A $34 million development bid to build 30 units, nine retail spaces in a four storey building on Freshwater’s Main Street is currently with Northern Beaches Council for consideration.
The development application for 10-38 Lawerence Street, Freshwater, also includes 106 parking spaces in a two storey underground basement. It has been lodged by Lawrence St Pty Ltd with MD Living.
This is a revision on previous plans approved but never acted on from 2012, where 19 apartments above the retail spaces were intended. In 2020, The Daily Telegraph reported the block of land sold to Eastern Suburb developer, Robert Burger.
The details
The development application is proposing to demolish the existing building and construct a four-storey shop-top housing development with four to nine retail tenancies (subject to future fit out) on street level.
There will be 30 residential apartments with six one-bedroom apartments, 15 two-bedroom apartments and nine three-bedroom apartments. The apartments marked for affordable housing will be six apartments, including three one-bedroom, three two-bedroom. A rooftop communal open space will be available to residents.
Below ground will be a two-storey carpark with 44 residential car spaces and 62 retail car spaces.
In addition, the development application proposes to have a 268m2 public plaza on Lawrence Street.
Andrea Costi from Just Architects, who sits on the Manly Business Chamber’s Freshwater Sub Committee, said the development will be positive for retailers.
“The current building is very old, and the new development is unavoidable, the quicker it’s completed the better for the village,” he said.
“This project will elevate the village and improve the quality of lifestyle for locals and attract visitors to support local businesses.”
“This developer is investing a lot of money in quality and creating something very special for the local community with lots of community space, catering for outdoor dining, parking and quality retail and dining. This is not the usual case where the developer uses each sqm all the way to the foot path to build the units and maximise profit.”
Mr Costi is referring to the public plaza, which in comparison to the current small and enclosed plaza, will maximise natural light and be an open space.
“This project will elevate the village and improve the quality of lifestyle for locals and attract visitors to support local businesses and the new commercial space will attract more quality retail operators to the village which will positively impact the retail and commercial sector in Freshwater,” he added.
But…
After speaking with locals and retailers, there appears to be a lot of uncertainty around the development. When will it start? How long will it take? What happens to the current tenants during the construction?
Manly Observer reached out to MD Living, but at the time of publication hadn’t heard back from them. We will update the article if and when we hear from them.
One retailer, Kate, who preferred to keep her new business anonymous, explained she’d signed a lease within the last year and while she still had another two years, there wasn’t any certainty around when the build would start.
“I can’t see how they could be approved to start the build with the other construction happening up the road, just in terms of logistics,” she said.
She’s referring to 48 Lawrence Street which is under construction (Freshwater House Homewares and Giftwares used to operate out of this building, before moving down the strip and will, inevitably, have to move again).
Another concern for Kate and other retailers on the strip, is the potential for landlords across or down the road, to hike up their rents.
“Shops are already moving on in anticipation of what’s coming, and who is going to take over their leases with the uncertainty of the development looming, or are those shops just going to sit empty for a couple of years?” she asked.
“And I’m worried landlords on Albert Street will use the opportunity of scarcity and hike up their prices, which will force the current tenants out and we will have to decide whether to take what we can get or leave our Freshwater customers.”
Northern Beaches councillor Kristyn Glanville shared the concern of having half of Freshwater’s main street shut down for an extended period of time.
“Excavation of a two-floor basement and then building a four-storey building will take a significant period of time, so there’s the potential to lose customers who are drawn to the strip. The Freshwater Village has become a destination, and you need that critical mass of thriving shops to draw people in. I worry about the impact on the rest of the businesses when half the main street becomes a construction site, and some of the longstanding tenancies in that block,” she said.
“Freshwater village’s charm is fast diminishing… This area cannot handle this kind of development and will cause more parking issues and congestion… What’s so appealing about this quaint beach suburb is quickly disappearing.”
As with all builds, another concern is the lack of infrastructure, mainly roads and public transport. While the Statement of Environmental Effects stated, “the site is expected to generate up to an additional three, four and 10 vehicles trips in the AM, PM and Saturday peak hours respectively,” and “there is more than adequate capacity in the surrounding road network to cater for the additional traffic generated by the proposed development,” not everyone agrees.
“Those estimations are based on effective public transport, and residents using that system, but as a Freshwater resident, unfortunately I’ve experienced firsthand how unreliable the morning city bus service is. Without reliable public transport, new residents will choose to drive more, on roads around Freshwater that are already congested, and a main street that is already at capacity during peak periods,” Cr Glanville said.
With housing supply low and many not being able to afford a stand-alone home, apartments are in desperate need, especially on the Northern Beaches. However, Cr Glanville says she wishes there were more three-bedroom apartments.
“Two-bedroom apartments are the most profitable type of apartment in terms of a development yield and while this development has a mix of apartment sizes, it would be nicer if there a greater proportion of three-bedroom apartments as there is a social need for that type of make up for families who can’t afford a house or downsizers, especially on the Northern Beaches,” she said.
“Freshwater village’s charm is fast diminishing… This area cannot handle this kind of development and will cause more parking issues and congestion… What’s so appealing about this quaint beach suburb is quickly disappearing.”
The exhibition period is from 14 February to 14 March 2025 and submissions are already rolling in (to make a submission you can go here).
