By ANNA USHER

A controversial Cremorne land parcel at the centre of a long-running development saga is back on the market – and this time, the stakes are even higher.

The cleared site at 115–119 Holt Avenue, which once attracted community outrage over the demolition of century-old homes, has been relaunched via Expressions of Interest, with the current vendor walking away from a previously approved DA for 16 luxury apartments.

Instead, a bold new play is in motion.

Thanks to NSW Government housing reforms that override local planning controls, the 1,672 sqm block is now being marketed as a “premium development opportunity” with scope for a 28.6 metre high building (up to six storeys) and 4,781 sqm of floor space — nearly three times the size of the original proposal.

Mosman Collective has learned that if approved, the re-listed site could see 50 one, two and three-bedroom apartments – 34 more than initially planned.

Positioned just 215 metres from Cremorne Town Centre, the triple lot holding spans 45.7 metres along Holt Avenue and sits firmly within the 400-metre radius of the new Low and Mid-Rise (LMR) policy zone, giving developers a significant uplift in building height and density.

Under the updated SEPP (Housing) 2021, the site qualifies for 30% additional FSR and height if 15% of the new development is earmarked as affordable housing for 15 years.

This means what was once approved as a three-storey block of 16 oversized apartments with basement parking could now transform into a far denser, taller residential complex.

The pivot comes just 18 months after the original DA was approved by the Land and Environment Court, following fierce opposition from North Sydney Council and local residents who fought to save the site’s Federation era homes.

At the time, Mayor Zoe Baker labelled the move a “heritage war”, telling the Sydney Morning Herald that Council had been “blindsided” by the DA approval granted via the Land and Environment Court, after the developer appealed.

“What we saw on Holt Ave was the erosion of local planning controls in favour of private profit,” one local told Mosman Collective this week. “And now, with the LMR reforms, it’s like open slather for developers.”

With Expressions of Interest closing at 4pm on Thursday 25 September 2025, the race is on to secure what Savills calls a “trophy landholding” in one of Sydney’s most tightly held enclaves.

The sale package includes access to all DA documents, aerial images, and planning reports in a secure data room – giving developers a head start on plans that could reshape the heart of Cremorne.

“The re-listing of 115-119 Holt Ave has sent up a flare across the area,” one prominent real estate agent said today, “It’s a textbook case of what’s coming.”

“Developers are abandoning old DAs, recalculating the uplift, and going again. This is just the start.”

To find out more, head to the Savills website, HERE.