A Big Decision on Mosman's Future Is Tonight

I know how many of you are feeling about this, and honestly, the concern is warranted. Tonight, Wednesday 26 August at 7pm, Mosman Council is holding an extraordinary meeting at the Civic Centre to vote on whether to send its Mosman Masterplan to the State Government. It's the plan that will decide where thousands of new homes go in Mosman over the next 30 years, and how tall the buildings holding them will be, and for a suburb that people have chosen precisely for its character, its low-rise streets and its village feel, that's not a small thing to sit with.

I've been fielding calls and messages about this for weeks, so I want to give you the real picture with some insights from a property team who have been experts in this space for more than 40 years.

Here's the short version. The State Government wants every council to take on more housing, and its own Low and Mid Rise policy would allow apartment blocks up to six storeys within 800 metres of Spit Junction and Cremorne, a radius that reaches into parts of the Balmoral and Mosman Bay slopes. Council spent $458,000 developing an alternative it prefers: concentrating around 4,700 new homes along Military Road and Spit Road instead, leaving quieter residential streets alone. The trade off is height, with the tallest proposed building at Bridgepoint sitting at 22 storeys, wound back from 25 in an earlier version.

The one thing worth knowing before you panic: nothing gets approved tonight. Councillors are only deciding whether to send the plan to the State Government for consideration. If it clears that hurdle, it comes back for full public exhibition around November or December, and that's when your submission actually counts. You can attend tonight's meeting in person or watch is live via the webcast: webcast.mosman.nsw.gov.au 

I'll be paying close attention to how it all goes and I'll send you the full picture the moment we know the outcome, including what it actually means depending on where your property sits. This is the kind of local shift where generic commentary isn't much use to you. You want someone who knows this suburb street by street, and that's exactly what I'll give you on Friday.