An amendment to building heights in the rapidly rising suburb of Wickham has been adopted by Newcastle council.
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The amendment to the Wickham Masterplan related to land on Throsby Street and aimed "to ensure a more gradual built form transition" between the higher density precinct and the lower-scale village hub, council said.
An area at the western end of Throsby Street last year had its maximum height increased from 13 metres to 24 metres, with a requirement to provide community incentives in order to gain the maximum height.
The change adopted on Tuesday night reduces part of the site from 24 metres to 14 metres, to create a gradual rise from the village end.
It comes after a planning proposal to raise the building height limit for a proposed development at 41-47 Throsby Street, which sits on the land in question, in exchange for a laneway was approved by the council in April.
Residents argued the laneway provided no community incentive, and only benefited the developer.
The height limit under the planning proposal was increased from 10 to 14 metres on the end closest to the Wickham village and 28 metres on the western side.
Ward one councillor John Mackenzie said while he voted against the planning proposal, he believed supporting the masterplan would provide consistency with what's already been approved.
But fellow ward one councillor John Church said the community had consistently told him it "doesn't want a tall building on this site".
"Multiple submissions have been received, more than 50, saying that that's not what they're after," he said.
"It's concerning that we seem to have been doing a lot of specific planning work to give this developer on this site what he's after.
"It seems like the DCP amendments, special planning agreements, and now an amendment to the master plan is all very site-specific."
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes acknowledged it had not been an ideal process, but said staff, ward one councillors and the community had met many times throughout to try and get a positive outcome.
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