The planning framework
9The site is located within the Residential zone pursuant to Leichhardt Local Environmental Plan 2000 (LEP 2000) and the proposal is permissible with consent.
10The site is located within the Balmain Heritage Conservation Area. Clause 15 of LEP 2000 provides relevant objectives for heritage conservation, including:
(a) To protect, conserve and enhance the cultural heritage and the evidence of cultural heritage, including places, buildings, works, relics, townscapes, landscapes, trees, potential archaeological sites and conservation areas and provide measures for their conservation; and
(c) to prevent undesirable incremental change, including demolition, which reduces the heritage significance of places, conservation areas or heritage items.
11The site is subject to cl 16(8) of LEP 2000, 'Conservation Areas', which relates to development within a conservation area and states:
Consent must not be granted for the demolition, reconstruction, adaptation or erection of a building, the carrying out of a work, or the subdivision of land, within a conservation area unless the consent authority has made an assessment of the extent to which the carrying out of the development would affect the heritage significance of the conservation area, with particular regard to:
(a) the heritage significance of any building, work, relic, tree or place, archaeological site or potential archaeological site or Aboriginal site that would be affected, and the contribution it makes to the conservation area, and
(b) the compatibility of the proposed development with the conservation area, including the size, form, scale, orientation, siting, materials, landscaping and details of the proposed development.
12The site is within the vicinity of heritage items listed in Schedule 2 of the LEP 2000; including 68-70 Campbell Lane - formerly Kinsale group of houses; 72 Campbell Street - house; 1-7 Trouton Street - four terrace houses; 19 Trouton Street - The Old Place (two storey sandstone house) and 1-15 Wells Street - Yeend's Terrace. The site is therefore subject to cl 16(7) of LEP 2000, 'Development in the vicinity of heritage items', which states,
Consent must not be granted for development on land in the vicinity of a heritage item, unless the consent authority has made an assessment of the effect the carrying out of that development will have on the heritage significance of the heritage item and its setting as well as on any significant views to and from the heritage item.
13A maximum floor space ratio (FSR) of 0.7:1 applies under cl 19(2) of LEP 2000. The proposal complies with a FSR of 0.68:1. A minimum landscaped area of 40% of site area is required under cl 19(3) of LEP 2000, of which 25% must be soft landscaped area. The proposal does not comply with the minimum landscaped area requirement, and a State Environmental Planning Policy No 1 - Development Standards objection was submitted . The landscaped area of the proposal is not a contention between the parties.
14The site is subject to the provisions of Leichhardt Development Control Plan 2000 (DCP 2000), under which the site is located within the Campbell Street Hill area of Mort Bay Distinctive Neighbourhood.
15DCP 2000 is divided into four parts. Part A deals with general information, including neighbourhood precinct descriptions and controls and Part B provides controls for residential development. Under Part A, Mort Bay Distinctive Neighbourhood (10.6.5) includes descriptions of Landform and Existing Character and controls for Desired Future Character and Neighbourhood Controls. The Desired Future Character section is divided into urban form, building elements and landscape controls. These include:
Urban Form
+ Campbell Street and east of Campbell Street was developed earlier and has a character closer to that of East Balmain, and parts of Gladstone Park. Most buildings are attached and built to the street alignment, with many being unadorned. Two storey is more common, where a 6m wall height is appropriate. Pitched and complex roofs are appropriate.
+ Preserve view lines to the north and east over Mort Bay by stepping buildings with the prevailing topography.
+ Conserve the rhythm of the neighbourhood by maintaining the lot sizes, housing style and prevalence of hipped and pitched roofs. Preserve the established setbacks for each street.
Building Elements
+ Preserve the consistency and simplicity in built form, style and materials of the neighbourhood.
+ Maintain the existing roof forms, setbacks and fencing styles prevalent in each street.
16Controls under Part B - Residential Development of the DCP 2000 include B1.2 Building form, envelope and siting:
+ Building location zone (BLZ): The dwelling is to respect the existing setbacks on adjoining properties and the street alignment by being located within the average front and rear setbacks of both the adjacent buildings on either side of the subject site. This includes first floor additions to existing dwellings.
+ Minimum side setbacks from the side boundaries are determined according to a graph which illustrates that new development is required to sit within a plane measured from a height of 2.4m at ground level along the side boundaries, then projected at 45 degrees over the site.
B1.5 Elevation and materials:
+ Development should take reference from and complement the existing character of the streetscape in terms of scale, architectural style and materials. Alternatives may be considered at the discretion of Council.
+ Preferred roof forms are hipped and gabled with a pitch between 30 degrees and 45 degrees. Other roof forms may be appropriate and these will be considered at the discretion of Council.
B3.4 Access to views:
Where views are currently enjoyed from existing buildings or public places, new development should minimise obstruction of those views.
+ Reducing the height and bulk of the building;
+ Minimising floor to ceiling heights.
17B4.2 relates to the conservation of small detached houses. The principles of this control can be summarised as the prevention of demolition or unsympathetic additions to small houses that contribute to the area, on the basis that:
Modest houses in their garden settings, usually single storeyed and often timber, contribute to the character of the bulk of Leichhardt's residential areas. Small houses are under increasing threat of unsympathetic enlargement with increasing pressure to maximise floor space, or demolition for larger houses, or multi-dwelling development.
The intent is to conserve the diversity of houses both in terms of the variety in a particular street, and the contrasts within the suburbs making up Leichhardt.
18The existing contemporary single storey rear addition to 64 Campbell Street maintains the overall form of the original cottage, such that it can still be appreciated as a small detached house. Therefore the controls under B4.2 of the DCP 2000 must be taken into account in assessing the proposal.