A bitter planning dispute has erupted between a north shore council and one of the city’s most prolific developers over a push to extend construction hours at a multimillion-dollar project – including the introduction of controversial Sunday working hours.
North Sydney Council officials and increasingly weary residents warn the outcome could set a precedent across Sydney that would be “difficult to reverse”, effectively ending the long-held expectation that construction sites fall silent for at least one day each week.
At the centre of the clash is a $640 million project by developer Deicorp to transform a prominent site on the corner of the Pacific Highway and Falcon Street in Crows Nest into a high-density complex with a 100-bed hotel and 212 apartments, including 48 affordable units.
With demolition and bulk earthworks at the site now complete, Deicorp is seeking to amend its existing conditions of consent to allow construction seven days a week, arguing the change would accelerate housing supply in a constrained market.
Under current rules, construction must cease at 1pm on Saturdays, with Sundays strictly off-limits.
Deicorp is seeking to extend Saturday hours to 5pm and, most contentiously, introduce Sunday work between 8am and 5pm, limited to internal fit-out activities.
The developer argues the request is driven by necessity. In a submission to the NSW Department of Planning, which must determine the application, Deicorp said the half-day Saturday window is no longer viable in an industry grappling with labour shortages, “unpredictable” delays and supply chain disruptions caused by global events.
“Construction personnel are generally unwilling to attend the site (on Saturdays) for such a limited working period,” the company said, adding that compressed hours worsen congestion by forcing deliveries into narrow timeframes.
Deicorp maintains that extending work across the weekend could shave up to four months off the construction timeline, bringing forward completion and the delivery of much-needed housing to August 2027.
North Sydney Council has hit out strongly against the proposal, framing it as a significant threat to residents’ wellbeing and their right to weekend respite.
Mayor Zoe Baker said the move has struck a nerve in a suburb inconvenienced by years of sustained construction tied to major infrastructure projects, including Sydney Metro, the Warringah Freeway upgrade and a broader apartment building boom.
“Those hours are there for a reason,” she said.
“They give people a break from what can be relentless noise before it begins again early Monday morning.
“If it’s approved here, it could be approved everywhere.”
For long-term Crows Nest residents such as Geoff Hanmer, who lives about 400 metres from the site, assurances that Sunday work would be low-impact offer little comfort.
“Sunday is now the only day of respite,” he said.
“To have another site effectively running seven days a week – it just feels like too much.”
He also questioned claims the changes would ease congestion on surrounding roads, where construction often reduces traffic to a single lane.
“Saturdays and Sundays are some of the busiest days for local shopping and sport – the impact could be worse, not better.”
The dispute reflects broader tensions as governments push to deliver 377,000 new homes across NSW under the Housing Accord while communities grapple with the cumulative effects of rapid development.
While major public infrastructure projects deemed “state significant”, such as the metro, have previously secured extended construction hours, council planners argue that flexibility should not extend to private developments.
Stephen Beattie, North Sydney Council’s manager of development services, said approval of Sunday work “should not even be considered”.
“This would be an unacceptable impost on the community’s right to peacefully enjoy their homes and neighbourhood on at least one day of the week,” he said.
Deicorp, however, argues that the site is largely surrounded by commercial properties and that concerns about disruption have been overstated.
“With rising material costs and supply chain impacts from global events adding delays and uncertainty, completing construction projects in as timely a manner as possible is logical,” a company spokesman said.
Property Council NSW executive director Anita Hugo said extended working hours could improve productivity across the construction sector if paired with safeguards such as noise controls.
The final decision rests with the NSW Department of Planning – a ruling likely to carry implications well beyond the construction site.
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David Barwell is an urban affairs reporter for The Sydney Morning HeraldConnect via email.
