Community fears of overdevelopment
around new Northern Beaches hospital
Robbie Patterson, Manly Daily 15 February 2018
An artist's impression of the proposed boarding house on Gladys Ave.
PLANS for a 103-bedroom boarding house in Frenchs Forest have been criticised as overdevelopment and raised fears that the area is becoming a “concrete jungle”.
But the project’s developer Michael Williamson, of Williamson Building Corporation, said it would provide much-needed key worker housing just 250m from the Northern Beaches Hospital.
The Gladys Ave site contains a single home and is on just under 2500 sq m of land and the development would include an on-site manager’s unit.
But the project’s developer Michael Williamson, of Williamson Building Corporation, said it would provide much-needed key worker housing just 250m from the Northern Beaches Hospital.
The Gladys Ave site contains a single home and is on just under 2500 sq m of land and the development would include an on-site manager’s unit.
The proposed site of a boarding house on Gladys Ave.
Mr Williamson said his design was within the Northern Beaches Council’s height limitations and permissible under the State Government’s planning policy for affordable housing, the State Environment Planning Policy (SEPP).
“The hospital is looking to be completed by the end of this year,” Mr Williamson said. “We are looking to provide very high quality key worker housing in proximity to the hospital.”
Mr Williamson said the rooms would be high quality with modular furniture to allow for conversion from living to sleeping areas.
“What we are proposing is a state of the art example of build-to-rent, key worker housing,” he said.
An August 2017 photo of the Northern Beaches Hospital under construction. Picture: Damian Shaw.
“The proposed development provides high quality garden studio accommodation in a suburban setting in a holistically designed environment which complements and adds to the existing greenery.”
He said housing diversity was the key to getting workers from the hospital and surrounding precinct into the area.
Since 2009, his company has been “focused on developing and innovating this type of housing accommodation”, having visited dozens of similar projects.
“It is the culmination of all of the best aspects of build-to-rent housing,” he said.
Liberal councillor Rory Amon. Picture; Adam Yip/ Manly Daily
Liberal councillor Rory Amon expressed frustration that the council’s planning laws were superseded by the State Government’s SEPP. He criticised its requirement of one parking space for every five rooms, or 10 people.
“This development will have 33 car spaces, for a possible 206 people,” he said. “One of the worst things about this is local councillors have no say on whether our communities are transformed from low density to high density by stealth. We have no ability to act and it’s incredibly frustrating.”
More than 50 objections have been lodged with the council.
In his submission, Mark Johnston said: “I am extremely concerned and worried that developers are gradually turning Belrose and Frenchs Forest into a ‘concrete jungle’ ... eroding our (peaceful) way of life.”
He said boarding houses meant extra traffic, noise, pollution and fewer trees.
Others, such as Sam Gijak, were concerned about the “transient nature of boarding rooms and the types of people that will be staying there”. “Public transport has not been adjusted to cope with all the new residents these developments plan to house,” she said.
“This development will have 33 car spaces, for a possible 206 people,” he said. “One of the worst things about this is local councillors have no say on whether our communities are transformed from low density to high density by stealth. We have no ability to act and it’s incredibly frustrating.”
More than 50 objections have been lodged with the council.
In his submission, Mark Johnston said: “I am extremely concerned and worried that developers are gradually turning Belrose and Frenchs Forest into a ‘concrete jungle’ ... eroding our (peaceful) way of life.”
He said boarding houses meant extra traffic, noise, pollution and fewer trees.
Others, such as Sam Gijak, were concerned about the “transient nature of boarding rooms and the types of people that will be staying there”. “Public transport has not been adjusted to cope with all the new residents these developments plan to house,” she said.
An artist impression of a different proposal for accommodation intended to have 380 units. Picture: urbaine architecture
Meanwhile, another developer aiming to add 380 units for affordable accommodation for health workers near the Northern Beaches Hospital said last week he will appeal a council decision to refuse the plan.
John Aspinall, of Urbaine Architecture, told the Manly Daily he had lodged an appeal with the Sydney North Planning Panel.
He also plans to approach Warringah federal MP Tony Abbott to pitch the idea in the wake of the former prime minister’s concerns about overdevelopment.
“I agree with Tony Abbott about the potential overdevelopment of the northern beaches,” Mr Aspinall said. “However, the affordable accommodation problem will remain.
“Our own scheme for the nurses’ accommodation actually alleviates the traffic infrastructure problem by placing the nurses so close to the hospital.”
The area - at 323 to 327 Warringah Rd - would need to be rezoned to allow for an uplift in height, to mirror the new hospital at 12 storeys.
I would just like the community to understand that this is a genuine solution to 100 per cent affordable housing forever, with no time limits, it is not a percentage of affordable housing but totally affordable,” he said.
