315-317 Illawarra Road Marrickville NSW 2204

To demolish existing improvements and construct a 5 storey mixed use building comprising retail and commercial tenancies with serviced apartments above and basement parking

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We found this application for you on the planning authority's website ago. It was received by them earlier.

(Source: Inner West Council (Marrickville), reference DA201900421)

37 Comments

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  1. Scott MacArthur commented

    The Marrickville Heritage Society does not support this application.
    315-321 Illawarra Road comprises two pairs of Federation era single storey semi-deatched houses that are currently used as a small shop, a residence and a doctor's surgery. They retain many of their original character features, with decorative terracotta ridge tiles, slate roofs and gable barge boards intact, but sadly the tuck-pointed brickwork has been painted and rendered over. The doctor's surgery has been used as medical rooms continuously from 1917, initially as Dr Francis Murphy's dental surgery, then as a doctor's surgeries, right up to the present day.
    It is proposed to demolish the existing houses and replace them with a five storey mixed use building, with a medical centre and shops under 38 serviced apartments, and underground carparking. The Society is concerned that the proposal is over-scaled and out of character for this narrow section of Illawarra Road, where the existing building stock is simple late Victorian and Edwardian retail shopfronts, no more than three-storeys tall. The new building will also loom over the single storey Federation and Inter-war era dwellings in Central Avenue. The Society also notes that the cladding of the highly prominant facade and end walls of the taller residential tower is monolithic dark grey metal sheeting. This is the same colour cladding that has been used in other new developments along Illawarra and Marrickville Roads, to the great detriment of the varied and eclectic streetscape character of the precinct. The Society notes that there are many vacant retail tenancies in new 'shop top' developments in Marrickville, and is concerned that heritage and character buildings in our commercial precints are being sacrificed on the basis of a flawed business model.
    Scott MacArthur,
    President, Marrickville Heritage Society

  2. George P commented

    I will agree with Mr Scott MacArthur below. While not opposing at all the development of more units in central Marrickville, we need to be careful with our choices. The particular lot of old houses are best to be restored and used as food and coffee places (as some are already) that enhance and add to the character of Marrickville. Too many grey, generic buildings are already built with no reference or respect to Marrickville’s unique individual character of its people and surroundings. Instead of taking down unattractive, run down buildings and replacing them with unique, colourful and friendly designed units, we opt to create more generic boxes of grey and demolish charming, historical dwellings. This makes very little sense for Illawarra Road and will end up looking like Canterbury road instead

  3. Suzanne E commented

    I also agree with the Marrickville Heritage Society that a 5 storey building will be out of place in that section. It will cause further over crowding of an already crowded area. There are also quite a number of retail vacancies already in the area and the new ones are always vastly overpriced and so not really providing small business owners a chance to succeed. Ultimately the developer would rather leave them empty and cause a blight on the street (as what has happened only a little way up the street on the corner of Byrnes street where most of the badly thought out retail space has remained empty for over 3 years.)

    The Heritage of the area is slowly being eaten away and Marrickville will become bland and awful.

  4. Kelsie D commented

    Save Marrickville supports the retention of our historic buildings and the unique character of Marrickville. Help us fight overdevelopment in the local area. Email us at hello@savemarrickville.org.au or visit us on FB.

  5. Mark Matheson commented

    What a pity this once-desirable house will be obliterated!

    Its projecting verandah reminds us of when families liked to sit and enjoy their gardens and talk to passers-by, when this part of Marrickville was considered desirable and the Prime Minister lived two streets away.

    It will be obliterated for an ominous, money-grubbing concrete block looming over the poor backyards in Central Avenue.

    And why is this block named “The Kimberley”?

  6. Isobel Deane commented

    I am opposed to this DA.
    A 5 storey development is completely out of character with such a narrow street as the part of illawarra rd. It will crowd and overshadow all existing residences and businesses.

