Hyegrove Northbridge
State Significant Development Application (SSDA) No. SSD-133619488 that seeks approval for independent living units and a residential aged care facility with ground floor health services, retail offering and basement carparking.
Welcome
Welcome to the UrbanTalk Project Listing for the State Significant Development Application (SSDA) No. SSD-133619488 that seeks approval for independent living units and a residential aged care facility with ground floor space that may include retail uses and/or healthcare facilities, and basement carparking at 86-98 Sailors Bay Road and 7-17B Baringa Road, Northbridge.
In this Project Listing you will find:
• Background information about the project;
• An explanation of the project;
• Important planning considerations;
• The status of the State Significant Development Application;
• Links to register for community engagement events; and
• A feedback form to get in contact.
This Listing will be updated as new information about the project becomes available and as the State Significant Development Application progresses through the state significant planning process.
Source: Hyegrove 2026
Project details
Address
86-98 Sailors Bay Road and 7-17B Baringa Road, Northbridge
Local Government Area
Willoughby City Council
Project Type
Independent Living Units and Residential Aged Care
Status
Environmental Impact Statement
Developer
Hyecorp
Architect
DKO
Consent Authority
NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces
Country
Cammeraygal
Project Overview
Responding to the critical demand that exists for seniors living and aged care within the Willoughby Local Government Area (LGA), Hyecorp is progressing a State Significant Development Application for a new seniors housing and aged care community at 86-98 Sailors Bay Road and 7-17B Baringa Road Northbridge. The site is in the heart of Northbridge, less than 400 metres of Northridge Plaza and local bus stops.
The project will be owned and operated by Hyegrove, the retirement living division of Hyecorp who specialise in luxury independent seniors living, that offers 5 -star service and support. HyeCare completes the Hyegrove care model, providing residential aged care to residents so they can age in place. The project is referred to as Hyegrove Northbridge.
Location Plan
Source: Hyecorp 2026
Hyegrove Northbridge will provide for the development of:
- Multiple buildings over the site that step up to a maximum of 8 storeys at the Sailors Bay Road frontage.
- Independent living units.
- A residential aged care facility.
- Retail uses which may include a restaurant and café, shops or health facilities at the Sailors Bay Road frontage.
- Landscaped gardens, roofs and podiums to soften the built form and complement the Baringa Road streetscape.
- Basement car parking accessed from Baringa Road for future residents and visitors.
The project will also include an affordable housing monetary contribution to Willoughby City Council as required under local planning controls.
Hyecorp’s completed Heart of Willoughby precinct which includes Hyegrove, HyeCare and Club Willoughby – 26 Crabbes Avenue Willoughby
Source: Hyegrove 2026
Hyegrove Willoughby Apartment Interior
Source: Hyegrove 2026
The project has been declared State Significant Development (SSD) by the NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces. The SSD Pathway is a rigorous and considered assessment pathway established under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. It is overseen by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (NSW DPHI). Further information about the State Significant Planning Process can be found below on this Listing.
Hyegrove Northbridge is in early design, and a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) has not as yet been lodged. It is anticipated that the SSDA will be lodged with the NSW DPHI at the end of 2026.
The community consultation for this project has commenced. Details about how you can participate and register for the upcoming consultation event (1 September 2026) can be found below in the Community Consultation section of this Listing.
Project Status
Site Analysis
Completed
Design
In progress
State Significant Development Application
In progress
Construction
Not yet started
Completion
Not yet started
Site Description
Located in the suburb of Northbridge, the site comprises the amalgamation of fourteen properties to create a landholding of approximately 6,695 square metres in area. It has a dual street frontage of 65 metres to Sailors Bay Road to the north and 92 metres to Baringa Road to the south.
Site Location
Key features of the site are:
- The fall of the land from Sailors Bay Road to Baringa Road.
- Its proximity to the Northbridge Town Centre and local bus stops.
- Vehicular access restrictions onto Sailor Bay Road for new developments.
- Its evolving land use context resulting from the recently introduced NSW Government planning controls for the Northbridge Town Centre that allow for buildings of a larger scale than permitted under the Local Environmental Plan.
- It is zoned R3 Medium Density Residential under the Willoughby LEP 2012. The supply of housing for seniors and people with disability are key objectives of the R3 Zone. The proposed seniors housing development is permissible with consent in the R3 Medium Density Residential Zone.
The Northbridge Town Centre Future Land Use Context
The NSW Government has committed to building 377,000 new homes across the state in the next 5 years to align with the National Housing Accord. Councils in Greater Sydney, have been assigned a housing target by the NSW Government to ensure their communities have access to a great place to live. The targets also include seniors housing. The targets help address the housing shortage and prioritise more diverse and well-located homes in areas with existing infrastructure capacity — such as transport, open spaces, schools, hospitals and community facilities. The NSW Government has assigned the Willoughby Local Government Area a housing target of 3,400 new dwellings by 2029.
