Edgecliff’s commercial core is on the cusp of a generational shift, with a fresh planning proposal lodged for 135 – 155 New South Head Road and 529 – 539 Glenmore Road set to test the boundaries of height and density in the suburb.
Approval is being sought for a mixed-use tower ranging between 12 and 27 storeys. The scheme would deliver about 1,350 sqm of retail and commercial space alongside 109 apartments – 29 of which are earmarked as affordable housing.
If approved, the development would see the Woollahra Local Environmental Plan amended to permit a substantial increase in development standards. The site’s current controls cap floor space ratio at 1.5:1 and 2:1, with maximum heights of 9.5 and 14.5 metres.
The proposal seeks to increase the FSR to 5:1 and building heights to 42 metres (9-storeys) and 74.5 metres (21-storeys). A non-residential FSR of 0.7:1 would also be introduced, ensuring a significant commercial component remains within the project.
The developers argue that the site’s location – immediately adjacent to Edgecliff Station and transport interchange – makes it uniquely positioned to support significant additional density, while limiting adverse impacts on established low-scale residential areas.
The proposal some could say is ambitious and exceeds the vision set out in Woollahra Council’s Edgecliff Commercial Centre Strategy. Council has historically opposed uplift of this scale, with earlier planning proposals in the town centre either refused outright or approved only following determination by Sydney’s regional planning panels.
A previous planning attempt for the Glenmore Road portion of the site was knocked back by the Joint Regional Planning Panel, though the Panel acknowledged that the land was capable of accommodating a 6-storey development at a density of 5:1.
The timing of the proposal coincides with a series of other rezoning bids in the Edgecliff Town Centre, making it clear that change is coming.
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