Waterloo Metro OSD Changes – Exhibition Until 15 January 2026

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As most of the controls have already been
set for this precinct when it was going to be a primarily residential
development, the scale of the development being requested in this change is
likely to be approved. That is not to say REDWatch does not have concerns about
the proposal.

We are especially concerned about the
projects Social Impact Assessment and how the project will mitigate impacts on
the vulnerable community adjoining the development (see REDWatch’s Social
Impact Assessment (SIA) Concerns raised by Metro OSD).

For the Metro OSD there are four separate
exhibitions. This includes a Second Amending Concept DA, which changes the
planning controls, as well as three separate State Significant Development
Applications (SSDAs) for the North and Central precincts of the site and the basement.
There are hence four sets of documents with a lot of common content but each
require their own submission.

REDWatch suggests that you are best way to
get an overview of the changes is from the Amending Concept Plan document and
then look at the SSDAs for the building details.

The links to the Waterloo Metro Quarter
Concept Plan and State Significant Development modification exhibition
documents are below:

 

The amendment makes no change to the
maximum permitted Gross Floor Area, as the floorspace will be redistributed
within the revised envelopes. Further, the amended proposal will not exceed the
permissible building height for the site under the Sydney LEP 2012. The main
changes are:

  • Northern
    Precinct: ­ Change the approved building envelope, building height and
    concept land use for the northern precinct by replacing the 17-storey
    commercial office building envelope with a revised envelope for a retail
    ground floor and three levels of commercial office space within a 4-storey
    podium with two tower forms above, totalling 29-storeys (Building 1A) and
    26-storeys (Building 1B) in height (including plant level). The
    residential towers will include market housing, communal facilities and
    the provision of 5% affordable housing.
  • Central
    Precinct: ­ Change the approved building envelope and conceptual land use
    for the central precinct by replacing the residential apartment tower with
    a co-living housing tower, still above a non-residential podium,
    comprising retail and a community facility including childcare. The
    proposed built form will allow for a 26-storey (including plant level)
    building.
  • Basement: Redistribute basement space between
    Northern and Central precincts pursuant to Section 4.55(2) of the EP&A Act
    to modify the detailed Basement SSDA (SSD 10438) relating to the basement
    levels to buildings within the northern and central precinct.

These changes primarily reflect a
commercial downturn in commercial office space in the area, which was planned
with large floor plates and its replacement with residential buildings, which
require good solar access to meet apartment design requirements, including an
additional co-living tower.

Those with an interest in how shadowing
may impact the new Waterloo Park to be delivered by the Waterloo South
redevelopment will be interested in the Point of Time Shadow Diagrams for the future
Waterloo Estate park p42-46 of the Concept Plan Appendix J – Overshadowing which shows some marginal improvements from
the earlier scheme over the proposed Waterloo Park. The shadowing over the new
park is in excess of what it would have been if the park existed prior to the
original approval, but given the earlier approval, the developer only has to
ensure changes do not make overshadowing worse.

REDWatch is aware of concerns about the proposed
second co-living building potentially becoming a second student housing
building on the site. Currently the developer is saying that it will fill a
different housing need but if this model does not work, the building could
easily be turned over to a student housing provider.