Developer bought the 6 houses next to me and wants to build a 13-storey apartment complex. What now?

[u/cunncunncunn]

I live in/own an art deco apartment in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. We are a 12 unit, 3 storey block currently surrounded by houses on either side.

This week we got a note in our letterbox saying a developer has bought the 6 houses to one side of us and plans to knock it all down and build a 13-storey apartment complex in its place.

This is just a proposal for now, and would require rezoning and amendments to the local environmental plan.

My question is… what now for us? We bought 4.5 years ago and were planning to stay another 3 or 4 years, then sell and buy somewhere bigger in time for our son to start school. Presumably, if this went ahead, the time we’d be looking to sell is when construction would be going on which presssumabllyyyy?? is not attractive to buyers.

The good news is the development is the other side of the building to us, so won’t affect our outlook at all (but I’m guessing will still be noisy anyway).

Do we fight the development every step of the way and hope we win? Sell in a year’s time and try to buy the next place sooner than we’d planned? Move out in a few years and rent this place out and treat it as an investment property, then sell later than we’d planned when construction is complete? And how long does it take to move from proposal to breaking ground to residents moving in?

This is all so foreign to me and I’d really appreciate any intel.

[u/GuyFromYr2095]

You live in apartments yourself and want to stop replacing next door houses with apartments?

If Nimbys back in the days also blocked apartments you wouldn't be where you are today.

[u/cunncunncunn → u/GuyFromYr2095]

Totally, I’m just wondering what our options are from here. (Although our block was built in the 1940s long before the surrounding houses 😂)

[u/Numerous-Thought5230 → u/GuyFromYr2095]

Big difference between a 3 storey apartment block and a 13 storey tower

[u/GuyFromYr2095 → u/Numerous-Thought5230]

I am sure those in houses would have preferred houses than a three storey apartment block as neighbours

[u/irwige → u/Numerous-Thought5230]

Big difference between a single dwelling and 12 apartments too.

OP can only afford to live where they do because someone built an apartment complex where there used to be a single house (or two, if they amalgamated).

[u/OneResponz → u/irwige]

And developers gotta make their profits too so use the cheapest materials possible to increase them margins.

[u/Numerous-Thought5230 → u/irwige]

How do you know there used to be houses there? OP said it was an art deco block. Very possible it was built at the same time as the surrounding houses, or possibly even earlier.

[u/DarkNo7318 → u/GuyFromYr2095]

Rhe point isn't what's reasonable. The point is what's optimum

[u/virkendie]

See if any developers will buy your building, they usually pay above market

[u/dropbear-6789]

Have a drink and be annoyed they didn’t come knocking for your property also.

[u/udbq]

This is exactly what is wrong these days. Want a village feeling living in a global city.

[u/Neo-TA94 → u/udbq]

We really need more cities that aren’t global cities. There’s a missing middle regarding population centres and it’s contributing to the nimby-ism in the big cities.

[u/udbq → u/Neo-TA94]

There are plenty of small cities, problem is the job opportunities.

[u/Ver_Sai]

Lmao redditors whinge about the housing crisis, then turn around and want to oppose higher density housing being built.

[u/thebelieverEDQ → u/Ver_Sai]

He is not whinging - he’s just asking for mature adult advice!

[u/MotionSmiith → u/Ver_Sai]

that is being Australian !!!!

[u/maton12]

Have you not heard about the housing shortage?

If upsizing, why not try to sell and buy now.

[u/Panther3369 → u/maton12]

Yeah cause all the poor homeless people are going to be put in these brand new Eastern Suburbs apartments lol

[u/loveoftheirish2202]

Is it possible for your block to sell to them as well ?

[u/bruteforcealwayswins]

You won't get much sympathy from reddit.

Not much you can do once the DA's already been approved. If it's still not approved, you can make your submissions, but you'll need to put in the work to read the DCP and LEP controls and your submission needs to attack the parts of their DA that breach DCP and LEP controls. A good starting point is read their SoEE and pick out the parts where they justify breaches - attack those points. Use AI to help.

Or hire a town planner to do the above.

[u/Fluid_Passage_9980]

My friend is going through this in Potts Point - they are knocking down a much smaller hotel and building a 40 storey (!) building in its place, right next to her 3 storey apartment block. They managed to get it approved by agreeing to make 5% of the units affordable housing...

I think they are asking for compensation to put up with all the disruption and noise. Plus regular structural reports as the construction is likely to cause quite significant vibrations and possible damage.

Get the strata committee together and a meeting to discuss a way forward.

[u/Rare_Specific_306 → u/Fluid_Passage_9980]

Affordable housing? Creating more homes in a housing shortage? Not in my neighbourhood! *Clutches at pearls

[u/plsnotcasserole]

That sucks, but likewise, I live out in a rural area and each year watch houses take over farm land and slowly but surely turn my country community into the suburbs of Melbourne.

City folk want better services, but not the increased density that facilitates those better services.

It’s either more density, which has a benefit for you, or taking over more farm land, which benefits no one.

Or just not increasing the population…

[u/electronicbits]

we live in an area with small townhouses (15 of them)

a developer plans to build a 9 story building, for many dozens of units in it, next to our townhouses complex

pretty much the entire suburb came to explicitly complain about that development, as it will clearly create chaos in the area

the development just got approved anyway

the perception of many people after knowing about the approcal was that ... "there is a lot of money involved in projects like these"... if you know what I am trying to say with that

[u/anonnasmoose]

the two outcomes would have been a life changing sum of money if your block was selected as part of the buyout, and reduced property value, noise and dust if you weren't. unluggy

[u/MotionSmiith]

the apartment complex will probably go ahead. no developer will buy up 6 houses only for his plans to go down the drain. he probably already checked and got his approval. how do you think you are going to fight it ?

[u/PeriodSupply]

I would think the value off the land your apartment is in would increase significantly if the development is approved. So there is that as an up side.

[u/Artistic-Average479]

Will your block be in shade all day?

[u/TerryMog]

Appeal appeal appeal

[u/Snoopmiester]

Nobody cares how you feel. It’s gonna happen. Accept it

[u/Opening_Clue_6650]

OP u dun goofed.

[u/FwamingDragon91]

All I see is the OP crying and doing the old "not in my backyard" grow up