John Aspinall, of Urbaine Architecture, told the Manly Daily he had lodged an appeal with the Sydney North Planning Panel.
He also plans to approach Warringah federal MP Tony Abbott to pitch the idea in the wake of the former prime minister’s concerns about overdevelopment.
“I agree with Tony Abbott about the potential overdevelopment of the northern beaches,” Mr Aspinall said. “However, the affordable accommodation problem will remain.
“Our own scheme for the nurses’ accommodation actually alleviates the traffic infrastructure problem by placing the nurses so close to the hospital.”
The area - at 323 to 327 Warringah Rd - would need to be rezoned to allow for an uplift in height, to mirror the new hospital at 12 storeys.
I would just like the community to understand that this is a genuine solution to 100 per cent affordable housing forever, with no time limits, it is not a percentage of affordable housing but totally affordable,” he said.
FACEBOOK REPLY POSTS
Mick Finnelley until the northern beaches stops voting liberal this will keep happening it's all about selling out to big business while doing nothing to help the people who elect them blame bishop and abbott done nothing for 25 yrs while roads and hospitals and brookie left to die
Alex O'Byrne I believe this huge hospital is just about built?
Mick Finnelley bout time a new hospital was built pity they'll close manly and mona vale in the next 2 yrs what about the roads and infrastructure they've done nothing about for 25 and i won't mention the lack of help getting brookie oval rebuilt.
Syd Spiro We need more high rise residential to bring down ppty prices and make greater public transport options more viable. Nurses more so than most need to live close to work, they need affordable accommodation. Nimbyism is holding us back.
Jules Roxbury Syd, the hospital did not need to be built precisely where the wildlife corridor was preserved along the Northern Beaches peninsula.
And with respect to property prices, how about we stop allowing foreign buyers to speculate on our property market, leaving many apartments empty as they are preserved for investment purposes only, and not used as ‘homes’ for Australian families ~ let alone nurses. 100% of buildings with over 49 units can still be sold off the plan to foreigners. We don’t even see them being marketed here. And foreign developers get a break on Stamp Duty when they buy the sites ~ why don’t we get those breaks? Fix this predatory Ponzi scheme fueling the overdevelopment of our cities and the destruction of our natural resources and wildlife habitat and then we might see some relief.
Syd Spiro Jules Roxbury not sure foreign buyers receive tax breaks that Australians do not - but your point is taken. Importance of natural habitat is paramount. Negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts need to go to level the playing field with non-investors
Digby Hughes Syd - where is the evidence that building more properties bring down housing prices?
Jules Roxbury Thanks Syd ~ it is a recent break by our Liberal State Treasurer ~ what is SO frustrating about this is as a ‘Mum & Dad’ we would LOVE to buy a site and develop 4-6 apartments on it and keep one for us and sell the others and be able to downsize to that when the kids leave home. Yet the stamp duty is CRIPPLING, so we can’t. Yet for some reason foreign developers don’t have to pay this putting them at a completely unfair advantage.
Why?
We would build a quality development, on an existing, under-utilised site (not pristine bushland) and sell it to Australians. Yet foreign developers don’t give a stuff about quality or making roofs available to go over our heads, they are just in it for the easy money and we are subsidising them.
The Liberals are traitors to Australians.
http://www.smh.com.au/.../foreign-developer-tax...
Belinda Clarke Building massive high rise never brings down property prices, Chatswood and Pyrmont are examples where lots of high rise made no downward change.
Jules Roxbury Chatswong ~ Towers of darkness ~ you can tell how these developments don’t help alleviate our housing stock shortages by how dark they are at nighttime ~ lights are out and no-one home.
http://www.smh.com.au/.../up-to-half-of-chinese-buyers...
Nigel Benton Won’t be a tree left. Future generations will ask why the word ‘forest’ is in Frenchs forest – the place will soon be covered in concrete.
Sarah Curtis Locals should have influence on the development in their area particularly if it impacts substantially on the community. People spend considerable money on housing after spending time choosing their preferred place to live. Why should a developer be permitted to come in and change that because of what ‘they’ see as right?
Nancy Elliott Shame shame shame .how many staff will return to their own homes.do we need all these so called boarding houses. A boarding house was for a rented bedroom and a common lounge bathroon,kitchen. Okay as it was known to me.
Daniel Jackson The fundamental problem here is our massive immigration program, it's around 400,000 a year at the moment.
What kind of country will this be in 20 to 50 years?
Bruce Zampa Its a total scam by the state government to line their developer mates pockets. Pretty sure most hospital workers don't wont to live virtually on site. Most nurses have families and are already established in their neighbourhood. Plenty of units in Dee why and Chatswood for workers to live in. Just improve public transport and the jobs done.
