An eleven-storey commercial building has been approved for the burgeoning Newcastle West precinct.
Newcastle councillors gave the tick of approval to the Altim Property Group proposal at 810 Hunter Street, near the intersection of Stewart Avenue.
Consent was granted to demolish the existing two-storey building on the site and build the eleven-storey structure with ground floor commercial space and public forecourt, three levels of car parking with 56 vehicle and 39 bike spaces and seven levels of commercial floor space.
Altim Property Group is also developing another office space, Swift, further east at 653 Hunter Street.
Partner Adam Heslop said there was a "very strong market for small strata office suites" in this area, particularly as the spaces will be available to buy as well as lease.
"Businesses are downsizing," he said.
"The catalyst was COVID, but it's also the way business is done generally now. People don't require big office floor plates."
Three submissions each were submitted for and against the proposal, with concerns including demolition and construction impacts, isolation of lots, loss of amenity and outlook, and traffic and safety impacts.
The floor space ratio is also about a 57 per cent variation from the development standard.
Greens councillor John Mackenzie said he believed the floor space variation was "not inconsistent with what the future footprint of that high density area of the city will look like going forward".
"That's a high need building type in the city," he said. "We don't have a huge amount of office space."
The design was amended during the assessment process in response to issues raised by City of Newcastle's Urban Design Review Panel. Changes included a redesign of the café location, changes to car parks and access, an increased setback for footpath and improved sight lines, additional bike parking, inclusion of shade and increased planter size to increase privacy.
Mr Heslop said demolition would begin early in 2024, while construction is expected to take two years from mid 2024.
