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Mr Forrest said increased density boosts the value of surrounding homes and “enhance the atmosphere by breathing new life into Double Bay”.
“Given the rapid increase in prices, particularly in premium suburbs like Double Bay, prices will not be going down any time soon,” he said.
Re-elected Residents First councillor Mark Silcocks said any increase in building heights in Cross Street or elsewhere in Double Bay was “a travesty of justice”.
Cr Silcocks said more walking and fewer cars would do more to improve Double Bay than allowing taller developments.
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“The current building controls which permit four storeys with some five-storey corner gateways have stood the test of time,” he said. “The community clearly wants and enjoys a low-rise village atmosphere.”
Cr Silcocks said an earlier developer-led study had suggested the only way to revitalise Double Bay following the redevelopment of Westfield Bondi Junction was to increase building heights to accommodate more apartments – “as if high-rise apartments elicit the feeling of a village or make it more enticing to tourists and shoppers”.
Cr Silcocks said developers had been repeatedly permitted to breach height limits set for Double Bay: “The danger now is that we have the domino effect of a series of one-off six-storey approvals without any holistic town planning principles or overall vision for the future of Double Bay.”
However, he said: “I want to see Cross Street planned cohesively rather than the eyesore of concrete-panelled high-rise sidewalls towering over two-storey heritage.”
Cr Silcocks said the area’s night-time economy had been overstimulated to the detriment of residents “and therein lies the rub of this ridiculous fallacy that high-rise apartments will invigorate the economy”.
“Most residents want peace and quiet and the more apartments that are built, the more conflict there will be between residential amenity and a thriving commercial centre,” he said.
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‘Travesty of justice’: Eastern suburbs council proposes raising building heights
Source: Philippines Alive