  7. Ben commented

    Hi

    I might be too late in opposing this DA, it think it is such a horrible development and agree with all the above comments that will negatively impact this area of Marrickville.

    However, I mainly want to highlight how bad it is for the residents in the street behind which will completely block out their sunlight and now they will have a 5 story building overlooking their backyards instead. Also, I think the plan for stormwater from this 5 story building is to run through the residents living in the street behind in Central Ave which being old houses would have poor drainage and rotting floors already! I really hope the inner west council and developers show some empathy for the residents impacted by this DA even though I assume it will just go ahead and be approved anyway.

  8. Sam Roberts commented

    This applications breaches the council's own principles around retaining heritage buildings.
    It breaches the councils own principles by completely blocking 100% of winter sun to surrounding residences on Central Avenue as well as to Illawarra road.
    The location of this site makes no sense, with an already overcrowded and narrow Illawarra road and rampant examples of illegal parking due to poor parking facilities on Illawarra Rd, Calvert and Central Avenues.
    Most concerning, the flooding plan submitted along with the DA blatantly admits that it expects flood water to run through existing freestanding houses with no assessment of the impact of whether water can actually drain effectively through these houses. Given these are all historical houses it is unlikely that they could cope with the flooding. The council would be negligent if approving this DA and subsequently caused flooding damage to houses.

  9. Angela Padovan commented

    I am opposed to this DA.
    A 5 storey development is completely out of character for this part of Marrickville. Being such a narrow part of illawarra rd concerns around traffic management and it’s increase should be addressed in parallel to transport services which should be reviewed to cater for the future.

  10. Devleena Ghosh commented

    This is a bad idea. I agree with all of the comments above and would like to raise the fact that traffic is already unmanageable on Illawarra Road and this would make the whole road into a parking station in the mornings and evenings. Does no one think of these things? It is also the route for the 423 one of the few buses that go to south Marrickville. Please stop this overdevelopment. I've lived in Marrickville for forty years and am happy with greater density but not these types of plans that ignore the amenities for the people who already live here.

  11. Amanda Starr-Crawford commented

    I strongly oppose this development. It is over the height limit for that zone and will overshadow all the properties to the rear. It’s also extremely ugly. Too big, too high, not in keeping with the area. This would pave the way for gross overdevelopment in this zone (and neighbouring areas).

  12. Lisa Lee commented

    I oppose this development. Council must be either wilfully blind or hopelessly optimistic trying to build high rises on both sides of an already narrow main road with constant traffic congestion.

    CHOOSE ANOTHER ROAD. Just because there’s a train line there does not mean even half your new residents are going to be car-free. Just look at the increase in congestion over the past few years on this street. There are many other streets in Marrickville where multi-storey apartments work fine.

    6 storeys in this location is ridiculous, but obviously Council hasn’t cottoned on to developers’ tactics: they want 4 stories but will ask for something outrageous so that in the end they get 4 storeys.

  13. Peter Roberts commented

    I strongly oppose this development. As a former resident and continuing community member , I believe there are insufficient provisions for parking in an already far overcrowded stretch of road. We should not allow buildings over the council’s current height limit in any circumstances. But this development offers no tangible community benefit. And being to the north of lower density houses completely blocking all light for them is even more reason not to allow buildings of this height. These serviced apartments won’t create affordable housing and will take away from existing small business and shops and cafes. It adds up to harm and no benefit to the community.

  14. Karen Soo commented

    I also strongly oppose this development as a resident that careful consideration and regard for the streetscape, character and accessibility for the area needs to planned and respected.

    Illawarra Road is one of the busiest foot and car traffic roads and arteries in Marrickville. There has already been more than 8 multi storey developments in the last 36 months we do not want a corridor of high rise apartments that will not support the already fragile infrastructure of the suburb nor support the character of the area.

    This again is not purpose built but profit focusses.

