A section of Freshwater Village’s Lawrence Street shopping strip is set to be redeveloped with 30 apartments, ground-floor commercial premises and a new public plaza after plans for the site received approval.
The project covers 10–28 Lawrence Street, at the corner of Dowling Street, where the existing shops, offices and rooftop car park are planned for demolition.
The redevelopment will include 30 apartments and up to nine ground-floor shops or eateries, alongside a 268-square-metre public plaza facing Lawrence Street.
New Mix Of Uses For Freshwater Village
Parking will be provided below ground, with 62 spaces allocated for shoppers and another 42 for residents. Six apartments are also designated as affordable housing.
The project has been reported as a $34 million redevelopment, while the development application records a capital investment value of $31,384,845.
Plans for the site were lodged under DA2025/0077 in February 2025. The application was initially refused later that year before the developer appealed and amendments were made to address issues including design and building height.
The revised project has since received approval through the NSW Land and Environment Court.
Lawrence Street Businesses Already Adjusting
The redevelopment affects a stretch of Lawrence Street occupied by a range of local businesses.
Businesses identified within the block have included Tempo Reformer Pilates, Deep Sea Food, Freshwater Dry Cleaners, Magnolia Homewares and Ciccia Aperitif Bar and restaurant.
Tempo Reformer Pilates has already moved from 16B Lawrence Street to 1/23 Lawrence Street, directly across the road.
Owner Erin Whitbread had previously been advised that existing tenants would be given the first opportunity to take leases in the redeveloped premises once the project proceeded.
The studio had operated from its former location for more than three years before moving to the street-front premises opposite.
Redevelopment Plans Span More Than A Decade
Changes to the Lawrence Street properties have been considered well before the current Freshwater Village project.
An earlier approval for 19 apartments on the site was granted in 2012, although that development did not proceed.
In 2019, previous owner Chris Zakos outlined plans to invest in upgrades to the block’s shops, offices and eateries.
The properties were sold to developer Robert Burger for close to $9.5 million in 2020, before the current 30-apartment proposal was lodged in 2025.
The latest plans retain the site’s mix of residential and commercial uses while adding the Lawrence Street public plaza and replacing the existing retail and office buildings.
Published 7-August-2026
