Two Fairlight homes could make way for an $18.15 million development containing eight apartments, including two identified as affordable housing.
Development application DA2026/1003 proposes demolishing the existing homes at 33–35 Fairlight Street and constructing a four-storey residential flat building. The plans include eight apartments and basement parking for 18 vehicles, including two visitor spaces. The application lists the cost of works at $18.15 million.
Eight apartments proposed
The application was lodged on 5 August 2026 and was listed as under assessment in late September. Project records put the proposed gross floor area at approximately 1,278 square metres.
Two of the eight apartments are identified as affordable housing, giving the project an affordable component alongside six other dwellings. The application remains subject to assessment before the development can proceed.
Housing rules shift around Manly
The proposal comes after the second stage of the NSW Government’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy took effect on 28 February 2025. The reforms changed planning controls within an 800-metre walking distance of nominated centres and transport hubs, with Manly among nine centres affected on the Northern Beaches.
Housing permitted under the reforms varies according to zoning and distance from a nominated centre. In outer low and mid-rise areas, between 400 and 800 metres from a centre, residential flat buildings on R3 and R4 land can have non-discretionary standards of up to four storeys, a 17.5-metre building height and a floor space ratio of 1.5:1. Different standards apply within 400 metres and in other residential zones.
Development applications are still required for most projects affected by the reforms. Northern Beaches Council says its ability to refuse proposals on grounds covered by state-set non-discretionary standards is limited where those standards are met.
Fairlight faces wider growth
Fairlight’s proximity to Manly puts parts of the suburb within the area affected by the new housing framework. The changes are part of a much broader shift across the Northern Beaches, where Council estimates almost 6,000 new homes could be built near affected town centres over five years.
At 33–35 Fairlight Street, the immediate proposal is more contained: two existing homes would be replaced by eight apartments in a four-storey building, with two of the dwellings identified as affordable housing.
DA2026/1003 remains under assessment, and the $18.15 million proposal has not been approved.
Published 15-Sept-2026