To assist Willoughby Council to meet its target the NSW Government identified the Northbridge Precinct as a Town Centre, newly introduced planning controls (referred to as the Low-Mid Rise Housing controls or LMR controls) apply to this area and override the local planning controls. The controls allow for new residential buildings up to 24m (approximately 6 storeys). The figure below illustrates the Northbridge area where the LMR controls apply.
Over time, these provisions will facilitate the gradual transformation of the broader Northbridge Centre, from low-density streetscapes to a mid-rise neighbourhood. This transformation supports the NSW Government’s strategic objectives for housing diversity and supply and concentrates growth in areas with established infrastructure and services.
Local & Medium Rise Planning Area
Source: Beam Planning 2026
The Hyegrove Northbridge project is directly aligned with the National Housing Accord in that it will deliver independent living units and residential aged care beds within walking distance of the Northbridge Town Centre.
Design Approach
Hyecorp has appointed the exemplar architecture company DKO to design the Hyegrove Northbridge seniors living and aged care community. DKO has undertaken detailed investigations to understand the special characteristics and constraints to developing the site. Concurrently, technical investigations are underway to understand local site conditions.
A series of design and landscape principles are being formulated to guide the design thinking and most appropriate architectural solution for the site. These design insights will be shared at the Community Consultation event at Club Willoughby on 1 September 2026. Details about how to register for this event are below in the Community Consultation section of this Project Listing.
The Demand for Seniors Housing & Residential Aged Care
The following information has been sourced from the PWC – RLC Retirement Census 2026
Sydney and NSW are entering a decade of accelerating demand for both residential aged care and independent retirement living. Across both accommodation types, the Sydney/NSW market shows demand growing faster than supply. Hyegrove Northbridge will bring essential seniors housing to Sydney’s Lower North Shore, within the heart of the Northbridge Town Centre, near established health and well-being facilities and local transport. Importantly, it will enable residents who have called Northbridge their home to stay close to family and friends as they age.
The following statistics are taken from the PWC-RLC Retirement Living Census 2026 and reinforce the magnitude of the seniors housing crisis.
- Demand is driven by our ageing population: NSW’s 65-plus population is projected to rise from 17.2% of the state’s population in 2021 to 21% by 2041 — 52% more people in this age group in absolute terms.
- NSW’s 75-plus cohort is projected to grow from around 649,000 currently to 1.1 million by 2040, close to a 70% increase, which is the age band from which most residential aged care demand is drawn.
- The NSW Government has noted that more than 58,000 hospital bed-days have recently been consumed by patients held past their discharge date for lack of an aged care place. Nationally, up to one in ten public hospital beds are occupied by a patient who is medically cleared but awaiting aged care placement.
- The national retirement village stock is at roughly 98,000 units across 1,070 villages. The PWC-RLC Retirement Census 2026 shows that forward supply is falling well short of demand with the number of new homes needed by 2030 at around 67,000, against the 18,000 currently planned or in the pipeline nationally — a shortfall of about 49,000 dwellings.
- Sydney’s own pipeline has fallen from a prior forecast of 10,500 homes to just 5,100 homes, a contraction attributed in industry to financing and planning constraints rather than a lack of underlying demand.
- The graph below provides a state-by-state breakdown of seniors living waitlists. It indicates that NSW is experiencing the highest waitlist volume with demand being greatest for 2- and 3-bedroom independent living units.
Source: PWC – RLC Retirement Census 2026
Planning Considerations
What is State Significant Development?
Hyegrove Northbridge has been declared State Significant Development (SSD) by the NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces pursuant to Schedule 1, Section 28 of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Planning Systems) 2021 (Planning Systems SEPP).
The project qualified as SSD because it is a seniors housing development that incorporates a residential aged care facility and has a total estimated development cost of more than $30 million.
State Significant Development Application (SSDA) Process
The State Significant Development Pathway provides an alternate statutory planning pathway for projects that are determined to be of State Significance. It provides for the assessment of these projects by the NSW Government with the assessment being undertaken by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (NSW DPHI). The Consent Authority for SSDA’s is the NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, The Independent Planning Commission or a delegate of either.
The Pathway provides for liaison and referral of an SSDA to the relevant Local Council in which the development is located. In the case of this SSDA, the Proponent and their multi-disciplinary team have undertaken pre lodgement consultations with Willoughby City Council to ensure the application addresses the relevant and pertinent local concerns.
Stage 1 – Request SEARs
Completed
All SSDA’s must be accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The SEARs identify what information needs to be included in the EIS including community engagement requirements. It requires applicants to engage with key Commonwealth and State Government Agencies and Local Councils as early as possible. This includes referral to the Government Architects Office, who will provide comments on the design of the project.
Stage 2 – Prepare Environmental Impact Statement
In Progress
The EIS must address all the matters set out in the SEARs and provides information on the economic, environmental, and social impacts of the project. It will be accompanied by technical reports and architectural plans that explain each facet of the proposed development.
Stage 3 – Lodge Application
Not Yet Lodged
All SSDAs are lodged on the NSW Planning Portal. The NSW DPHI coordinates the assessment of the Application which involves coordinating inputs from Commonwealth and State Government agencies and Local Councils.
