Newcastle council has told developer Iris Capital that it must provide more information about how its proposed EastEnd apartment development will affect views of Christ Church Cathedral.
Iris has called for a review of the Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel's decision in May to knock back the $159 million project over its "unacceptable impacts" on views and car parking.
The Newcastle Herald reported two weeks ago that the review had attracted 268 public submissions, many of them criticising Iris' amended plans as an over-development of a sensitive heritage precinct.
City of Newcastle wrote to Iris' view consultant, Urbis, last week asking it to address the planning panel's concerns with more detailed photo montages of the proposed buildings.
"The only photomontage provided from the opposite side of the harbour is from the Stockton Ferry Wharf, which is insufficient to illustrate the potential view changes from the large public foreshore to the east of Stockton Ferry Wharf, or from the harbour itself," the letter says.
"The assessment of view impacts from the opposite side of the harbour should not be restricted to the view corridors described in the Newcastle Development Control Plan 2012 ... as the entirety of view impacts to the city skyline, and most importantly the Cathedral, requires consideration."
Anglican Dean Katherine Bowyer has been among the public critics of the Iris proposal, which represents stages three and four of the EastEnd Hunter Street Mall redevelopment.
Dean Bowyer said in March that the development would leave a "sliver" of a view of the cathedral.
The council's letter says Urbis must also give greater consideration to the development's impact on the cathedral's grounds, "noting the surrounds of the site form part of the local and state heritage listings".
Iris applied last year to amend a 2018 concept approval for the project, drawing an angry response from an informal alliance of residents groups, the Newcastle Club, National Trust and Dean Bowyer.
Iris wants to change its plans in light of the council's 2021 decision to demolish its Mall parking garage in King Street, which cleared the way for the proposed "Stairway to Heaven" from the harbour to the cathedral.
Iris's planned revisions to the concept approval included adding height and mass to several apartment blocks in return for moving buildings to create a public square between Market Street and King Street and a view corridor to the cathedral.
The council said last month that it planned to call for expressions of interest early next year in redeveloping the car park site and it remained committed to reinstating the parking spaces.
The council's latest letter to Urbis says the HCCRPP "noted the [Iris] application appears to have made assumptions in relation to the arrangement of future development within the former Council Car Park site".
"Subsequently, these assumptions have heavily informed the submitted Visual Impact Assessments and the concluded overall planning balance of the proposed modification," the letter says.
"Further details are to be provided around the assumptions made in relation to future development of the former Council Car Park site, with specific regard to maintenance of the Harbour to Christ Church Cathedral view corridor."
