A contentious housing proposal has been approved for Cooks Hill after concerns about heritage and solar impacts.
The development application was for a three-storey infill home on Lot 2 of 29 Bruce Street in the Cooks Hill Heritage Conservation Area.
Concerns about heritage, shading, privacy and tree removal were raised at a recent public voice meeting and in dozens of submissions.
The proposal was amended several times through scale, street frontage, materials and vegetation after heritage staff said the plans were "dominant and assertive". Council gave its support to the new proposal subject to conditions and recommended it for approval.
Labor councillor Carol Duncan noted next door resident David Naylor felt his issues were unresolved, but the changes "have been significant in nature, and will produce a better outcome".
But Greens councillor John Mackenzie said while the new plans were "a vast improvement", there were still "consequences" for the neighbour.
"Our DCP is quite explicit," he said. "[It says] 'sunlight to any existing solar panels is not reduced to less than three hours between 9am and 3pm on the 21st of June'.
"The assessment report makes it very clear that there are a minority but there are solar panels... that will receive less than that three hours of sunlight."
Fellow Green Charlotte McCabe said she supported infill development, but still held concerns about solar access and heritage.
She said councillors were only informed that day about shadow impacts from Lot 1, also owned by the applicant, which has recently had renovation plans approved.
"I have some serious reservations here about the accuracy of the shadow diagrams and a real concern about protecting the solar amenity to the principal place of living, which for me, is the kitchen," she said. "Our planning documents say that a kitchen doesn't need to be considered which I really think is completely outdated."
Cr McCabe said there was sentiment in council's recommendation "that adjoining properties should be differentiated, should be sympathetically contrasted".
"That kind of wording I think is very different different to what our Heritage Conservation Area wording is: 'interpret the features of the neighbouring buildings and design them in a way that reflects and respects them'," she said.
However Labor deputy mayor Declan Clausen said the "vast majority" of solar array would receive the minimum sunlight and lower panels would receive at least an hour from 9am-3pm and intermediate shadowing.
"The council officer's recommendation is that it is acceptable and consistent with the DCP," he said.
He said Lot 1 plans were approved, so weren't up for solar impact consideration.
