🔵 A wee problem for a tiny cafe
Plus: The lonesome St Leonards house that would not be sold
Huw Bradshaw
August 07, 2026
⏱️ The 127th edition of our newsletter is a five-minute read.
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Morning all,
First of all, the answers to the previous trivia…
Which train station opened first: Killara or Mount Ku-ring-gai?
Killara (1899)
Quakers Hat Bay is in which North Shore LGA?
Mosman
Which two Liberal NSW Premiers have held the seat of Wahroonga (previously Ku-ring-gai)?
Barry O'Farrell, Nick Greiner
Prior to Pymble Bunnings, what company occupied 950 Pacific Highway?
IKEA
From which North Shore suburb was the ABC’s first television broadcast aired?
Artarmon/Gore Hill
As per usual, no prizes, other than that warm glow of self-satisfaction.
Do you remember last year when a 35-square-metre block of Neutral Bay land sold for $189,000? That small patch of grass is in the news again, this time over a dunny.
To pee or not to pee? That is the question that’s been dumped on North Sydney Council by the new owners, who are keen on establishing the tiniest of tiny coffee kiosks.
The can crisis gets down to whether council’s planning committee will force the owners of the venue to install a toilet before approval is granted.
Read the full story below.
And now, onto the news. 🗞️
HEARD THIS WEEK👂
🏚️ The house St Leonards forgot about
Typically when we talk about development being blocked, it’s at the stages of planning and approval. But of course, for a high rise to go up, a handful of homeowners need to sell.
But what if that never happens?
We head over to Chandos Street and look into the history of this tiny freestanding house. Watch the full video below.
🏢 How did Uniting NSW get to upsize its $445 million senior living towers in Gordon?
The rezoning of a site in Gordon has allowed Uniting NSW ACT — an entity of the Uniting Church — to upsize its planned development from eight storeys to 12.
The land on Carlotta Avenue has had its planning restrictions altered multiple times in recent years.
The first, in 2024, was part of the state government-enforced Transport Oriented Development (TOD) housing plan, which aims to build higher density housing within 800 metres of light rail or train stations.
What is that: Plans from 2025 designed under the state plan proposed a smaller complex at a maximum height of eight storeys.
However, after a legal battle with the state, Ku-ring-gai Council was able to modify its TOD. Its custom-made plan allows higher density development around Gordon and Lindfield train stations, while maintaining low-rise restrictions in its outer suburbs. The 800-metre rule was scrapped.
While this quashed development plans for some, Uniting Church came out on top: the land it owned — near Gordon station — had been bumped up from a maximum of eight stories to 12. Uniting paused its previous plans, went back to the drawing board, and brought back a bigger development.
What happened: Now, the vacant block next to the North Shore train line will be converted into four high-rise residential buildings as part of a village for seniors.
The Uniting Church is preparing to lodge the project as a State Significant Development, which means approvals rest with the state, not council. It is currently preparing an Environmental Impact Statement for the state government to assess. Following this, the project goes out for public consultation.
Project documents propose four buildings — two at twelve storeys and two at nine — at the site sitting between Carlotta Avenue, Ryde Road and the Pacific Highway, adjacent to Pymble Bunnings. If approved, the $445 million development would provide 90 rooms dedicated to aged care and 235 retirement living apartments.
The village area between the four buildings will also host a salon, cafe and chapel.
Read the full story below.
LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀
🟡 This bloke panned $60,000 worth of gold to buy a 4WD. Does he have to pay tax on it?
Rob Parsons has has been documenting his gold prospecting journey online, creek by creek, working to save enough to buy a new 4WD.
He's at over $60,000 of his $80,000 goal.
It got us wondering: what does the ATO make of all this?
A Curtin University taxation law professor said the difference between hobby and business is intention.
So announcing on camera that you're panning for gold to buy something might be giving the taxman all the ammo they need.
The National Account's Archie Milligan has the rundown:
That’ll be all from me today.
As always, if you have a news tip, an idea for a story or think there’s something I should be covering, hit reply to this email or reach out at [email protected].
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Cheers,
Huw