A group of Sydney developers has lodged plans to build a 14-storey apartment building with no parking in Hunter Street.
The $7 million proposal includes 38 "studio" apartments across two towers at 625 Hunter Street, near the Family Hotel.
The proponent, a company called 11 Church Street Pty Ltd, says in its development application that half the apartments will be "affordable housing" for low-income earners, service workers and students.
The company, controlled by Sydney builders Peter and Aris Zaffirellis and John Mavrodontidis, bought the site in December for $975,000.
Its development application argues that providing parking on the 10.3-metre-wide site is impractical.
It also says State Environmental Planning Policy (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009 has no specification for parking for studio apartments under 50 square metres.
The NSW Department of Planning's Apartment Design Guide defines studio apartments as "consisting of one habitable room that combines kitchen, living and sleeping space".
The submitted floor plans for the Hunter Street development show the apartments have bedrooms separate from the living areas.
In 12 "loft" apartments, the bedroom is on a second floor.
A consultant's traffic report submitted with the application says parking "throughout the locality is highly utilised by customers associated with the various shops and businesses".
But it argues the disused commercial building on the site offers no parking, creating an "historical" deficiency of about 25 spaces.
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"Given the location of the site and its proximity to quality transport connections and the nature of the residential units proposed, the site shall continue to operate in a manner consistent with its historical arrangements," the traffic report says.
City of Newcastle's Development Control Plan says "for alterations, additions or change of use of an existing building, a departure from the [parking] rates .. may be considered if a historic parking deficiency applies".
"However, a historic parking deficiency does not apply in the case of total redevelopment of a site," it says.
The other prominent affordable rental housing project in the CBD, Evolve Housing's 30-unit building under construction in Merewether Street, has a ground-floor car park, though that development includes two- and three-bedroom apartments.
