PLANS FOR NORTHERN BEACHES RAIL SPARK FEARS OF 15 December 2016 Manly Daily by Robbie Patterson PLANS for high-rise units at Frenchs Forest have rekindled calls for an underground rail line to cope with increased density around the incoming hospital. The proposed town centre and building heights should be increased to make room for trains, according Mackellar federal MP Jason Falinski. But his vision has been criticised as creating a “Chatswood by the sea” by his state counterpart, Wakehurst MP Brad Hazzard. The view from the top of Northern Beaches Hospital. Picture: Adam Yip Mr Hazzard said the type of development needed would require high-rises 500m in each direction of the Northern Beaches Hospital instead of the “pocket” upzoning planned. He argued studies undertaken in the 1990s showed residents did not want that extent of density. But he said he would be willing to look into it again if Mr Falinski could make a “substantial financial contribution”. Mr Falinski suggested the state should fund his proposed Chatswood to Beacon Hill line by taking up to 20 per cent of profits made by residents on upzonings. An artist's impression of the new Northern Beaches Hospital in Frenchs Forest. Picture: Supplied Chatswood CBD. People in the northern beaches are not fans. He said by increasing building heights above the planned 12 storeys and expanding the town centre, the windfall would be just as significant for land owners. Northern Beaches Council handled plans for development around the hospital. Administrator Dick Persson said Mr Falinski was “welcome to make a submission” on the plan. He said state and federal policies would need to be changed to allow the council or state to take a chunk of the profits from rezoning. Brad Hazzard answers a question during question time. “We would be delighted if he (Mr Falinski) could open up a few frontiers along those lines,” he said. NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes said he was willing to listen to plans, but would not commit to rail. “In terms of paying for infrastructure we are always keen to explore innovative approaches to finance with our federal colleagues,” he said. Mr Falinski said if Frenchs Forest could take more bulk with a rail line, it would ease pressures on increasing populations in other areas like Mona Vale and Avalon. Mr Falinski, who previously worked as a consultant to Transport Minister Andrew Constance, stressed rail needed to be done as well as the B-Line and a Spit Bridge Tunnel. Northern Beaches Hospital at Frenchs Forest is under construction. “People will say, you have got half-a-billion dollars worth of roadworks going on (in Frenchs Forest). The issue with that is those roadworks should have been completed by the mid-1990s, so it is really getting us to where we should have been by the year 2000,” he said. While trains have traditionally been a hot-button issue, and no-go zone for politicians, Mr Falinski said he hoped people would be more accepting because it did not go to the beach. “The other concern you tend to get is that with a train comes high density,” he said. “Well the council has already announced high density. So given that there is going to be higher density, I think it should be attached to better transport infrastructure.” An artist impression of a metro train on the north west rail link. Picture: Supplied. A spokeswoman from Transport for NSW said its priority was delivering the B-Line, which will run north to south. She said the Government was developing a value-sharing policy.
“Metro, and other solutions to improve public transport access to and from the northern beaches, will be considered as part of our Future Transport Strategy which will be open for public consultation in 2017,” she said.
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