Luke Hicks Everyone wanted a first class hospital, but most people are not keen on the infrastructure required to support it.
Jules Roxbury There were two other perfectly viable sites that offered better accessibility from different points across the peninsula. Yet Baird forced this on us to appease his developer mates.
Bruce Zampa What Infrastructure? widening roads to nowhere? where is the rail line, B line and real road upgrades that link us faster to the city.
Mike Armstrong The infrastructure is not there - so they could catch the ferry or train then buses to the hospital or just walk from their home.
Gill Foster Who wants to live that close to work? No thanks, work is not life. There is accessible high density accommodation an easy bus ride away already. Chatswood and Dee Why.
Glenn Reynolds How big is the hospital going to be ? Will there be a patient/staff ratio 1:1 !
Joe Hill It Just shows how incompetent the Northern Beaches liberal state members are --they are subservient & puppets to the liberal party
to save their jobs rather than looking their constituents
Maria Helena Goodenough Think very carefully at the next State Election.
Paula Brennan Maria Helena Goodenough wonder what our options are! No one a real stand out!
Jules Roxbury Kathryn Ridge was an outstanding independent candidate at the last election (State) and if all her posters (well over 100) had not been stolen overnight from every polling booth, she might have won ~ it was VERY close.
Mick Finnelley northern beaches can't handle more people until the roads are fixed.
Michael Peters Of course they would say that....... Anything to build more monstrous buildings....
Maria Helena Goodenough Their plan is absolutely necessary to fill in their bank account.
Jesse Raicevich Frenchs Concrete, formally known as Frenchs Forest.
Jesse Raicevich And what’s with this Member BS to view a public post?
Houso Joel How about workers can do what many workers do... travel to work by public transport?
Mick Finnelley just waiting for manly and mona vale hospitals to be sold to the liberals mates.
Sally Clegg Of course the developers would say that... sheesh.
Sally Hincksman David Hall - u might want Ken to see this Dave.
David Hall Thanks Sal.
Nick Clapham A rail line to the northern beaches is the only solution.
Jenny Shiels Already happened to Dee Why.
Jules Roxbury Just a shout out to locals who would like to play a role in preserving local wildlife habitat on the Northern Beaches ~ please make a submission to Council about plans to expand development within Manly Dam bushland ~ it only takes a few minutes to have your say via the link.
The wildlife there has been under attack this summer from development by Manly Vale Public School, back burns, and now this. Due to the position of the Northern Beaches hospital, the wildlife corridor they could use to traverse up and down the Peninsula has been severed. Yet it has been decided to reclassify the nature reserve around the dam as a Regional Playplace.
Please speak up today and help protect our local biodiversity ~ thanks!
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=591558064512096&id=211369149197658
Nadia Pomare Another ghetto in the making.
Julian Brown The legacy of casino mike Baird keeps on giving.
Jules Roxbury It has irreversibly ruined much of our great State.
Julian Brown Total scum.
Robyn Dalby Stockwell Follow the cash.
Alex O'Byrne I believe this huge hospital is just about built?
Mick Finnelley bout time a new hospital was built pity they'll close manly and mona vale in the next 2 yrs what about the roads and infrastructure they've done nothing about for 25 and i won't mention the lack of help getting brookie oval rebuilt.
Syd Spiro We need more high rise residential to bring down ppty prices and make greater public transport options more viable. Nurses more so than most need to live close to work, they need affordable accommodation. Nimbyism is holding us back.
Jules Roxbury Syd, the hospital did not need to be built precisely where the wildlife corridor was preserved along the Northern Beaches peninsula.
And with respect to property prices, how about we stop allowing foreign buyers to speculate on our property market, leaving many apartments empty as they are preserved for investment purposes only, and not used as ‘homes’ for Australian families ~ let alone nurses. 100% of buildings with over 49 units can still be sold off the plan to foreigners. We don’t even see them being marketed here. And foreign developers get a break on Stamp Duty when they buy the sites ~ why don’t we get those breaks? Fix this predatory Ponzi scheme fueling the overdevelopment of our cities and the destruction of our natural resources and wildlife habitat and then we might see some relief.
Syd Spiro Jules Roxbury not sure foreign buyers receive tax breaks that Australians do not - but your point is taken. Importance of natural habitat is paramount. Negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts need to go to level the playing field with non-investors
Digby Hughes Syd - where is the evidence that building more properties bring down housing prices?
Jules Roxbury Thanks Syd ~ it is a recent break by our Liberal State Treasurer ~ what is SO frustrating about this is as a ‘Mum & Dad’ we would LOVE to buy a site and develop 4-6 apartments on it and keep one for us and sell the others and be able to downsize to that when the kids leave home. Yet the stamp duty is CRIPPLING, so we can’t. Yet for some reason foreign developers don’t have to pay this putting them at a completely unfair advantage.