  15. Claire Croumbie-Brown commented

    The Inner West Council must stop the demolition of the beautiful old properties in Marrickville. Marrickville is a suburb with great character and proposals to replace our old properties with modern developments is truly a crime. We saw it done in the 1960s and the 1980s and it’s happening again now.

    Traffic in the area is such that it can not accommodate more cars. So a four or five storey building would add to the traffic chaos we already experience.

  16. Kristina commented

    This section of Illawarra Road has heavy pedestrian & vehicle traffic and the proposal of a car park entry on Illawarra Rd introduces another point of congestion & a new pedestrian hazard. Additionally, increased congestion is confirmed in the Traffic & Parking Impact Assessment: a substantial traffic increase of 79% from 14 to 25 peak hour movements. The proposal should only be considered when the laneway is available and redesigned with no Illawarra Rd vehicle entry.

    Will also express concern re the proposed overshadowing of the private open spaces of Central Ave residents at the rear of the development- appears excessive. At June 21, No's. 11,13, 15 & 17 have only 1 hour of reasonable solar access to private open space between 10 & 11am with substantial overshadowing commencing from 11.30am. The submission also does not clearly address the direct solar access to rear elevation windows (confirmed as principal living areas in the SEE) at June 21 . Are these properties compliant at present /do they receive the 2 hour required minimum on June 21?

  17. J. Ocallaghan commented

    I object to this DA. It is too high and over-scale for this narrow stretch of Illawarra Rd, which is already a bottleneck in terms of traffic and activity. It is out of scale with the adjoining buildings, and will increase congestion, traffic and shadowing.
    I also object to the demolition of the historic buildings, as the Marrickville Heritage Society has outlined.

  18. Phillipa Beltran commented

    I would like to lodge my objection to this development. My key concerns are:

    - This is an already very congested and narrow part of Illawarra Rd that would be unable to cope with the additional pressure from such a increase in cars and residents to the area.
    - There is an inadequate amount of parking facilities proposed based on the number of apartments & residents
    - To date, there has been a very poor history of multi story apartment residences with commercial spaces succeeding in Marrickville (you need only look a block up the road to see this in action at the Revolution apartments, with their un-rentable commercial spaces, they have become a depressing facade, exuding loneliness and soulessness anytime you need to walk or drive past them)
    - The height of this proposed building is much higher than everything else in the area and out of place. It also seems it would also have a significantly negative impact on the surrounding neighbours access to light and privacy.

    Ultimately I believe it would be a detriment to the community to lose more examples of our history and diversity, just for the sake of further development (that often over promises and under-delivers).

    It seems that if applications like this continue to be granted we will end up with a blob of a town with no soul, no uniqueness and no reason to stick around.

  19. Daniel Cheers commented

    Opposed. 5 stories unnecessary on main Street in Marrickville.

  20. Matt O commented

    THIS IS AN EYESORE AND DOES NOT ALIGN TO MARRICKVILLE'S LOCAL CHARM AS BEING A CULTURAL HUB OF MUSIC, FOOD AND PEOPLE.

    AS A RESIDENT I 100% OPPOSE THIS DEVELOPMENT AND WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO STOP IT FOR THE FUTURE OF MY CHILDREN WHO ARE GROWING UP IN THE AREA

  21. Luke Adams commented

    Too big, too ugly, would not fit with the current culture and would ruin the current vibe and flow of this eclectic hub.
    Strongly oppose.

  22. AL commented

    This is a dreadful proposal. Will add nothing to the area and will have a significant negative impact on surrounding private properties. It is totally inaporopriate for this site. And it's UGLY!!!! Strongly opposed.

  23. Adrian commented

    This development is too big for that location. Strongly oppose.

  24. Ann Fenton commented

    This development adds to the deterioration of Marrickville as an interesting, funky place to visit or live in. The more featureless, characterless concrete block buildings in the area, the more bleak and boring the streetscape. The cultural charm of Illawarra Rd's small restaurants and food markets will be destroyed by these poorly designed, shoddily built modern monstrosities that will look extremely shabby in 10 years time. I object strongly to this ugly development.

