The debate related to a development application for 29 Bruce Street, which comprises two lots, with a proposal to build a three-storey infill home on one of them. The vacant site currently holds three car parks for the terrace on the other lot. Residents and representatives of the applicant addressed a Newcastle council about the project on Tuesday.

Much of the contention related to the site being in the Cooks Hill Heritage Conservation Area. Initial plans were described by council heritage staff as "dominant and assertive", but those were tapered down through scale, street frontage, materials and vegetation.

Staff have given support to the new proposal subject to conditions. But residents believe the scaled back plans are still too dominant.

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Council initially recommended reducing the building to two floors and moving the top room to replace the garage. The revised proposal includes a car port and third storey, but the building parapet height, balcony, and floor levels align with adjoining properties, while the car port is screened.

Resident Margaret Conn said she believed "the height and scale, the roof line, the front garage, the materials, the sheer bulk of the development are such that it's discordant and dominant".

David Naylor, who lives next to the site, engaged heritage consultant Elizabeth Evans to assess a prior design, but Mr Naylor said her concerns about the third storey and car space still hadn't been addressed.

Ms Evans said the proposal was atypical in the heritage area and "sets a precedent that does not follow the Newcastle DCP 2012 and the Heritage Technical Manual".

But director of Space Design Architecture James Clarence, on behalf of the applicant, said they used the Heritage Technical Manual, DCP, street scape, context and desired future character to guide the project.

He conceded the first proposal was inappropriate, but said they changed it to retain datum heights of existing roof terraces and worked with council's heritage officer to ensure the development fits in the street scape.

"We believe the result is an elegant, respectful development that sits well in its context," he said.

Mr Naylor was also concerned about shadowing, and ordered an independent study to assess the impact.

"It shows by 10.15am all of our habitable living spaces will be in full shade on June 21 and will remain in shade for the remainder of the day," he said. "There will also be moderate overshadowing of solar panels throughout the morning period - 9am to just after 12pm."

The applicant's shadow study showed less impact. Mr Clarence said the upper part of the development was also moved forward to allow as much solar access as possible. He claimed the impact "would be largely unchanged" if it was two or three storeys due to the narrow site and it being immediately north of the home.

The matter will return to council at a later date.

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