Controversy around St Leonards South Master Plan

St Leonards South Master Plan creates controversy

The prospect of an additional 2400 new apartments on our doorstep is causing significant community concern, as evidenced at Council’s February meeting. By Jocelyn Biddle.

Numerous Greenwich residents and representatives from the local community association expressed their dismay at the consultation process for the proposed redevelopment at St Leonards South.

The St Leonards South Master Plan proposal applies to the precinct south of the Pacific Highway bounded by Marshall Avenue to the north, Canberra Avenue to the east, River Road to the south and Park Road to the west. The proposal provides for a new high rise residential development, with buildings ranging from 4 - 19 storeys.

Assuming an average occupancy rate of two persons per dwelling (ABS data), the proposed rezoning could potentially equate to 4,800 new residents.

The Greenwich Community Association (GCA) says that local residents have not been consulted sufficiently as part of the process. According to President Merri Southwood, they were not invited to be part of the early consultation process which commenced in 2012, so were unaware of the proposed development until 2015, by which time it was so far advanced.

“This proposed Master Plan has come together lacking in transparency and community consultation. We cannot understand why our elected representatives would want to be part of such a proposal without adequate consultation. Local residents have been surprised and concerned, as evidenced by the over 400 submissions that have been made to Council about the proposal.”

A meeting of the GCA in December discussed resident concerns including the scale of the proposed development; the lack of services and infrastructure within the development area, and the impacts on adjacent communities.

Lane Cove Council’s General Manager, Craig Wrightson refutes that there has been a lack of community consultation.

“The Greenwich Community Association were formally consulted during the Master Plan exhibition phase from April 2015, with the GCA and other members of the community being invited to an information session at Council on 21st April 2015. The President of the GCA attended this meeting and details of the presentation were made publicly available on Council’s website.

“Since this time, the GCA have been invited to attend update sessions in November 2016 and the consultation has continued as part of the Planning Proposal stage.”

Mayor and Councillor Pam Palmer concurs that the planning process, which commenced at Council five years ago, has had community consultation along the way.

“In the latest round of consultation which finished on January 5th 2018, the proposal was advertised in the North Shore Times; sent to the 6000+ residents on Council’s email list; put on exhibition for 10 weeks from 30 October 2017; and information was hand-delivered to every household in Greenwich. In addition, Council held two community drop-in information sessions in the local community hall in the evening, on a weekday, and during the day on a Saturday.

“I acknowledge some residents feel the consultation has not been sufficient but, despite that, I have received a lot of valuable feedback. That feedback will definitely be taken into account when Council considers whether or not to proceed with the proposal in its current form.”

Strategic centre for growth

In 2012, following the State Government identifying St Leonards as a strategic centre for growth in Sydney, Lane Cove Council resolved to prepare a draft Master Plan for the precinct.

“The Master Plan was developed as the result of a Council resolution,” says Mayor Palmer. “It was justified on the basis that over many years, residents had seen development ‘creep’ around them because of State Government planning decisions.

“Initially, around a dozen houses were demolished directly to the east to make way for an 8-storey apartment development despite no zoning change by Council. More recently, on the northern boundary, another dozen houses were demolished - again stemming from a government planning decision. So residents did feel uncertain about their future - should they renovate their home or would this simply be a waste of money for them?”

Mayor Palmer said that she is concerned that Councils are being given less and less say in planning for their area and what types of developments will be permitted.

“If the Master Plan goes ahead, it will herald significant change to the residential area around St Leonards Station. However, change has already

Image created by Oculus for the St Leonards South Landscape Master Plan Report.

commenced with a number of residential towers already introduced into the commercial area (currently under construction); a new light rail station just a short distance along the Pacific Highway (currently under construction); and a new plaza to be built (by Council) over the railway line to the south of the highway.”

GCA questions why Council is ‘pushing hard’ on St Leonards South

“Is it because developers have jumped the gun and completed purchases for 54 properties in St Leonards South for more than $365 million – with more just or about to be settled – before Council has even voted on the re-zoning?” asks President Merri Southwood, as published in their recent newsletter. “Isn’t Council’s job to look after the community, not the developers?”