  25. Maria Stefanopoulos commented

    Opposed. Marrickville is starting to have too many high rises. This development ,in particular, is way too big for that area of Illawarra road and doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the character of the area. It will look out of place and ugly

  26. Gavin commented

    Downtown Marrickville is an intriguing mix of detached houses, decaying 3-4 story shops with tenancies above from the last century and late century disasters. The recent advent of low rise apartment blocks like this one, sympathetically set back from the roads brings a welcome mix of improved quality construction and more and better housing. Council should be careful to try and retain this mix while accepting that increased housing requirements mean that detached, single story housing will need to be lost to support them. The council should use these developments to seek more footpath space to allow for road users to safely traverse the Increased on pavement outdoor dining. Consideration should also be given to making this section of Illawarra road a shared zone, especially as foot traffic increases with the numbers of new residents, and attraction to amenity. In short, developments like this, while not ideal are a requirement, but the planners should ensure they use developments to improve amenity of the area as part of that approval.

  27. Petra Jones commented

    Marrickville Council needs to take stock of all high developments approved (commenced and not commenced) including locations to consider the impact holistically and not one by one bu one. Can Council advise if the traffic impact studies include the traffic impact of already approved developments. In relation to traffic,the Census Reports (for Marrickville State Suburb) for 2006, 2011 and 2016 state there are an average of 2.5 people per household with an average of 1.2 cars per dwelling. There is no reason to see this statistic altering in future Census reports.
    Marrickville simply cannot sustain the level of high rise development that continues unabated. The architectural merit of a number of approved developments adds nothing to the beautification of the suburb. Are the developers adding to a fund to create much needed green space? In short, stop and look at how you want Marrickville to continue. I do not support this application.

  28. Liz Watts commented

    I strongly oppose this proposed development- its over scale and totally unsympathetic with other federation/ Edwardian buildings and shopfronts on this section of Illawarra Road, and the adjacent heritage buildings. The build is not in keeping with Marrickville’s distinct character and its height and scale overbearing for in particular this part of Illawarra Rd and even Marrickville Rd.

  29. Susan Griffiths commented

    I oppose this proposed development. It clearly does not suit the location. Not only that glaringly obvious fact, but it is too high and will block light for all surrounding it. The road is too narrow besides.

  30. Scott MacArthur commented

    The Marrickville Heritage Society does not support this revised proposal for this important site. It seems that none of the issues raised in our previous submission have been acknowledged or addressed, particularly in relation to the loss of two pairs of Federation era single storey semi-deatched houses that are currently used as a small shop, a residence and a doctor's surgery. The revised development is still over-scaled for this very narrow part of Illawarra Road, where the existing building stock is simple late Victorian and Edwardian retail shopfronts, no more than three-storeys tall. The Society also noted that the cladding of the highly prominant facade and end walls of the taller residential tower were monolithic dark grey metal sheeting. It appears that Council's Architectural Excellence panel has requested more, rather than less, dark grey brick and cladding, which is an aesthetic afront to the varied and eclectic streetscape character of the precinct. The Society calls on the Inner West Local Planning Panel to reject this intrusive and disruptive development.
    Scott MacArthur,
    President, Marrickville Heritage Society

  31. Heather Davie commented

    This development does not comply with height controls or parking provision for current LEP, Planning circular PS18/002 states that “character is a critical element of local areas and neighborhoods and needs to be carefully considered for future planning” Inner West policy is to preserve and enhance the existing character of the Marrickville town Centre including the historical shopfronts along Illawarra Road. This proposal is unsympathetic with the character with Federation and Edwardian buildings and the street ape and needs to be redesigned The height and dark appearance is not suitable for this narrow busy part of Illawarra Road The proposal overshadows the single storey dwellings in Central Avenue and they will suffer great loss of amenity with overshadowing loss of privacy and increase parking problems entry and exit on Illawarra Roaf would be extremely dangerous as this is has high pedestrian and car traffic The proposed back lane entry is not realistic as it would involve development of 9 other privately owned blocks The DA should not be approved in its current form It is unfortunate that previous objections were not listened to and the revised plan appears to be even worse and does not meet community expectations for the site It will kill the character and vibe of Illawarra Road which local residents and thousand of visitors come to Marrickville to enjoy

