Who’s standing against Gladesville’s $400m city centre?

A new city centre in Gladesville that could cost more than $400 million has received almost complete support from the area’s councillors; but a few prominent voices within the chambers remain adamant objectors to the development in it’s present state.

Gladesville’s reputation as a suburb many drive through and not to has existed for years, and plans for the new city centre were first introduced in 2013 to offer a solution to an area of Sydney in need of revitalisation. 

After rejections and failed proposals, the project has evolved to its present state, which adds two 19-storey residential complexes to the expanded shopping village — currently on Flagstaff Street — and increasing public space.

But the move to rubber stamp the proposal at a Hunters Hill Council meeting on April 28 was not unanimous. Speaking to some of those against the plan, it’s clear there is more to the proposal than meets the eye.

Councillor Marc Lane, who is strongly against the proposal, told the North Shore Lorikeet the development plans have significantly changed over the years. 

Despite the fact the plan went to public exhibition in 2021, Lane — whose background is in urban design and architecture — said the scale and significance of alterations made to the plan essentially make it a new project entirely.

Lane said when Hunters Hill Council brought the proposal forward to the local planning panel on April 10, the panel could not understand what was being put forward. 

“If no one can understand what Council is proposing, not even the local planning panel, it’s a bit of a red flag, right?”

Emily Lockwood, a member of the Sydney YIMBY general committee, also put forward criticism of the proposal.

“The feasibility modelling attached says that the proposal is not currently feasible, and would only become so if sale prices went up by 5 percent, when we’re already in a housing crisis.

“We can’t get more people into housing and more people into affordable housing if the only way to build is to increase prices.”

Even the project developer, Thirdi, took issue with the proposal in its current state: a representative of the company said that “there are several issues that we’d like to raise concerns, that if left undressed could risk undermining the deliverability of this project.” 

Still, despite notes of concern from local councillors, grassroots community orgs and the potential project developer itself, the Gladesville City Centre project has received majority support from the remaining members of Council. 

Councillor Carol Tannous-Sleiman — a proponent of the project — accused critics as having a “glass half empty attitude to this proposal”. 

“If we wait and get everything 100 percent, nothing will get done,” she said of the 400 million dollar project.

For now, the proposal is waiting on a decision to be made by the NSW Department of Planning. Given the department’s precedented decisions made on similar high density housing developments, it would be unlikely for the proposal to be rejected.

In its penultimate stage, the proposal will be put on public exhibition again. If the previous public exhibition of the project — in which, of 81 submissions, only 1 was in support — is anything to go by, the project may face serious opposition from the Gladesville community.

Image Credit: Unsplash