Stage 4 – Exhibit SSDA
Not Yet Commenced
The SSDA must be exhibited for at least 28 days, unless otherwise specified. The NSW DPHI will publish the SSD Application on the planning portal and notify and advertise the public exhibition. During the exhibition period, anyone can make a public submission. The NSW DPHI will publish all submissions online and ask the Proponent to prepare a Response to Submissions Report. This gives the Proponent an opportunity to address the issues raised in submissions, ensures the community gets feedback on the issues they have raised and helps the Consent Authority evaluate the merits of the project.
Stage 5 – SSDA Assessment
Not Yet Commenced
The NSW DPHI will complete its assessment of the merits of the project in accordance with government legislation, policies and guidelines and prepare an assessment report. Once complete, the assessment report is published on the planning portal online. The Consent Authority is then asked to determine the project.
Stage 6 – Determine SSDA
Not Yet Commenced
SSDAs are determined by the Minister for Planning, the Independent Planning Commission (IPC), or a delegate of either. the consent authority must evaluate the merits of the DA against the matters in Section 4.15 of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979. The department will then publish the decision on the NSW planning portal, notify everyone who made a submission of the decision and give public notice of the reasons for the decision and how community views were considered in making the decision.
Development Controls for the Project
The site is located within the Northbridge Low-Mid Rise Centre. A height control of up to 24 metres applies. The development also benefits from the seniors housing controls set out in Part 5 of the Housing State Environmental Planning Policy 2021 (Housing SEPP 2021). Under these controls extra floorspace and height may be possible. In this case, as the project includes independent living units and a residential aged care facility 25% additional floorspace may be achieved together with an additional increase in height of 3.8 metres. The total building height allowable on the site is 27.8 metres (approximately 8 storeys).
Community Consultation
The NSW DPHI State Significant Development Community Engagement Guidelines (the Guidelines) were introduced in March 2024. Under the Guidelines, the process of engagement involves informing and consulting with the people and groups who are interested in, or affected by, proposed changes to an area, and obtaining expert advice from relevant councils and Government Agencies. It can involve informal, casual and innovative processes. Engagement is about facilitating a civil dialogue that can stay in place for the duration of the project and that can explore whether differences can be addressed, and needs met.
The Department expects proponents to adopt its community participation objectives when engaging in State Significant Projects. Proponent-led engagement will be:
• open and inclusive;
• easy to access;
• relevant;
• timely; and
• meaningful.
The community consultation process for this project is being managed by Urban Concepts, owner of the UrbanTalk website. This Project Listing is the community information hub of the project, and it will be updated as the project progresses. Please do not hesitate to reach out using the feedback form below if you have a question or comment about the project.
September Consultation Session
The first community consultation event for Hyegrove Northbridge is being held on:
When:
Tuesday 1 September 2026
6pm–8pm
Where:
Level 2, Jacaranda Room
Club Willoughby
26 Crabbes Avenue, North Willoughby
To attend please register via the link below.
The Developer
Hyecorp
With nearly 30 years’ experience in the residential sector, Hyecorp is one of Sydney’s largest developers of residential living on the Lower North Shore of Sydney. The Willoughby LGA holds a special place in the heart of the Hyecorp company, as this family business has called the locality home for over 30 years and supports many community and sporting clubs through their annual grants program.
Hyecorp is an end-to-end developer building luxury projects from the ground up. They oversee development, acquisitions, planning, architecture, construction, sales and marketing, finance, legal, commercial – and every minute detail in between. This holistic approach gives us visibility of the entire process and accountability for the high standard of quality we expect of ourselves and our collaborators. The result is one of excellence ensuring a building perfectly suited to the postcode it calls home.
Hyegrove
Hyegrove is the retirement living division of Hyecorp who creates a collection of luxury independent retirement living residences, offering 5-star service and support. Hyegrove is an evolution of their residential living offering on Sydney’s Lower North Shore.
Hyegrove offers more than just an apartment, it offers residents a myriad of opportunities to connect with their neighbours, enjoy a concierge service and makes life easy with the opportunity to have your apartment cleaned, laundry done, meals made and medical support. Hyegrove essentially has a focus on creating a home for today and all your tomorrow’s. Superb dining, retail and entertainment facilities are featured as well as a range of services and activities that focus on the mind and body.
Source: Hyegrove 2026
HyeCare
HyeCare is the aged care and home care division of Hyecorp offering exceptional care and support for our beloved seniors and providing them with the opportunity of aging-in-place where their unique needs and desires are at the forefront of our care giving approach.
HyeCare provides an integrated care model so our Hyegrove residents can receive a full continuum of care by accessing HyeCare Home Care from their apartment or having the opportunity to move into a luxury HyeCare Suite and receive a higher level of care. HyeCare provides care and support for both those living in Hyegrove Willoughby and also those looking to move into a facility, where exceptional care and independence in choice and control are at the forefront of every approach.
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