Mod 1

Dear Mr Witherdin

Thank you for your undated letter which I received today, 13 March
2018, in my mailbox in Bronte Road, and which is postmarked 7 March
2018.

In your letter you informed me that submissions in relation to the
above major development proposal, located on Bronte Road close to my
home, close on Thursday 22 March 2018. On the reverse of your letter
it states that the exhibition period for the proposal is from 8 March
to 22 March.

I note from your Department's web site that "The Secretary exhibits
the environmental assessment documentation for a minimum of 30 days
and invites public comment. Advertisements are placed in appropriate
newspapers, and relevant State agencies and local council/s are
notified, as well as adjacent landowners if required." (http://www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/page/on-exhibition/)

I would like to point out that the actual window that you have
provided me and other members of the local community for consideration
of the above proposal and the development of our responses is far too
short by any measure of common sense. We have only 8 business days to
read, consider and respond to the proposal. There appear to be over 30
documents in the information package online. The short period provided
plainly contravenes your own Department's policies. It is apparent to
me that any review body asked to consider an appeal against a planning
decision in this case in future would be highly likely to find that
the consultation period was unreasonable.

In case you fail to provide any extension of the consultation period,
my comments based on the available information are as follows:

1. In order to evaluate the proposal properly, the Department's
decision makers should attend the school during morning and afternoon
peak hours to observe the significant traffic congestion the school
already causes by using the surrounding roads as if they are part of
the school.
2. The Department should note that the school's existing practice of
encouraging parents to stop on busy streets to drop children off means
that the roads are blocked while parents simply stop and unload
3. Can the Department explain what status the existing and proposed
"pick up/drop off spaces" shown in the proposal have under NSW traffic
laws?
4. Can the Department clarify how many other schools use narrow
streets as drop-off zones and halt traffic to do so?
5. The proposed changes to traffic movement should not go ahead.
Instead the RTA should be asked to look at existing traffic patterns
around the school and provide published input to an extended review
process, and road arrangements that take into account the needs of all
road users.

Please extend the consultation period in accordance with your own
Department's standards and inform me when I may make a full response.

The new facade and height onto Macpherson Street will adversely impact
the environment and loom over the street. There should be no increase
in height, or the facade's impact on the amenity of the street's
users.
The relocation of the pedestrian crossing, further from the roundabout
significantly impacts people walking along Albion Street, especially
those with strollers or who have challenges walking, who already have
to walk a long way down Macpherson Street to use the crossing (or run
the gauntlet of crossing near the roundabout, already a danger due to
impatient drivers at this very busy intersection, many of them
dropping off at the school)

I feel that this whole development is false and misleading.
It is a commercial development being built as a school project.
The swimming pool and 487 seat performing arts center will be used as
a commercial enterprise and income stream for the school.
If this development was submitted to the department as to what it is
I'm sure it would not be passed as there is a lack of car parking as
well as traffic management around the area is very poor. There is not
enough for the current locals let alone the constant influx of patrons
to this new development.
Also moving the pedestrian crossing from where it is to the front of
this development is crazy as it currently services the local community
going to the bus stop and if it is moved further east along Macpherson
St this will encourage more local to cross the road in an unsafe area.
And there is nothing on the southern side of Macpherson St ( ie car
park ) that will draw users to the crossing.
If you put lipstick on a pig you still have a pig.