the community and if they are turfed out of their homes, we will all be the poorer for it.”
The 10 Onslow Avenue building in Elizabeth Bay (on left), which developer Fortis wants to knock down and rebuild.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
The City of Sydney has proposed a plan to stop developers reducing the existing number of apartments by more than one dwelling or 15 per cent of dwellings, whichever is the greater, but that will take a while to come into effect as the plan is still on exhibition for community feedback.
Town planner Tony Moody told the meeting that he disagreed with the developer’s contention that the Onslow Avenue block had structural issues, saying three years ago, it was approved to have an extra level built on top, so should be retained.
“The new development will restrict the ‘corridor’ view from the public domain to Shark Island and the harbour which has always been an important part of view-sharing,” Moody added.
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Other representatives from neighbouring buildings said the larger development would rob their own homes of sunshine, light and views, and could overshadow them, while it would be too big for its site to allow adequate curtilage and plantings.
More than 130 submissions against the development, or a total of 871 pages, had been received by the City of Sydney from 22 nearby buildings.
Next-door neighbour Rosie Fairburn told the hearing that only 15 submissions had been made in favour. “And of those, 14 were made by Fortis employees, and not one of those could remember where he or she lived,” she claimed.
The commissioner broke off the hearing to visit a number of apartment buildings that have lodged objections and will then hold a meeting between the developer and the City of Sydney to see if they can agree on the project. If not, a contested hearing at the court will be held at a later date.
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