135 George Street & 118 Harris Street, Parramatta (Albion Hotel Site)

A planning proposal (also known as a rezoning application) is a document that explains proposed changes to land use planning controls that are found in a Local Environmental Plan (LEP)*.

A planning proposal details how the controls are proposed to change, for example by increasing building heights or floor space ratios to allow for more development in a particular area.

It also sets out the justification for why these changes are suitable for the site and an assessment of the potential impacts of the proposal and how they should be resolved, if it is approved. Planning proposals are usually supported by extensive technical information to help with the assessment such as studies on flooding, traffic, urban design, and social impact assessments.

A planning proposal can be prepared by anyone, but usually it is either a landowner, developer, or Council.

*A local environmental plan (LEP) is a legal document that guides planning decisions by local governments. It is prepared by Council and approved by the State Government. The LEP is an important planning tool that helps shape the future of our area and ensures development is done appropriately. Controls in an LEP include such things as land use zones, building heights, floor space ratios, flood risk management controls and also heritage protections.

A “Development Control Plan” (DCP) is a planning document that provides detailed planning and design rules to support the Local Environmental Plan (LEP). These rules are often referred to as ‘controls’ and includes standards such as storm water drainage, landscaping, parking, access, urban design.

For significant planning proposals such as Albion Hotel site, a site-specific DCP is usually prepared to ensure the controls are tailored to the specific needs of the site.

A “Planning Agreement” is a legal document that is created under the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 between developers and government agencies (including councils) for the provision of funds or works by the developer for infrastructure, services, or other public amenities.

A planning agreement enables the opportunity for councils to negotiate much needed community facilities and infrastructure which could not be obtained through a development contributions plan*. Planning agreements are a more flexible mechanism to fund or deliver infrastructure to an area and can be tailored to the specific needs of where redevelopment is proposed.

* Development contributions plans enable councils to charge fees on new development in order to help fund new and upgraded infrastructure which will be required as a result of additional demand coming from more residents, workers and visitors.

The draft Planning Agreement is essentially a legal agreement that requires the developer to pay a monetary contribution of $2,821,500 to Council to be spent on community infrastructure within the Parramatta CBD. 

It also includes a requirement that the developer dedicate a 7 metre wide reserve along Harris Street to Council for the purpose of local road widening, create easements for public pedestrian access within the development site and undertake public domain embellishment works such as landscaping and street furniture within these areas. 

Further detail is provided within the draft Planning Agreement.

The proposed height control will limit building heights on the site to 165.6 metres in total. This is achieved by two controls, namely, a mapped height control of 144 metres and the existing Design Excellence provisions which allow for a bonus height of 15% in addition to this mapped height. However, to qualify for this 15% bonus height, the proposal must go through a Design Competition process and meet certain criteria. 

The height of the building will also be limited by a provision which prohibits it from causing additional overshadowing of the Experiment Farm heritage item between 10.00am and 12.00pm on 21 June. 

The potential height is demonstrated in the applicant’s Reference Design included with this exhibition which shows two buildings, a dominant, taller tower in the north of the site at approximately 166 metres and a shorter tower in the south of the site.

This public exhibition has now concluded as of 5pm on Thursday 30 September 2021.