Randwick panel refuses Coogee five-storey apartment plan

Randwick Local Planning Panel has refused a five-storey apartment proposal at 94 Dolphin Street, Coogee, after finding the project too tall, too bulky and out of step with its surroundings. The panel also refused a separate development application at 74 St Marks Road, Randwick, at its public meeting on 14 May 2026.

The Coogee proposal, DA/65/2026, sought demolition, tree removal and construction of a five-storey residential flat building with seven apartments, a basement level for eight car spaces and strata subdivision. The panel refused consent under section 4.16 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and said the development was inconsistent with the Randwick Local Environmental Plan 2012, the Randwick Development Control Plan 2013 and the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021.

Its reasons were blunt. The panel said the scale, bulk and five-storey built form were not compatible with the desired future character of Dolphin Street, did not comply with the maximum floor space ratio or building height standards, and would not adequately protect neighbouring amenity. It also said the design did not show compatibility with adjoining heritage items at 90 to 100 Brook Street, and that no investigation or management measures had been submitted for potential acid sulfate soils.

The panel went further on design and amenity. It said the application did not comply with deep soil zone requirements because basement coverage left insufficient room for planting, that solar access information did not accurately reflect existing site conditions, and that there was no acoustic assessment or detailed view-sharing analysis for western neighbours. The refusal was carried unanimously. Objectors Michael Magney and Shiree Thomas addressed the panel on the Coogee proposal, and the public meeting closed at 1.20pm before members moved to deliberate.

The second refusal was for DA/1456/2025 at 74 St Marks Road, Randwick. That proposal sought demolition, tree removal and a six-storey residential flat building with 11 apartments and two basement levels containing 20 car spaces. The panel said the site did not qualify for the Housing SEPP low and mid-rise housing controls because access via a rear pedestrian pathway did not amount to a safe, direct and publicly accessible route under CPTED principles.

For the Randwick site, the panel said the scheme failed on design quality, apartment design, heritage and earthworks tests, and that it was not satisfied the land was suitable for the proposed residential redevelopment because of unresolved contamination risks. It also found the bulk, scale and intensity were incompatible with the R3 Medium Density Residential zone and with the established and emerging built form along St Marks Road. The proposal was also said to fall short of setback, roof design, articulation, wall height and solar access controls in the development control plan.

The panel said the site’s proximity to the heritage item Farnham House, Item I366, was another problem. Both refusals were carried unanimously. The meeting closed at 1.34pm, with the panel’s chair Julie Walsh joined by Paul Vergotis, Sue Weatherley and community representative Kate Kelly.