Frequently asked questions
Why does Council want to put so many apartments in the one place?
Good question, and there are a number of cynical ways to answer to that question, but the truth is we don’t really know. Perhaps they see it as a quick and easy way to not only meet, but exceed, their NSW Government housing supply target of 400 new homes completed by 2029? That’s the target for the entire Hunters Hill Municipality – Council wants to put 30% more housing than is required for the whole council area all on the one site.
If that’s the case, it’s not clear how Council sees this approach as meeting Objective 11 of the Greater Sydney Regional Plan – that of making housing more diverse and affordable. There is no provision for affordable housing in their Proposal. It also fails to take into account the NSW Government's 30% bonus FSR and height uplifts if the developer decides to include affordable housing in the development after approval. There are also other new NSW Government housing policies, such as the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy, that will increase the number of new dwellings around the Gladesville and Boronia Park town centres.
Does the Proposal include any affordable housing?
No, the Proposal currently has no provision at all for affordable housing to be included in the development. We have no idea why Council have not considered this. This would be a good question to ask them!
How could the development end up 30% bigger?
The NSW Government’s in-fill affordable housing provisions in the Housing State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) offer developers a bonus of up to 30% in floor space ratio (FSR) and height for residential apartment buildings and shop-top housing. This applies if 15% of the gross floor area is dedicated to affordable housing (managed by a registered community housing provider) for at least 15 years.
That means if Council’s current Planning Proposal is approved and the regulations in the Local Environment Plan (LEP) are changed to a FSR of 4:1 and height of 70m, the developer can then apply directly to the NSW Government for the up to 30% bonus, which could result in them being able to build with a higher density FSR of 5.2:1 and a height of up to 91m. That equates to building of up to 28-30 stories!
Note that there is no provision for affordable housing in the current Planning Proposal.
What is floor space ratio (FSR)?
Floor space ratio (FSR) is the relationship between the total gross floor area of a building in relation to the total site area it sits on. It is calculated by dividing the total floor area of a building by the total area of the site.
FSR is one way to define the size of buildings and control the density of development on a site. In general, the higher the maximum FSR, the higher the density of development permitted on a site. The maximum allowed FSR for a site is expressed as a ratio such as 0.5:1; 1:1, 4:1 etc. An FSR of 1:1 means density equivalent to a one storey building covering the entire site. However, the buildings on the site can be arranged in different ways to achieve that density.
Other controls are important to consider, however, as often they can be limiting factors. For example, a height limit of two storeys is going to limit the amount of floor area that you can practically accommodate on a site, regardless of the maximum FSR.
Council’s Planning Proposal proposes a maximum FSR of 4:1 and a maximum height of 70m (approx. 19 stories) for the Gladesville Key Site.
What are the current density and height regulations for the site?
In the current Hunters Hill Local Environment Plan 2012 (LEP), there are varying zonings across what is now the ‘Key Site’.
The current maximum floor space ratio (FSR) within the site varies between [T] 2.3:1, [U1] 2.5:1 and [U2] 2.7:1.
The maximum building height within the site varies between [O2] 16m, [Q] 19m, [T] 26m and [U] 34m.
Maps of these current controls can be found on page 14 of the Gyde Built Form Study contained in the Planning Proposal document. See Planning Documents.
What effect will the rezoning of the townhouses on Massey St have?
The Planning Proposal rezones the block consisting of the townhouses on Massey Street from Mixed Use 1 (MU1) to Medium Density Residential (R3). The R3 zoning is more restrictive than MU1 in terms of what can be build there (e.g. not as likely to allow cafes and restaurants and the like).
The Council’s reasoning for the rezoning is “To provide improved urban transition between the site and adjoining developments and to reflect the scale of development permitted on adjoining residentially zoned areas.” To us it sounds a bit like a non-compete clause on the developer’s behalf.
What’s happening to the heritage house at 10 Cowell St?