  32. Kelly Tall commented

    This part of Illawarra Road is already heavily congested by vehicles. It is also a bustling local shopping area with heavy pedestrian traffic. The architectural drawings show the building coming right up to the property boundary, with a driveway from Illawarra Rd. It is a really busy pedestrian area so the entry to the serviced apartments is bad (and potentially dangerous) design. The building is very bulky and tall, and and does not fit in with the surrounding environment. I am opposed to this development.

  33. David Jones commented

    The driveway onto Illawarra Rd is of great concern. Foot traffic to the station must navigate this in a manner unsafe for young and old. I'm not so much against some form of higher moderate density near stations, but that doesn't mean anything goes.

  34. Robynne Hayward commented

    I strongly oppose this application. It is totally unsympathetic to the area in every way - aesthetically, its impact on the surrounds and local traffic congestion etcetc. Also, there are already too many empty retail spaces under shoddy looking apartment blocks which are making Marrickville look like a decaying suburb. Please do not allow this proposal to go ahead.

  35. Andrew Bassett commented

    Another light and space blocking box that will add nothing to Marrickvilles street atmosphere. Is it too much to ask that developers and the council are obliged to have some sort of notion of town and social planning and act accordingly? Apparently it is.
    More developments like this will kill the Marrickville street ambience and then the retail life of the area.

  36. Daria O'Neill commented

    I am very concerned that the proposed 6 storey building would seriously damage the character of this heritage precinct in Marrickville Town Centre. It is not at all sympathetic to Illawarra Road's iconic Edwardian/Federation streetscape, and in face removes several buildings that make up the streetscape, effectively 'stranding' one small semi-detached shopfront nextdoor.

    I am also concerned about the height of the building, which will overshadow local residences, increased traffic to this very busy part of Illawarra Rd and the threat the proposed driveway poses to pedestrian safety on what is an extremely busy footpath.

    It seems that is yet another 'shop top' development of the kind popping up all over the Inner West. Given that many of these (and other shopfronts) in Marrickville are empty - in the case of some, since opening - it is hard to understand the rationale for destroying existing businesses to build more unaffordable, sterile shopfronts that may lie empty for years, especially during a recession.

    I believe the proposed development will establish important precedent for future developments and the unique character and heritage value of the Marrickville Town Centre. Marrickville Town Centre should be treated with the same importance as Newtown Town Centre along King Street, and Leichhardt Town Centre along Norton Street, in the preservation of character and heritage buildings.

    Marrickville's recent inclusion in TimeOut magazine's top 10 coolest neighbourhoods in the world notes: "Streets lined with Federation-era houses and leafy enclaves protect the suburb’s all-are-welcome essence" and concludes: "Despite its proximity to the eye-wateringly pricy inner city, Marrickville has managed to remain affordable and inclusive, largely thanks to the continuing absence of soulless high-rise developments and juggernaut hospitality franchises. Long may it last."

    If approved, this DA would greatly undermine the Council’s Local Strategic Planning Statement objective to plan for “high quality housing growth . . . with respect for place, character and heritage significance.” It is clear that this development is not what is needed - or wanted - in Marrickville Town Centre.

  37. Richard McRae commented

    Marrickville should be saved for only single storey residence. The proposal will increase Marrickville's population, giving successful middle-class residents more traffic problems, restricted parking, longer lines in retail shopping and a break down of the established hierarchy.

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