Waterloo Metro OSD Changes - Exhibition Until 14 January 2026

As most of the controls have already been set for this precinct when it was going to be a primarily residential development, the scale of the development being requested in this change is likely to be approved. That is not to say REDWatch does not have concerns about the proposal.

We are especially concerned about the projects Social Impact Assessment and how the project will mitigate impacts on the vulnerable community adjoining the development (see REDWatch’s Social Impact Assessment (SIA) Concerns raised by Metro OSD).

For the Metro OSD there are four separate exhibitions. This includes a Second Amending Concept DA, which changes the planning controls, as well as three separate State Significant Development Applications (SSDAs) for the North and Central precincts of the site and the basement. There are hence four sets of documents with a lot of common content but each require their own submission.

REDWatch suggests that you are best way to get an overview of the changes is from the Amending Concept Plan document and then look at the SSDAs for the building details.

The links to the Waterloo Metro Quarter Concept Plan and State Significant Development modification exhibition documents are below:

• Waterloo Metro Quarter - Second Amending Concept
• Waterloo Metro Quarter – Northern Precinct
• Waterloo Metro Quarter - Central Precinct
• Waterloo Basement - Modification 3 for internal layout changes

The amendment makes no change to the maximum permitted Gross Floor Area, as the floorspace will be redistributed within the revised envelopes. Further, the amended proposal will not exceed the permissible building height for the site under the Sydney LEP 2012. The main changes are:

• Northern Precinct: ­ Change the approved building envelope, building height and concept land use for the northern precinct by replacing the 17-storey commercial office building envelope with a revised envelope for a retail ground floor and three levels of commercial office space within a 4-storey podium with two tower forms above, totalling 29-storeys (Building 1A) and 26-storeys (Building 1B) in height (including plant level). The residential towers will include market housing, communal facilities and the provision of 5% affordable housing.
• Central Precinct: ­ Change the approved building envelope and conceptual land use for the central precinct by replacing the residential apartment tower with a co-living housing tower, still above a non-residential podium, comprising retail and a community facility including childcare. The proposed built form will allow for a 26-storey (including plant level) building.
• Basement: Redistribute basement space between Northern and Central precincts pursuant to Section 4.55(2) of the EP&A Act to modify the detailed Basement SSDA (SSD 10438) relating to the basement levels to buildings within the northern and central precinct.

These changes primarily reflect a commercial downturn in commercial office space in the area, which was planned with large floor plates and its replacement with residential buildings, which require good solar access to meet apartment design requirements, including an additional co-living tower.

Those with an interest in how shadowing may impact the new Waterloo Park to be delivered by the Waterloo South redevelopment will be interested in the Point of Time Shadow Diagrams for the future Waterloo Estate park p42-46 of the Concept Plan Appendix J - Overshadowing which shows some marginal improvements from the earlier scheme over the proposed Waterloo Park. The shadowing over the new park is in excess of what it would have been if the park existed prior to the original approval, but given the earlier approval, the developer only has to ensure changes do not make overshadowing worse.

REDWatch is aware of concerns about the proposed second co-living building potentially becoming a second student housing building on the site. Currently the developer is saying that it will fill a different housing need but if this model does not work, the building could easily be turned over to a student housing provider.