Pyrmont Metro OSD - Residential Tower

This submission is on behalf of Tom Forrest, CEO of Urban Taskforce Australia.

can you make it even bigger? more homes, more offices. metro is a great opportunity to densify

Looks great.

I know the renders so far are only a concept/ idea but can it be a condition that the podium levels include brickwork (Like the renders) which pays homage to Pyrmont's warehousing/ storehousing past.

Please see formal response attached.

Please refer to the attached letter.

Please see attached PDF submission for our concerns related to the project.

Whilst the location is well-placed for the station, and a well-thought-out commercial/retail development may complement that station, I can see no requirement for a 31-storey tower to be part of the over-station development. The excessive height of the proposed tower is entirely out of keeping with the built environment in Pyrmont, especially given its proximity to the delightful sandstone square at Union Square, which provides much of Pyrmont's charm and attraction as a pleasant place to live and work, and travel around as a pedestrian. The excessive height of the proposed tower will be an eyesore in such an attractive place and will dominate the skyline from all angles and directions in an entirely unnecessary and unpleasant way. In addition to the ruined aesthetic it will create, I do not believe we need a 31-storey residential tower in this location. The building of a new metro line and associated stations should not be an excuse to overwhelm such a beautiful location as Pyrmont with an unnecessary residential tower, which will no doubt be dominated by so-called “luxury” apartments, which will not address the current housing crisis in any way. We do not need more “luxury” apartments anywhere in Sydney. What is required, is affordable housing for the teachers, nurses, cleaners, childcare workers, emergency service workers, etc. who should be able to live in close proximity to their places of work in homes where they can afford to live, without compromising their quality of life to provide us with the services we rely on.
Pyrmont’s charm is in its relatively low-rise buildings. Any over-station development in Pyrmont should complement the suburb, not dominate it with such an overbearing structure that provides neither aesthetic quality, nor practical facility. Having an oversized tower in such a prominent location will ruin the character of Pyrmont and it should not be allowed to proceed.

Please explore the possibility to have access to the Pyrmont Station from the new Blackwattle Bay Precinct also, where the new Sydney Fish Market and a Mixed Use development is located.

attached

The height of the proposed tower is completely out of keeping with the surrounding buildings. While it is acknowledged that there are many commercial premises in Pyrmont, it is primarily a residential area. The volume of traffic in and around this area is already considerable and residential parking is limited. The introduction of so many more people in an already densely populated area will increase traffic and overall noise.
Residential buildings to the south of the proposed tower will also lose light and privacy.
While increasing housing stock is important, the tower should be no more than 10 storeys which is comparable to surrounding buildings.
The tower will exceed the height of the casino and over-shadow historic Union square and the few remaining terraces and warehouses.

I object to the proposed 31 storey development. It is not necessary and is an overdevelopment which will shadow the surrounding areas. Pyrmont already has approved high rise towers on the new harbourside development and will have them on the Star casino and fish market sites. Another tower is not needed given these and together with all the current existing residential towers in Pyrmont.
Any development should be no more than 10 storeys high, if even that.

Better to include end-trip facilities for customer and sheltered bike parking spaces.
Include a kiss-and -ride area and a bus parking space for accomodating one bus route

Dear DPHI Representatives,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the development proposal of the residential tower overlook the new Pyrmont station. The proposed building's height is significantly out of character with the existing neighbourhood and would have several detrimental impacts on the surrounding area. My specific concerns are outlined below:

Overshadowing and Loss of Sunlight: A building of this height would cast significant shadows over neighbouring properties, reducing sunlight and negatively impacting the quality of life for residents. This is of particular concern during the cooler months when access to natural light is especially important.
Visual Impact and Loss of Neighbourhood Character: The proposed building would dominate the skyline and disrupt the visual harmony of Pyrmont. Our community values its current scale and feel; a structure of this magnitude would be an unwelcome intrusion.
Traffic and Parking Strain: The increased density from this development would put a significant strain on existing road infrastructure and parking availability. This will lead to worsening traffic congestion, impacting the daily lives of residents and potentially reducing the accessibility of the area.
Privacy Concerns: The height of the development would allow overlooking into neighbouring properties, creating a significant loss of privacy for residents in the area.
Inadequate Community Consultation: I believe there has been insufficient community engagement in the planning of this development. Residents should have a greater say in decisions that fundamentally alter the character of their neighbourhoods.
In addition to the points above, I also have concerns regarding:

- Potential impact on property values
- Noise and disruption during construction

I urge you to carefully consider the negative implications of this proposal and to prioritise the well-being of existing Pyrmont residents. I respectfully request that the development proposal be modified to better align with the existing neighbourhood scale (specifically to reduce the tower's height), or rejected outright.

Sincerely,
[Name Redacted]

The height of the western tower is too high considering the surrounding buildings. The building that it replaces was two stories as are the terraces and other industrial buildings on the surrounding blocks.
The OSD Residential tower is also too tall and will result in visual congestion being continued from the city.

I think this is a fantastic proposal. I have commuted to work via Union Street for in excess of 10 years and think this development would substantially revitalise this portion of Pyrmont and improve the precincts liveability and activate the ground plane which has been uninspiring for some time.

I currently own an apartment at 50 Murray Street and have received notification of this project. Based on the design and specification of the project above the metro station, this development will significantly impact our views of the ANZAC bridge and also overshow and block sunlight into our apartments. This will cause a significant impediment to all the apartments facing the ANZAC bridge in our building. The value of our apartment will be impacted severely and will no longer enjoy direct sunlight, or views facing outward. I have invested alot of money and my life's savings into the apartment and it will get severely impacted from a financial and also from quiet enjoyment of my apartment. Having a tower right infront of us will also impact our privacy with direct view into all our apartments facing the new tower. Hoping if the height can be reconsidered to the building height that was there pre-development.

I am strongly object the proposed Pyrmont Metro OSD - Residential Tower, particularly the height of the tower. The thin and tall tower will be very odd with Pyrmont peninsula's building profiles and characters and with its immediate Pyrmont village surroundings. It can be an eyesore for years to come. I also don't agree that this tower will be blend well (or not so odd) with those high rise buildings beyond Pyrmont such as Crown tower, Sofitel Darling Harbour and Sydney Tower etc. It's simply an over reach to compare one building in an island to buildings that far.
I support the height of the new development to be similar to the immediate surround buildings' heights.

The proposed height (31 Storeys not including the station complex) is too tall in contrast to the nearby residential buildings.

1. It should maintain uniform height with the surrounding buildings. It should consider building another residential above the Western Site (Lot 10).
2. This will create a severe traffic congestion with adding 160 residential units in such a tight traffic junctions. The proposed carparks (55 total) is in adequate. This will add more pressure to the already inadequate roadside parking around the Pyrmont area and also congest the existing residential car park access. Safety is also a vast concern where vehicles are driving round and round looking for parking spaces (It is already happening, now).
3. Passengers and additional residents will need more pedestrian spaces for safety reasons.
4. Any collapse/fire of the building will increase the risk of harming the surrounding buildings and residents (with such a small side with very tall buildings). If this is allowed under the existing Law, a Judiciary Review should be considered.
5. Please see the photo taken (28 March 2024) from my apartment’s living room window. The proposed building is about 25m away and will be much taller than the crane at the site. This will create a very big Visual Impact.