Maroubra apartment plan refused over 1.2m side setbacks and six-storey street wall

A seven-apartment proposal at 62 Mons Avenue, Maroubra, has been refused unanimously after the Randwick Local Planning Panel found its 1.2 to 1.4-metre side setbacks, bulk and six-storey street presentation were incompatible with the area’s low-density character.

The application proposed demolishing the existing building and structures, removing trees and constructing a five-storey residential flat building with seven three-bedroom dwellings. It also included a single basement level with 10 car spaces and two motorcycle spaces, plus renovation and refurbishment of the existing swimming pool and pool cabana.

The panel said the proposal’s excessive massing and poor transition to adjoining two- and three-storey dwellings failed to protect residential amenity or maintain the intended low-density environment. It said the building’s scale was closer to an R3 or R4 typology than the modest transitional uplift intended for the R2 Low Density Residential zone.

The panel found the side setbacks inadequate and said upper-level balconies would overlook adjoining properties. Excessive height and insufficient separation would compromise solar access for neighbouring properties, while oversized balconies and blade walls added to the building’s bulk.

Other refusal reasons included insufficient landscaping along the side boundaries, non-compliant deep soil, significant excavation close to neighbouring properties and a front setback ahead of neighbouring buildings. The panel said the application did not adequately demonstrate that excavation would avoid detrimental effects on adjoining land, structures or drainage patterns.

The Randwick Design Excellence Advisory Panel did not support the proposal, citing missing contextual documentation, excessive built form and scale, inadequate setbacks, inefficient massing, oversized balconies and insufficient landscaping. Randwick Council officers also recommended refusal, and the planning panel agreed with both the officer recommendation and the DEAP comments and reasons.

Three objectors, Judith Sidley, Lothar Metzner and Borisav Kokanovic, addressed the panel before it deliberated. The panel said the Apartment Design Guide had heightened significance because there were no specific controls for individual low-density residential localities. It also warned that an insufficient side setback on one site could restrict the future desired character of the area and future development on adjoining properties.

The application will not proceed in its current form. No further action or revised application timetable was stated.