Cambridge Inn Hotel Redevelopment: Down to the Wire

The town planners meet with councillors tomorrow (Thursday) to make their recommendations prior to the final decision being made at the council meeting on Monday night (15 May). It is really coming down to the wire now, so we ask all objectors to lobby the town planners and councillors by e-mail (or phone) to make them aware of your objections and concerns. Please try to keep your messages concise and on-point, but you can personalise them to let the council know how granting this development proposal would affect you and your family. Please also try to attend the council meeting on Monday to demonstrate our sheer numbers and to add more weight to our objection. The major concerns that have been raised are: Solar Access: The proposed development will shadow some apartments in excess of the controls that are supposed to guarantee access to a minimum amount of direct sunlight every day. Privacy: The building envelope will place the tower less than 9 meters away from some neighbouring apartments which will destroy any of the limited privacy that we currently have. Noise: The loading dock, parking entrance and hotel lobby are all proposed to be on Lower Campbell Street which will inject more noise into a cavernous environment and this will be reflected into the surrounding apartments. Main Entrance: It is proposed to place the main hotel entrance in the middle of Lower Campbell Street, creating a focal point for noise, pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Loading Dock: Development control plans for a building of this size would require a loading dock for six service vehicles, however the proposal does not give any provision beyond the current single-space dock. Lower Campbell Street already becomes jammed-up with hotel service vehicles and doubling the number of rooms will make the lane dangerous and unmanageable. Parking: Despite doubling the number of rooms on the site, there is no provision for more parking, which will force vehicles out on to the surrounding streets. Surry Hills already struggles with on-street parking and this will exacerbate the issue even further. Traffic: It is proposed to change Lower Campbell Street to one-way operation, so vehicles will be forced to travel the full length of the laneway rather than having the ability to exit from the nearest end. Previous Development Applications: The developer has been unsuccessful in attempts to redevelop this site on more than one occasion. Site Zoning: The site was given its current zoning in the 1970's when Surry Hills was a very different suburb. Now surrounded by residential apartments, the proposed development is incompatible with the current-day neighbourhood. The development proposal seeks to exceed the limits of numerous planning controls and therefore sets a dangerous precedent for Surry Hills and the city as a whole. Clearly this will negatively affect those living in the immediate vicinity of the development but investors should also be concerned about the effect it will have on property and rental values too. It's not too late, but this really is our last chance! Lord Mayor Clover Moore: cmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Deputy Lord Mayor Kerryn Phelps: kphelps@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Cr Craig Chung: cchung@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Cr Christine Forster: cforster@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Cr Robert Kok: rkok@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Cr Jess Miller: jmiller@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Cr Linda Scott: lscott@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Cr Jess Scully: jscully@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Cr Philip Thalis: pthalis@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Cr Angela Vithoulkas: avithoulkas@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Specialist Planner David Zabell: dzabell1@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Town Planner Alistair Smith: asmith1@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au