The formerly heritage-listed house at 10 Cowell Street will be demolished as part of the new development. Council deleted the house’s local heritage listing in 2012. Shortly after that, Council sold the property to the former owner/developer of the Gladesville Shopping Village to allow redevelopment of the site. It was not until June 2013 that the community learnt that the developer had acquired 10 Cowell St (without public tender) and was planning its demolition.
The heritage of the house will be “interpreted” by archivally recording it with drawings and photography which will be displayed somewhere within the future development.
What is a Development Control Plan (DCP)?
A DCP is a locally adopted document providing detailed planning and design guidelines that support the Local Environment Plan (LEP). It covers things like building setbacks, landscaping, parking, etc. It can include site-specific controls. Importantly, unlike the LEP, a DCP is a guideline, not a strictly binding law.
What is a Local Environment Plan (LEP)?
An LEP is a binding legal document made by local councils to control land use, development, and zoning within their local government area under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. It dictates what can be built, such as housing, industrial, or recreational spaces, including height and density limits. The current LEP that applies to Hunters Hill LGA is the Hunters Hill Local Environment Plan 2012 (LEP).
In the current LEP, the maximum floor space ratios allowed on the Key Site vary up 2.7:1 and the maximum building heights are up to 34 metres. This is why the current Planning Proposal was sent to the Department for Gateway determination – because the scale of development proposed would not be allowed under the current LEP. The Gateway process determines if the Proposal justifies an amendment to the LEP to allow the development to go ahead. LEPs can only be made or amended with Department of Planning approval.
What is the Gateway process?
The NSW Government’s Gateway process acts as an independent assurance system for government projects and planning proposals, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, etc. Councils and developers can use it as a way of getting a change to the Local Environment Plan (LEP) that applies to their development site so they can build higher, denser, etc.
The process starts with a planning proposal, in this case initiated by Council, which describes the outcome and justification for an LEP amendment. The Department makes the initial Gateway Determination as to whether the project can be progressed based on the Planning Proposal. The initial Gateway Determination on this project was made in October 2025 approving its progression.
The next phase of the process is the Planning Proposal must go to public exhibition. That’s where we are now.
After exhibition and once submissions have been received (and Council makes any changes to the Proposal it deems appropriate), the proposal is ultimately assessed by the local plan-making authority. That authority will be NSW Planning Department in this case (probably a local area panel). The local plan-making authority then makes a determination. If the planning proposal is supported, the LEP is amended and the Department notifies the public.
You can find more information on the Gateway process here.
What are the steps in the approval process?
Hunters Hill Council submitted its Planning Proposal and Draft Development Control Plan to the NSW Department of Planning for Gateway Determination in April 2025 .
The Gateway Determination was issued to Council on 22 September 2025, approving progression of the Proposal (with some conditions).
At a Council meeting in February 2026, Council resolved to move the Planning Proposal and Draft DCP to public exhibition (as required by the Gateway process).
The documents will be on public exhibition until 24 April 2026.
After that, Council staff will review all the submissions received then prepare a report on this and inputs from other agencies. The report will also include recommendations for further action so that Council can make a decision on how to proceed . This report will be presented to Council at their meeting on 22 June 2026. Councillors will then vote on whether to proceed with the Proposal, amend the Proposal or not proceed.
Following this decision, if Council votes to proceed with the Proposal it will be sent back to the Department of Planning for assessment and final determination. If the Proposal is approved, the Local Environment Plan (LEP) is amended and the Department notifies the public.
After the LEP is updated to include the new higher floor space ratio (FSR) and height, the owner/developer of the site (Third.i Group) has a number of options.
1. They can submit their Development Application (detailed building plans) to Council based on the new FSR and height.
2. They can apply for the NSW Government's affordable housing 30% uplift in FSR and height above the new FSR and height.
3. They can submit their own new Planning Proposal for a larger development directly to the NSW Government's Housing Development Authority (HDA). Note that the HDA can only uplift sites that have already been approved, so, for example, if the site was approved for 12 stories, they could ask to go to 19 stories, or if it was approved for 19 stories...well who knows how many stories they could ask for?
This is why it is so important to speak up now to try to get Council to amend their Proposal to something smaller and lower!