Plans revealed for Newcastle's second-tallest towers

More skyscrapers could grace Newcastle's skyline, with plans revealed for two apartment towers more than 100 metres tall near the city's waterfront.

The 318-apartment proposal is for the 9000-square-metre block opposite the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club at 90-94 Hannell Street, Wickham, which is a car yard.

The two 120-metre towers would rise from a podium and would be the second-tallest buildings in the city, just behind the nearby 155-metre tower at 10 Dangar Street, proposed for the site behind the Newcastle Interchange.

The development will be 34 storeys tall - 30 of which will be entirely residential - and have a total floor area of about 58,000 square metres.

The towers would hold 66 one-bedroom units, 192 two-bedroom units and 60 three-bedroom units. They would include 18 affordable housing units - half of which will be reserved for 15 years, with the rest remaining in perpetuity - on the first three storeys of each tower.

A four-storey mix-used building will sit in front of the towers along Hannell Street, with 3750 square metres of ground-floor retail space and 7000 square metres of commercial across four storeys.

There will also be four storeys of car parking for residents, with 380 spaces, and a basement car park for retail and commercial customers, with 200 spaces.

The project, which is bound by Foundry, Greenway and Church streets, was put forward by Diverse Property Construction, and has been declared state significant by the NSW government's Housing Delivery Authority (HDA).

"The site has been earmarked for development for some time and presents an opportunity to accommodate a significant mixed-use development within the existing inner-city environment," Diverse Property Construction development manager Mark Randon said.

"The proposal will introduce a new dimension of housing, commercial and retail opportunities to the area while seeking to avoid overdevelopment of the West End.

"There is now considerable work ahead as the project moves through the planning, design and approval process, with the aim of bringing this significant development opportunity to fruition over the coming years."

The two towers sit at the heart of the West End's rapid redevelopment, with nine other apartment towers within a 500-metre radius either planned or under construction.

The HDA state significant declaration gives projects access to a streamlined planning process. However, projects must begin the planning process within nine months and, once approved, construction must start within two years.

"Whilst the [Hannell Street] site is a good location for proposed housing development, the project will require refinement, in consultation with the department, through the merit assessment process," the HDA declaration said.

"The proposal includes significant height variation, proposing total heights of 120 metres, where current height of building controls for the site are 10 metres. A merit assessment may result in development standards and dwelling yield lower."