Residents to battle towers planned for Centennial Park

BY CHRISTOPHER HARRIS

Bondi Junction residents are gearing up for another fight to stop a controversial 38 meter apartment building development in their suburb.

A development application for apartment towers on the corner of Oxford St and James Road in Bondi Junction caused uproar in April last year when it was put before council

The proposed development at 194-214 Oxford Street and 2 Nelson Street, Bondi Junction sparked outcry from residents and was rejected by Waverley Council.

On May 31, a Joint Regional Planning Panel recommended the proposal proceed to the government’s “Gateway” process, meaning that it will be up to the Planning Minister to approve the development.

Save West Bondi Junction spokesperson Howard Parry-Husbands told City Hub that the community was against “huge towers over Centennial Park”.

He said the community was not against development, and was aware that Bondi Junction already had a significant amount of high rises. He said the problem was with the shadow the towers would inevitably throw over Centennial Park.

“This is not in the Bondi Junction precinct, this is overlooking Centennial Park. Everyone know that the Junction is a high rise precinct. But this would be the first tower over the people’s park, Centennial Park.”

Mr Parry-Husbands told City Hub that he thought the “entire process from the beginning has been quite clearly planned.”

In its findings, the planning panel said that 38 metres was appropriate because a building of less height would “reduce the public benefit” that would be possibly be negotiated in respect of the proposal.

Labor Waverley Councillor Paula Masselos told City Hub that it was unclear as to exactly what the public benefit was that the planning panel were referring to.

“I can only see developer benefit not public benefit,” Clr Masselos said.

She said that community was against the project because it would overshadow Centennial Park, increase traffic congestion, and was incongruous with the suburb’s heritage.

She said that the push to increase height restriction contravened a 2012 Local Environment Plan.

“There was this concept that high rise would be around the train station, and then it gradually reduced, so by the time you got to west Oxford they were 9.5 storey building, not huge 20 storey towers,” she said.

“It is taking planning out of the hands of council. We are not getting a local response, and we are dis-empowering the community from making decisions by regional planning panels. Panels are appointed and councillors are elected to represent the views of the community,” she said.