Homes in the development area have been selling over the past six years, some at over four times market value.

In late 2015, a private Hong Kongbased investor paid $66.06 million for a lot of nine St Leonards houses. The houses fronting Canberra Avenue, Holdsworth Avenue and River Road secured an average of about $7.34 million each.

A Council led rezoning

Brendan Nelson from Department of Planning & Environment has described the proposed St Leonards South Master Plan as a ‘Council led rezoning’.

According to Council’s General Manager, Craig Wrightson, Council’s strategy has been to ensure it controlled the zoning of the area, as Council was overruled with the zoning in the Mowbray Precinct which, amongst a range of issues, failed to include any new open space.

“The development of the Master Plan prior to undertaking a rezoning process is a first for Lane Cove, and was designed to ensure a desirable neighbourhood is created.

“A Master Plan approach is normally only adopted where a large site is in one ownership, however Council utilised it as it examines issues in greater detail, with a significant consultation component.

“It included a great amount of detail built-form analysis down to individual building envelopes to make sure that the private and public open space, significant trees, facilities, and solar access are all of a high standard for the future residents. None of this is required for a traditional rezoning process. To provide greater certainty that the actual plan will be delivered as envisaged, the LEP and DCP will have very tight and detailed controls.”

Merri Southwood and other representatives from the Greenwich Community Association have met recently with the Department of Planning, which indicated that it doesn’t yet have a plan for the area.

“Our Councillors have said that they had to do something as the Department’s plans were far worse. We cannot see how they can say this, as the Department has confirmed that they are yet to develop a plan for the area.”

Community concern about infrastructure provisions

“Nothing within the plan gives any comfort that infrastructure demands are being met,” says Merri Southwood. “We’re not against development per se, but you can’t put up a plan with over 2000 units without addressing issues such as traffic, schools, parking, sewerage and drainage.

“The Master Plan shows little open space, no shops, no evidence about what they will do about parking. It’s not a self- sufficient, liveable community so it’s at risk of becoming a lifeless precinct. Apart from boxes for people to live in, residents will have to go outside the development to access services.”

Mayor Palmer says the impact on amenity, heritage and the character of the area is a huge consideration for Council and consideration has been given to community services.

“You cannot make such an enormous change without impacting character, so it is Council’s job to create the best (though different) character and amenity for new residents.

“The Master Plan for St Leonards South does include two community centres, two childcare centres and a large park (10 house lots). Adjacent to the Plan precinct, to the east, is a new building in the commercial centre which will include a public library and a full-service supermarket. And of course, there is already lots of retail and cafes on the northern boundary of the Master-planned area on the highway and at the station.

A new health and education precinct

St Leonards has been named as a ‘health and education precinct’ by the Department of Planning and Environment.

The new metro station at Crows Nest is intended to help rejuvenate the area with new jobs, open space, infrastructure and homes.

There is a total of 4608 new dwellings forming part of either recent or current planning proposals, including the St Leonards South masterplan with its 2400 proposed new dwellings. This is in addition to the over 1800 dwellings that were gazetted between 2015-2017.

From the Greenwich Community Association’s perspective, Council has quite a bit of work ahead of it.

“How much can one area take? Our LGA has already reached the housing targets set by the Greater Sydney Commission up until 2021. With developments by Loftex and Mirvac, together with apartments already approved on Canberra and Christie Streets all happening in one little section of the East ward, we want to know how infrastructure is going to be developed to cope with this increased density.”

With community sentiment running high, Council is now considering feedback and comment received as part of its latest exhibition and consultation process that finished on January 5th 2018.

MERRI SOUTHWOOD, President of the Greenwich Residents Association

CRAIG WRIGHTSON,

General Manager, Lane Cove Council

PAM PALMER,

Lane Cove Mayor and Councillor

“The proposed Master Plan has come together lacking in transparency and community consultation.”

Merri Southwood, President, Greenwich Community Association

“You cannot make such an enormous change without impacting character, so it is Council’s job to create the best (though different) character and amenity for new residents.”

Mayor and Councillor Pam Palmer