Fortis file Regency House, Elizabeth Bay apartment development plans

Prominent developer Fortis is set to develop its first project in Elizabeth Bay, filing plans for two strikingly distinctive buildings on two of the harbourside suburb's best streets.

Regency House, on an amalgamated 1,464 sqm block across 10 Onslow Avenue and 21C Billyard Avenue, will comprise two Smart Studio-designed buildings which will home 22 apartments.

The $23.25 million project will see two early 1970s, freestanding flat buildings demolished to make way for the two buildings. The two current buildings, which home 30 strata-title apartments, are not heritage-listed, but identified as a "Neutral Item" under the Sydney Development Control Plan 2012.

The plans are for three two-bedroom apartments, 18 three-bedroom units, and a sole four-bedroom apartment, which will span 279 sqm.

The two-bed apartments start from 87 sqm and the three-bedroom apartments range from 141 sqm to 229 sqm.

27 parking spaces will be provided for the 22 residences, eight with EV charging but the other 19 with the provision to add at a later date.

Private rooftop terraces for the penthouses of 10 Onslow and 21C Billyard will have barbecue and lounge areas and private pools.

Smart Design Studio wrote in their Design Statement submitted to the City of Sydney that they took into consideration the immediate neighbourhood, which has many inter-war Art Deco functionalist style buildings, when designing the project.

"This refers to an era with predominantly clinker brick apartments of different red, brown tones, form, texture, protrusion, and geometry. Including a variety of brick bonds with decorative motifs in horizontal and parallel lines. This makes this material quality not only unique for its brickwork but moreover the craftsmanship of the time. This is something we examined in our report and employed in our design principles and proposed brickwork."

They say the north-facing facades from Billyard Street are characterised by simple geometric massing, undulating horizontally expressed curves and strong restrained vertical lines, while the Onslow Street south-facing facades are characteristic by their “punched window” expression.

The project is nearby Elizabeth Bay landmark houses including Boomerang, Tresco, Kincoppal and Ashton. Smart said the existing buildings do not make a positive contribution to the Elizabeth Bay area and demolition would not have a detremental impact on the established character of heritage zone.

"The proposed development will sit well within the existing context, external form and materiality and will not compromise the heritage character of area."

Fortis have a significant pipeline of both residential and commercial projects across Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Earlier this year they submitted a development application for their first Queensland project, a high-end tower in Brisbane's affluent riverside suburb Kangaroo Point.

Exclusive first look: Fortis propose full floor apartments at first Brisbane apartment development