Bulky or boutique? North Wollongong apartment block faces rejection

That is just one of a raft of objections from Wollongong City Council staff to the apartment block planned for Blacket Street in North Wollongong.

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Straddling two residential lots the complex would include 10 apartments - four with three bedrooms and six four-bedroom apartments.

That breakdown of apartments was also an issue for the council staff with a recommendation before the Wollongong Local Planning Panel that the proposed complex be rejected.

A main objection was the size of the building, both above and below ground.

"The basement appears much larger than its needs be - even to accommodate the same number of cars currently proposed," the council papers stated.

Also, the location of the entry to the basement car park - which "presents as a black hole" according to the council's design review panel - reduced the potential for deep soil zones and grassed areas.

Concerns were also raised about the "excessive excavation" required to build the basement car park.

The review panel also raised concerns about the size of the complex.

"The built form proposed appears very bulky on the site and struggles to achieve compliant side setbacks and building separation," the design review panel stated.

"The proposal seeks variations to setbacks and deep soil planting which are considered to represent over-development of the site."

The development's apartment mix also did not conform to the Apartment Design Guide, which included a guideline that "a range of apartment types and sizes is supplied to cater for different household types now and into the future".

The council objections stated the proposal did not justify the three and four-bedroom mix by considering the distance to public transport and employment centres or the demand for social and affordable housing.

"The proposal does not cater for a cross section of the population as the typology of units is limited," the council papers stated."

"The upper unit, which is a four-bedroom plus study unit, is meant to be occupied by the applicant and family. The remaining nine units are a combination of three and four-bedroom units. No two or one-bedroom units are provided."

Applicant ADM Architects was given the option of addressing the concerns of the council staff or have the matter heard by the local planning panel - they chose the latter.

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