Chem Property / Vendor Resources / Mosman Master Plan

MOSMAN MASTER PLAN 2026

On 30 June 2026, Mosman Council endorsed a preferred masterplan option at an Extraordinary Council Meeting. Heights up to 25 storeys are proposed at Spit Junction, with a consistent 12-storey corridor along Military and Spit Road. The final masterplan goes to Council in August 2026 before submission to the NSW Government for a Gateway Determination. The window for owners to act is narrowing.

Owner Impact

What the preferred option means for landowners

On 30 June 2026, Mosman Council endorsed its preferred masterplan option at an Extraordinary Council Meeting. The preferred option is closest to Option 1 (Low and Wide), but with key refinements informed by community feedback.

Confirmed height controls include: two sites at 25 storeys and one at 20 storeys at Spit Junction; five sites at 18 storeys; a consistent 12-storey corridor along Military Road and Spit Road; and 4–6 storey transition zones at the edges. The blocks north of Bickell Road (Beauty Point) have been excluded from the masterplan area.

Under the current LMR, 27% of Mosman's LGA has development uplift. The preferred masterplan concentrates that density far more tightly — if your property is in or near the corridor, demand is sharpening. If you've been excluded, the LMR window may be closing.

Whether your property sits inside the preferred catchment or has been left out, the period between now and the Gateway Determination is critical. Owners who act with informed advice will be better placed than those who wait.

Key Dates
Feb2025
NSW Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy commences
The NSW Government's LMR policy takes effect, overriding parts of Mosman's existing controls. A significant portion of the LGA becomes subject to new development controls.
Policy active
Late2025
Mosman secures agreement for a council-led masterplan
Mosman Council secures agreement from the NSW Government to prepare a long-term strategic masterplan as an alternative to the LMR.
Agreement reached
Mar-Apr2026
Formal masterplan work begins
Council progresses the strategic framework and begins community consultation around density options and growth principles.
Framework developed
Apr–May2026
Early community consultation
Mosman Council placed two masterplan options — Low and Wide (Option 1) and High and Narrow (Option 2) — on public exhibition. Over 2,680 survey responses and 257 written submissions were received.
Consultation closed
30 Jun2026
Just resolved
Preferred masterplan option endorsed by Council
At an Extraordinary Council Meeting, Council endorsed a preferred masterplan option informed by community feedback. The preferred option concentrates density along the Military and Spit Road corridor with heights up to 25 storeys at Spit Junction, a consistent 12-storey corridor, and 4–6 storey transition zones at the edges. Blocks north of Bickell Road were excluded.
Preferred option confirmed
Aug2026
Final masterplan endorsed and submitted for Gateway Determination
Council will consider the refined masterplan, planning proposal, and supporting technical studies — including an Urban Design Study by SJB, Heritage Study and Transport Analysis — before endorsing submission to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure for a Gateway Determination.
Next key milestone
Late2026
Gateway Determination and formal public exhibition
If the State grants a Gateway Determination, the planning proposal will be placed on formal public exhibition — a second opportunity for community input before any final decisions are made.
Subject to Gateway approval
2027
LEP amendment gazetted
Subject to Gateway Determination and public exhibition, the Mosman Local Environmental Plan 2012 is expected to be amended and gazetted. Masterplan controls would then replace the LMR across affected parts of the LGA.
Estimated 2027
Owner Questions

What owners are asking

Under the proposed Mosman Masterplan, a number of properties currently benefiting from the NSW Government's Low and Mid Rise Housing Policy (LMR) may be removed from the Masterplan catchment.

If the new planning controls are ultimately gazetted in their current form, properties excluded from the final catchment are likely to revert to the underlying planning controls that applied prior to the LMR reforms. For landowners, this will restrain development potential and developer demand will cease.

