A Double Bay developer is pushing ahead with a $79-million residential project at Manly that would replace two ageing 1960s apartment blocks with a nine-storey building featuring affordable housing just steps from the beach and ferry wharf.
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The application for 10-12 Victoria Parade, Manly covers the demolition of two existing brick apartment blocks and the construction of 23 new apartments, five of which would be designated affordable housing for a minimum of 15 years.
Luxcon Group has received Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for its proposed development, marking the start of the environmental assessment process under the NSW major-projects system.
The proposed building would rise to 28.6 metres, nearly three times the 11-metre height limit that applies to the site under Manly’s local planning controls.
How the Numbers Stack Up
The jump from 11 metres to 28.6 metres is made possible by two state housing policies applied on top of local controls.
Because the site sits within 400 metres of Manly Town Centre, NSW Low and Mid-Rise (LMR) Housing rules apply, lifting the permissible height ceiling to 22 metres. From there, the inclusion of five affordable apartments triggers a further 30 per cent infill affordable housing bonus, taking the allowable height to Luxcon’s proposed 28.6 metres. The same mechanism applies to floor space, with the scheme allowing almost four times the gross floor area permitted under Manly’s local controls.
The estimated development cost of $79 million pushes the project above the $75-million State Significant Development (SSD) threshold for the Eastern Harbour City, which is why the proposal has landed in the NSW major-projects system rather than at Northern Beaches Council, and before a formal development application has even been lodged.
What Is Planned for the Site
Plans prepared by PBD Architects show a nine-storey building across 3,637 square metres of gross floor area, sitting on a 1,272 square metre site with a 27-metre frontage to Victoria Parade. The apartment mix includes four two-bedroom apartments and 19 three-bedroom apartments, with two basement levels providing approximately 46 car spaces. The scheme also includes communal open space, a swimming pool, landscaping and deep soil planting.
The two lots being consolidated have a combined recent sales history that illustrates the scale of the change. The 12 Victoria Parade site, a three-storey freehold block of 17 apartments, was sold in February 2026 after more than 60 years in the same hands.
Ferry Wharf at the Centre of the Planning Case
Manly Wharf is central to Luxcon’s planning case. The SEARs request argues that the Manly to Circular Quay ferry corridor, with more than 200 one-way weekday services, carries the same planning logic for housing intensification as rail and metro nodes do elsewhere in Sydney.
The wharf precinct itself is undergoing significant change. Artemus Group, the team behind Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves, acquired the long-term leasehold of Manly Wharf and the wharf hotel for $110 million in 2023. The most recent step in that transformation is a council application worth $4.5 million to reconfigure the central retail arcade into a hospitality-focused ferry gateway, including food and drink tenancies, a new skylight and additional passenger seating. That application was publicly exhibited between 14 January and 11 February this year.
Heritage and Environmental Hurdles Ahead
The site is within the Manly Town Centre Heritage Conservation Area, though the existing apartment blocks are not individually heritage listed. Two Norfolk Island Pines standing directly in front of the site along Victoria Parade will require careful treatment, with Luxcon’s plans indicating the driveway design will be shaped around protecting both trees.
Below ground, the site sits within a flood planning area and is mapped with Class 4 acid sulfate soils, with the two proposed basement levels expected to trigger detailed soil and water assessments.
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Luxcon must now prepare a full Environmental Impact Statement covering design, traffic, flooding, heritage, groundwater, contamination, trees, social impact and affordable housing management. The SEARs remain valid for two years.
Published 26-May-2026
