A proposal for two residential flat buildings, one of 20 storeys and one of nine storeys, on a consolidated site spanning Longueville Road and Kara Street in Lane Cove North was recommended by the state’s Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) for declaration as State Significant Development (SSD).
The Minister signed an order declaring the proposal as a SSD. This puts it on the fast-tracked assessment pathway the NSW Government created to accelerate major housing projects.
The proposal, lodged as Expression of Interest (EOI) application 377945 and dated 14 July 2026, includes land at 39–43 and 45 Longueville Road and 26, 28 and 30 Kara Street, Lane Cove North. The developer now has 9 months to lodge documents with NSW Planning.
Currently 39–43 Longueville Rd is a twelve-lot strata block registered in 1978 on 1,956m², around 60% owner-occupied with average owner tenure of 18 years and six months. A 3 bedroom house is located at 26 Kara Street and a 4 bedroom house at 30 Kara St.
At a Glance
- Two towers (20 and 9 storeys, approx. 222 dwellings) have been declared State Significant Developments.
- Site spans 39–43 and 45 Longueville Road and 26, 28 and 30 Kara Street, Lane Cove North
- Proposed height of 64m is nearly triple the site’s current 22m building height limit
- 10% of floor area above base FSR offered for affordable housing in perpetuity, though the HDA says this is a starting point for negotiation
- Two other nearby EOIs (St Leonards) were considered the same day and were not recommended
This is not the first time a submission relating to this land has been lodged with the HDA. In February 2025 a proposal for a six storey residential building with approximately 57 dwellings was not backed, as it did not demonstrate the development was state significant and there was no positive commitment to affordable housing.
The developer is not named in the EOI assessed by the HDA. However, an application to amalgamate titles for the proposed development land has been lodged by Winim Developments Pty Ltd.
Winim Developments lodged the development application for the controversial redevelopment of the Comfort Inn. Read more here.
What’s Proposed?
According to the HDA’s summary, the development comprises two residential flat buildings with approximately 222 dwellings in total. The developers plan to allocate 10% of the residential floor area above the base FSR dedicated to affordable housing in perpetuity. The proposal also seeks a concurrent rezoning of the site.
The HDA considered the application at its briefing on 18 August 2026, alongside 35 other EOIs from around the state. Of those 36, only 10 were recommended for declaration as State Significant Development.
What does HDA recommendation mean?
The HDA’s role is advisory. It assesses EOIs against a published set of criteria and recommends to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces whether a project should be declared State Significant Development under section 4.36(3) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act.
The Minister has accepted the recommendation and has signed an order declaring it a SSD.
The project now moves into the SSD merit assessment process, which is where the detailed design, environmental assessment and public exhibition occur.
It means Lane Cove Council is bypassed and can only submit comments, with no other role in the development approval process.
The HDA’s reservations
The briefing record includes two specific notes of caution for the Minister and the applicant, both signalling that what’s been lodged is unlikely to survive assessment unchanged.
On height: the HDA noted the proposal includes a significant height variation, proposing a total height of 64m where the current height of building control for the site is 22m, nearly triple the existing limit.
“A merit assessment may result in development standards and dwelling yield lower than proposed in this EOI application,” while affirming that “the site is a good location for proposed housing development” and that the project “will require refinement, in consultation with the Department, through the merit assessment process.”
On affordable housing: the HDA advised that because the proposal includes significant uplift, it would generally include affordable housing that is in perpetuity with feasibility as a guiding principle.
The Department is working with Paro Planning “to determine an approach to affordable housing that reflects the expectation that there is value returned to the community from the significant uplift achieved above existing planning controls.”
The proponent has been directed to provide analysis supporting its proposed approach to affordable housing as part of the SSD merit assessment. In practice, this means the 10%-above-base-FSR affordable housing offer in the EOI should be read as a starting position for negotiation.
Two other Lane Cove EOIs knocked back the same day
The 18 August 2026 meeting also considered two other proposals within the Lane Cove Municipal Council area, both around St Leonards, and declined to recommend either for SSD declaration:
- EOI 318767, 448–460 Pacific Highway and 69 Nicholson Street, St Leonards (Casella / The Quarter St Leonards Pty Ltd): two shop-top housing towers (52 and 19 storeys, 625 dwellings), not recommended on the grounds the proposal didn’t adequately satisfy several HDA objectives, including that it can be assessed quickly and is largely consistent with existing development standards.
- EOI 313207, 40 Oxley Street, St Leonards (Investa): a 22-storey co-living development (401 dwellings), also not recommended for similar reasons.
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