The period before the finalisation of the masterplan is therefore important. During this time, owners can:

  • Understand how the proposed planning changes may affect their property
  • Assess whether their site currently attracts developer interest
  • Explore amalgamation opportunities with neighbouring properties
  • Consider locking in value before new controls are finalised

For a strategic review of your site against the proposed changes feel free to connect with us and we can walk you through the options available to protect the value of your property.

If your property falls within the proposed Mosman Masterplan boundaries, the introduction of additional density and height controls may significantly increase its value to developers.

For owners, the key is understanding how your property fits into the broader planning framework and position your site strategically before the market becomes crowded with competing opportunities.

Early planning and commercial advice can help owners:

  • Understand the realistic development potential of their site
  • Identify whether amalgamation could improve value
  • Gauge current developer demand
  • Time the sale to maximise value
  • Navigate negotiations with developers from a more informed position

As the Mosman Masterplan evolves, competition between sites is likely to increase. Sites that are well positioned, strategically assembled, and managed correctly, will attract stronger developer interest and outperform others.

Timing a development site sale around a planning process requires careful judgement. Selling before the Masterplan is gazetted means accepting uncertainty - developers price in planning risk, which can suppress offers. Selling after confirmation can unlock stronger demand and cleaner pricing, but by then competing sites will also be better understood and the market more crowded.

The right answer depends on your specific site, how it sits relative to the proposed catchment, your own timeline, and current developer appetite. In our experience, the period of active planning consultation - where the outcome is probable but not yet certain - often produces the sharpest developer interest and the most competitive negotiating conditions for owners.

Almost certainly. Developer activity in Mosman has increased sharply since the NSW Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy came into effect in February 2025, and the Mosman Masterplan process has sharpened that interest further. Developers identify and approach owners in target areas well before any rezoning is confirmed - often because they want to secure sites at pre-uplift prices.

If you have been approached, the key question is not whether to engage, but whether the terms being offered reflect the realistic development potential of your site. Before responding to any approach, it is worth understanding what the site could genuinely be worth, and whether amalgamation with a neighbouring property would produce a materially better outcome.

In many cases, yes - and in Mosman specifically, amalgamation can make a significant difference. Mosman's lot patterns include many streets where two or three adjoining properties together create a site that is materially more attractive to developers than any single lot alone. A larger, consolidated site allows for better planning outcomes, higher apartment yield, more efficient construction, and stronger developer demand.

The practical challenge with amalgamation is aligning multiple owners on price, timing, and process. Chem Property advises on amalgamation feasibility, models collective value versus individual value, and manages the owner alignment process from initial conversations through to a coordinated sale.

The NSW Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy (LMR) is a state government policy that applies to land within 800 metres of nominated town centres and transport nodes across Greater Sydney, permitting increased-density housing. It came into effect on 28 February 2025 and currently applies across approximately 27 per cent of Mosman's LGA.

The Mosman Masterplan is a locally initiated planning proposal that seeks to replace the LMR footprint in Mosman with a concentrated growth strategy, focusing density in specific locations rather than applying it broadly. Both frameworks overlap and, in some cases, conflict. Until the Masterplan is gazetted, the LMR remains live. For owners, the key risk is that a Masterplan that excludes their site could remove development potential that currently exists.

The preferred masterplan option was endorsed by Council on 30 June 2026 and is publicly available through Mosman Council's website. The final planning proposal, including detailed catchment maps and height controls, will be presented to Council in August 2026 before submission to the NSW Government.

However, understanding what those controls mean for your specific site goes well beyond reading a zoning map. Lot size, frontage, slope, access, orientation, and whether neighbouring lots could be assembled all affect what a developer would realistically pay. Chem Property offers a free site assessment covering the planning context, current developer demand, and indicative development value for your property.

Site Assessment

Not sure where your Mosman property sits under the preferred masterplan?

The preferred option has been endorsed. The window before Gateway Determination is the right time to understand your position. Chem Property can assess your site against the confirmed height controls, current developer demand, and whether amalgamation with a neighbouring property creates a stronger opportunity.