Chatswood CBD Planning and Urban Design Strategy 2036

Last modified on 04 February 2021

We recently received queries about developers paying for urban design, heritage and transport reports.  The reports  form part of the information provided to NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE), for endorsement of the Chatswood CBD Planning and Urban Design Strategy 2036 (the Strategy). 

We appreciate there may be concern that developers might control or unduly influence the outcome of the Strategy and benefit from less stringent planning controls in the CBD.

The information below sets out the process for endorsement of the Strategy by the NSW Government and in response to any community concerns.

In summary, oversight was maintained by DPIE and Council officers. No planning proponents received an increase in development benefits.  On the contrary, a number of proponents’ sites had their development potential reduced.  The proponent funded studies were undertaken at their own expense to answer DPIE’s requests for further information into Council’s planning policies.  

The letter to DPIE provides a summary.  Read the letter(PDF, 288KB).

Endorsing the Chatswood CBD Planning and Urban Design Strategy 2036

The Strategy was endorsed by Council in 2017 after significant public consultation and exhibition.

It was then endorsed by DPIE in August 2020, after two years of discussion and debate with NSW Government.

The DPIE granted partial endorsement of the Strategy on 9 August 2019 and identified additional information and studies required in order for final endorsement to be accepted by DPIE, in particular in relation to the proposed Mixed Use (B4) area of the CBD. 

Specifically, there was no additional work to be carried out regarding the B3 Commercial Core zone, which is the area of Chatswood closest to the Transport Interchange and is being safeguarded for commercial uses to grow Chatswood’s local economy.  The B3 Commercial Core was fully endorsed by DPIE subject to conditions, and these conditions were accepted by Council officers.

How are planning proponents involved?

Following that same DPIE letter of 9 August 2019, Council consulted four individual proponents of Planning Proposals (PPs) in the proposed Mixed Use (B4) areas of the CBD where these PPs had previously been endorsed by Council for Gateway determination. Their objective was to develop a way forward to address the matters raised in the DPIE letter and provide further information to satisfy those matters to DPIE.

Council officers and proponents agreed in late 2019, after consultation with DPIE, for proponents to engage independent consultants to prepare studies addressing each of the matters raised by DPIE, subject to agreed probity controls. 

Did the Planning Proponents benefit – what was the outcome?

No proponents benefitted from any additional height or floor space as a result of these studies.  Indeed, the only changes to the Strategy resulted in a reduction in FSR and Height to meet the requirements of the DPIE. 

Who paid for the consultants’ reports?

Council funded reports:

• SGS Economics and Planning prepared economic feasibility testing as part of a task to renew the Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan

Proponent funded reports:

• ARUP report addressed transport issues
• GMU report addressed urban design issues in those parts of the CBD close to and adjoining Heritage Conservation Areas
• Weir Phillips Heritage and Planning prepared documentation addressing heritage issues

The recommendations in the above studies were included in the updated Chatswood Planning and Urban Design Strategy 2036 (September 2020) noted at the Council Meeting of 14 September 2020. View the Council report.

Ensuring a transparent process

Council Officers were keen to ensure appropriate probity in the process for proponents engaging, preparing and delivering these additional studies.

 It was agreed between all parties, Council officers, proponents and DPIE that proponents would fund the urban design, heritage and traffic and transport studies requested by DPIE, but only on the basis of Council oversight and Peer review. DPIE further required that urban design and heritage would be Peer reviewed by the Urban Design Team of DPIE and transport studies would be peer reviewed by Transport for NSW.

DPIE reviewed the briefs and were advised of all methodologies used in preparing the studies prior to commencement by the proponents’ consultants. Council Officers and Transport for NSW supervised the work.  

Next Steps

The endorsed Chatswood CBD Planning and Urban Design Strategy 2036 is one of five strategies that contribute to the Willoughby Local Environment Plan Review (WLEP).  The other four strategies are:

• Willoughby Housing Strategy
• Willoughby Local Centres Strategy
• Willoughby Industrial lands Strategy
• Integrated Transport Strategy

The proposed changes in the WLEP, incorporating these strategies were considered and supported by Council on 14 December 2020.

You can review questions raised by Councillors at the

• 12 October meeting on page 157 of the agenda
• 9 November meeting on page 293 of the agenda
• 14 December meeting on page 341 of the agenda