In the final stages of the planning process is a proposal to amend the land use zoning and controls of 45 McLaren Street in North Sydney.

The site is presently zoned R4 High Density Residential with a building height of 12-metres. After extensive dialogue with North Sydney Council, the proponent has amended its proposal and seeks to redevelop the site from a 4-5-storey residential flat building to a mixed-use development, comprising 82 residential units with a building height of RL 115 (10 – 14-storeys) and a FSR of 6.25:1.

Earmarked as an ‘opportunity site’ under the Ward Street Precinct Masterplan, the proponent’s vision for the site is for a sustainable mixed-use building that celebrates the site’s location at the transition between North Sydney’s high-density CBD and North Sydney’s Civic Precinct.

The amended proposal will enable the site to be redeveloped for retail and residential purposes, with a commercial and retail podium, activating Harnett and McLaren streets, and residential land uses fronting Walker Street.

The massing approach proposes a series of stepped and staggering landscaped rooftops and cascading planting, which transition between the heritage terraces located south of the site to the tall residential towers directly north of the site.

The design intends to complement and enhance the Ward Street Precinct by transforming Harnett Street into a shared way, widening Walker and Harnett streets through site link and activating this north-eastern bookend of the Precinct through podium retail uses and public domain improvements. These key urban design moves will mark this corner of Walker Street with a high-end, luxury design and will substantially improve pedestrian permeability around the site.