The construction deadline for a $22 million project on the Tsunami restaurant site in Mosman Park has been pushed out by 24 months, extending it to six years after the approval.
Long-time Tsunami restaurant owner Brett Carboni received approval to demolish the existing building on 16 Glyde Street and build an eight-storey development, at a development assessment panel meeting in 2023.
The proposed development comprises eight dwellings, 12 short-stay apartments and nine hospitality tenancies.
The approval from the development assessment panel included a four-year timeframe, until May 2027, for construction to substantially start.
Mr Carboni sought for a 24-month extension to the deadline, to May 2029, to accommodate “project complexity and financial requirements”, according to his application.
At a recent meeting, the Metro Inner-North Development Assessment Panel approved the two-year extension.
Town of Mosman Park councillor and panel member Nick Lonie was the lone dissent in the DAP’s decision to approve the extension.
“I also feel the approval granted in 2023 is valid and it will expire in May of 2027 so there is time available… [the applicant said] he wants to get the project going,” he said at the meeting.
“A six-year approval is a long period in the Town of Mosman Park.”
The Town of Mosman Park opposed the time extension, recommending the panel refuse the request because it did not comply with the updated local planning framework.
At the meeting, the panel’s deputy presiding member Clayton Higham said the applicant has made attempts to get construction underway.
“I know six years seem like a long time but in the current construction industry, that is not long,” he said.
“It is often very difficult to get a development up and running.”
Mr Higham said it was not an opportunity to reassess the project, which had been approved in 2023.
In a letter to the town, Mr Carboni said the development had been actively and conscientiously pursued since the 2023 approval.
“Work undertaken has included ongoing feasibility review, consultant input, discussions with prospective buyers, preparation of a preliminary website for project enquiries, engagement of a quantity surveyor for initial pricing, planning of sales collateral and contract plans, presales strategy, delivery sequencing, and financing preparation,” the letter read.
“This is a substantial mixed-use project with an estimated build cost of about $22 million.
“Before physical commencement, the project requires sales material and contract plans to be prepared, presales to be achieved, then detailed documentation, builder pricing and finance to be settled.
“Given the size and complexity of the project, a 24-month extension is a reasonable and practical request.”
Mr Carboni has operated Tsunami restaurant in Mosman Park for more than 25 years.
