BY LOUISE LIMBERS
Newcastle councillor Declan Clausen has voiced his strong disapproval of high-rise apartment blocks proposed for Cooks Hill.
He, alongside many residents, have sent in submissions slamming the proposal, claiming they will cause parking issues, as well as overshadow the surrounding heritage infrastructure.
Sydney company Vivacity applied to the NSW Housing Delivery Authority for development approval to build two apartment blocks, one 13 storeys and the other eight, creating 113 dwellings.
Located in between Civic Park and the Newcastle Art Gallery, the proposed 45-metre tall build is more than triple the current permitted height limit of 14 metres.
Cr Declan Clausen said he believes the build will significantly impact the area.
"Putting a 45 metre residential tower in the middle of a residential conservation area where there are clear zoning rules," he said.
"I think would be an enormous mistake."
Set to cost more than $133 million dollars, the development will exceed the threshold of state significant development of $30 million and 40 dwellings for a proposal in regional NSW.
"We are a council that absolutely welcomes additional growth and new housing but it's got to be in the right locations," said Cr Clausen.
He lodged a formal objection to the project on Tuesday.
"I hope that they take seriously, the submissions that I've made, and the submissions that have been made by hundreds of Novocastrians, who just expect a fair outcome where the planning rules are respected for our city," he added.