Why?
We would build a quality development, on an existing, under-utilised site (not pristine bushland) and sell it to Australians. Yet foreign developers don’t give a stuff about quality or making roofs available to go over our heads, they are just in it for the easy money and we are subsidising them.
The Liberals are traitors to Australians.
http://www.smh.com.au/.../foreign-developer-tax...
Belinda Clarke Building massive high rise never brings down property prices, Chatswood and Pyrmont are examples where lots of high rise made no downward change.
Jules Roxbury Chatswong ~ Towers of darkness ~ you can tell how these developments don’t help alleviate our housing stock shortages by how dark they are at nighttime ~ lights are out and no-one home.
http://www.smh.com.au/.../up-to-half-of-chinese-buyers...
Nigel Benton Won’t be a tree left. Future generations will ask why the word ‘forest’ is in Frenchs forest – the place will soon be covered in concrete.
Sarah Curtis Locals should have influence on the development in their area particularly if it impacts substantially on the community. People spend considerable money on housing after spending time choosing their preferred place to live. Why should a developer be permitted to come in and change that because of what ‘they’ see as right?
Nancy Elliott Shame shame shame .how many staff will return to their own homes.do we need all these so called boarding houses. A boarding house was for a rented bedroom and a common lounge bathroon,kitchen. Okay as it was known to me.
Daniel Jackson The fundamental problem here is our massive immigration program, it's around 400,000 a year at the moment.
What kind of country will this be in 20 to 50 years?
Bruce Zampa Its a total scam by the state government to line their developer mates pockets. Pretty sure most hospital workers don't wont to live virtually on site. Most nurses have families and are already established in their neighbourhood. Plenty of units in Dee why and Chatswood for workers to live in. Just improve public transport and the jobs done.
Luke Hicks Everyone wanted a first class hospital, but most people are not keen on the infrastructure required to support it.
Jules Roxbury There were two other perfectly viable sites that offered better accessibility from different points across the peninsula. Yet Baird forced this on us to appease his developer mates.
Bruce Zampa What Infrastructure? widening roads to nowhere? where is the rail line, B line and real road upgrades that link us faster to the city.
Mike Armstrong The infrastructure is not there - so they could catch the ferry or train then buses to the hospital or just walk from their home.
Gill Foster Who wants to live that close to work? No thanks, work is not life. There is accessible high density accommodation an easy bus ride away already. Chatswood and Dee Why.
Glenn Reynolds How big is the hospital going to be ? Will there be a patient/staff ratio 1:1 !
Joe Hill It Just shows how incompetent the Northern Beaches liberal state members are --they are subservient & puppets to the liberal party
to save their jobs rather than looking their constituents
Maria Helena Goodenough Think very carefully at the next State Election.
Paula Brennan Maria Helena Goodenough wonder what our options are! No one a real stand out!
Jules Roxbury Kathryn Ridge was an outstanding independent candidate at the last election (State) and if all her posters (well over 100) had not been stolen overnight from every polling booth, she might have won ~ it was VERY close.
Mick Finnelley northern beaches can't handle more people until the roads are fixed.
Michael Peters Of course they would say that....... Anything to build more monstrous buildings....
Maria Helena Goodenough Their plan is absolutely necessary to fill in their bank account.
Jesse Raicevich Frenchs Concrete, formally known as Frenchs Forest.
Jesse Raicevich And what’s with this Member BS to view a public post?
Houso Joel How about workers can do what many workers do... travel to work by public transport?
Mick Finnelley just waiting for manly and mona vale hospitals to be sold to the liberals mates.
Sally Clegg Of course the developers would say that... sheesh.
Sally Hincksman David Hall - u might want Ken to see this Dave.
David Hall Thanks Sal.
Nick Clapham A rail line to the northern beaches is the only solution.
Jenny Shiels Already happened to Dee Why.
Jules Roxbury Just a shout out to locals who would like to play a role in preserving local wildlife habitat on the Northern Beaches ~ please make a submission to Council about plans to expand development within Manly Dam bushland ~ it only takes a few minutes to have your say via the link.
The wildlife there has been under attack this summer from development by Manly Vale Public School, back burns, and now this. Due to the position of the Northern Beaches hospital, the wildlife corridor they could use to traverse up and down the Peninsula has been severed. Yet it has been decided to reclassify the nature reserve around the dam as a Regional Playplace.
Please speak up today and help protect our local biodiversity ~ thanks!
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=591558064512096&id=211369149197658
Nadia Pomare Another ghetto in the making.
Julian Brown The legacy of casino mike Baird keeps on giving.
Jules Roxbury It has irreversibly ruined much of our great State.
Julian Brown Total scum.
Robyn Dalby Stockwell Follow the cash.