The Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning panel says the final stages of the EastEnd redevelopment should aim to minimise impacts on views.
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Iris Capital has lodged a development application seeking to change elements of an approved 2017 concept plan for the Hunter Street Mall redevelopment project, adding three extra floors to a proposed new building in front of the Newcastle Club and five storeys to another apartment tower.
The developer says it has shuffled the height and floor space of the proposed buildings to accommodate City of Newcastle's plans for a "Stairway to Heaven" from the harbour to Christ Church Cathedral.
Newcastle Inner City Residents Alliance, the National Trust, Anglican Dean Katherine Bowyer and the Newcastle Club have publicly criticised the revised development's impact on heritage buildings and view corridors.
They say the development application contains consultants' reports which downplay the view and heritage impacts of the project.
Minutes from a preliminary briefing on August 2 show the regional planning panel is concerned about the effect of the changes.
"Whilst there may be positives about the scheme, the panel will be particularly interested in the visual impact analysis, view sharing, oblique views and relationship to the topography," the minutes say.
"Potential redistribution of height and floor space should give consideration to minimise impacts on both views and the view corridor."
Iris representatives told the meeting that the council had "encouraged the changes to the concept through the design competition process with significant engagement with the Urban Design Review Panel to provide a strong brief to competitors".
The Iris development application seeks 51.7 metres in height for the proposed "Kingston" apartment building in front of the Newcastle Club on King Street, up from 42 metres in the approved concept plans.
Another of the four proposed EastEnd buildings is 15 metres higher than its 30-metre limit under the concept approval.
The HCCRPP is the approval authority for the final two stages of the project after the development application is assessed by City of Newcastle planning staff.
The briefing minutes say the panel expects the council's assessment report to "clearly explain the bonus height and floor space provisions in relation to the design excellence process, particularly where maximum increases in height and floor space are proposed".
Whilst there may be positives about the scheme, the panel will be particularly interested in the visual impact analysis, view sharing, oblique views and relationship to the topography
City of Newcastle representatives told the meeting that the council "has a desire to achieve a view corridor from the harbour to the cathedral" and Iris had "undertaken a design competition process to achieve this outcome".
"The process has been the subject of six design integrity panel meetings," the minutes say.
The development application has attracted 26 mostly negative submissions, including feedback from NICRA, the Newcastle Club, Newcastle East Residents Group, the National Trust's Hunter chapter and the Newcomen Apartments strata committee.
The NERG submission describes the proposal as a "gross over-development of the site that severely compromises the heritage environment of the central CBD".