36 submissions precede refusal of 16-townhouse plan in St Ives

A proposal for 16 townhouses at 14 - 18 Richard Road, St Ives, has been refused after 36 community submissions were considered by the Ku-ring-gai Local Planning Panel.

The application, EDA0218/26, sought consent to demolish the existing structures, build the townhouses and create Torrens and strata title subdivisions. The Panel refused the application unanimously.

Members adopted the reasons in Council’s Development Assessment Report. The determination states that the Panel concurred with the recommendation in the report and its reasons for refusal.

The detailed grounds were not reproduced in the determination. The recorded decision date was 17 August 2026, while the item was included in the Panel’s proceedings on 21 September 2026.

The application was notified under Ku-ring-gai Council’s Community Participation Plan. The 36 submissions were considered as part of the determination.

The refused proposal will not proceed in its submitted form at the Richard Road site. The Panel’s determination covers the demolition, 16-townhouse construction and Torrens and strata title subdivision proposed in EDA0218/26.

The St Ives application was one of three residential development applications determined in the same set of proceedings. The Panel also refused a proposal for demolition of existing structures and construction of a residential flat building, basement car parking, landscaping and associated works at 5 - 7 Duff Street, Turramurra. That application drew 10 submissions and was also refused unanimously.

At 16 Illoura Avenue, Wahroonga, the Panel approved alterations and additions subject to conditions in the Development Assessment Report. The approval included a Clause 4.6 variation to the maximum building-height standard under the Ku-ring-gai Local Environmental Plan 2015. The consent lapses if the approved works do not physically commence within five years of the Notice of Determination.