By ANNA USHER

One hundred apartments are going to be built at 35 – 45 Awaba Street, Mosman, and new planning documents reveal the $90 million project will proceed regardless of what the Mosman Masterplan decides.

The project is believed to be the largest single residential development ever proposed for the suburb.

A Pre-Development Application lodged with the NSW government on 27 May and obtained by Mosman Collective shows Heworth Development Pty Ltd has formally requested the environmental assessment requirements needed to push the nine-storey tower through the state planning system.

Mosman’s Masterplan won’t stop it

Mosman Council’s Draft Masterplan, a document designed to guide the suburb’s future growth and map height controls across the LGA, was on public exhibition from 28 April to 24 May.

It closed just three days before the developer lodged this application.

Under one of the Masterplan’s two proposed options, known as “High and Narrow,” the Awaba Street block would have been designated for just zero to two storeys.

Under the alternative “Low and Wide” option – the more permissive of the two – it would be five to eight storeys.

The developer is seeking nine.

And the Scoping Report, prepared by Planning Ingenuity, makes one thing clear for Mosman residents: whatever planning controls the suburb puts in place, “the HDA SSDA and PP will prevail over any existing and future applicable controls.”

What the street looks like now

The six-lot site currently comprises one and two-storey homes facing Awaba Street, with vehicle access from Awaba Lane to the rear.

Directly to the west is No.47 Awaba Street – a single-storey detached dwelling.

To the south, across Awaba Street, are more single level, detached homes.

The only comparable tall building nearby is 102 Spit Road, a 10-storey residential flat building.

The developer’s own documents describe the future character of the area as expected to “transition to a higher density and built form than currently exists.”

Density to jump nearly six-fold

To accommodate the nine-storey building, designed by Cove Architects, the site’s current floor space ratio of 0.6:1 must be rezoned to approximately 3.56:1.

The existing height limit of 8.5 metres must also be lifted, through a concurrent Planning Proposal lodged alongside the State Significant Development Application.

Mosman Council has no power to approve or refuse the development.

State authority flags affordable housing shortfall

The NSW Housing Delivery Authority (HDA), which backed the project for State Significant Development status in December 2025, has already raised concerns about the affordable housing component.

In its assessment, the HDA recommended the developer “consider increasing their commitment to affordable housing given the significant uplift proposed.”

Under current plans, 4% of the residential gross floor area will be dedicated to affordable housing, with the exact number of units yet to be determined.

The numbers

The application puts the estimated development cost at $90 million, with a gross floor area of 9,913 square metres, 280 construction jobs and approximately 220 expected occupants.

The building will deliver a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with access from Awaba Lane and basement parking below.

While Mosman Council has no approval power, residents and immediate neighbours will be consulted during the Environmental Impact Statement process.

What Mosman Collective revealed

Mosman Collective first revealed in January that six homes at 35-45 Awaba Street were to be demolished and replaced by the nine-storey tower, with the consolidated site understood to have been purchased by Heworth Holdings Group for around $50 million.

With the SEARs application now formally lodged, the next step is an Environmental Impact Statement before the State Significant Development Application can be submitted for assessment.

Mosman Collective has contacted Heworth Development Pty Ltd for comment.

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