Hinkler Avenue Mixed Use Development with affordable housing

This development will :

1) result in the major loss of established greenery therefore impacting the mental wellbeing of the neighborhood, loss of fauna, environmental degradation due to increases in surface temperature.

2) At nine (9) levels in height, and due to its central location, the three (3) proposed apartment blocks will tower over the seven (7) apartments that currently surround that location, causing an eyesore and destroying current views and apartment values, particularly for those apartments on the west side of Hinkler ave.

3) buildings on the west side of Hinkler ave currently receive limited morning sun from the east and the proposed nine (9) levels will eliminate that totally.

4) there are already four (4) major construction sites in the immediate vicinity causing prolonged traffic disruption and major noise pollution due to drilling and excavation of foundations. This proposed development will exacerbate all the above issues for a significantly extended period of time impacting residents mental and physical wellbeing.

5) loss of privacy for buildings on west side of Hinkler Avenue.

6) there is currently an issue with street parking in the immediate vicinity due to proximity to rail station for commuters, hospital for employees, and building sites for construction workers. The proposed development will exacerbate the current traffic disruption because more parking will be required for the additional construction workers, their vehicles and ancillary constructions vehicles such as cranes, concrete tankers and trucks

7) if this proposed development is considered a "mixed use with affordable housing" then why does it not contain a combination of townhouses, villas, low to medium-rise apartments to cater for both socio and generational living requirements? This would foster a residential community reflecting most demographics, not just those people who are forced to live in apartments due to unaffordable housing prices.

8) why build more medical facilities when most of the existing ones have not been leased out in many years?

Please see attached letter.

The proposed development is located within the "medical precinct" at Caringbah. As evidenced by previous developments in that area, the medical precinct concept is flawed. Developers are allowed to construct buildings of a greater height because they have "allowed" for medical facilities. There is no development applications for medical use submitted with the proposed construction application. This results in vacant ground floor units and gross high density residential buildings above. Furthermore, there is insufficient green space allocated for the population that will inhabit the buildings. Vehicular traffic is already at an unacceptable limit and this construction will only further impact upon that. There is a common misconception that residing close to a train station alleviates the need for owning a motor vehicle. This is incorrect with most families owing at least oine to two vehicles.

To Government NSW – Major projects,
Response to: Exhibition of state significant development application – SSD-68067459
After great consideration, there are many concerns that you need to acknowledge before moving ahead with this SSD. The concerns I have in relation to the ‘Proposed Mixed Use Development, 6 – 20 Hinkler Avenue and 319-333 Taren Point Road, Caringbah’ include:
Impact on Local Infrastructure: Large-scale developments can place significant strain on local infrastructure, including roads, public transport, and utilities. The existing infrastructure is not equipped to handle the increased demand and it will lead to congestion, overuse, and deterioration.
Congestion in Hinkler Avenue: There is already a large congestion in Hinkler Avenue due to the many construction sites rapidly appearing. Can you confirm that your build will not coincide with the current builds and that it will not congest the avenue. We are already having to wait to access our driveway due to the many road workers already placed within the avenue. In addition to this, please provide a time frame of the build, including the start date to the completion date.
Long term congestion: The surrounding avenues are already heavily congested which will only be exasperated by the 1000+ new residents moving into Hinkler Avenue and Taren Point Road.
Overcrowding: An influx of new residents, particularly families with children, could lead to overcrowding in local schools and childcare facilities. This could strain resources, leading to a decline in the quality of education and care. Nearly 300 new units will put unnecessary stress on our local educational locations. It is important that local principals and daycare directors are contacted to obtain their opinion of the build and the detrimental effects it can have on their educational institution.
Local day cares have long wait lists, where one must include their child in the waiting list even before the baby is born and be lucky to get a spot.
Local schools are at capacity and cannot take on the load of more students.
Community Disruption: Although I appreciate we are in a R4 area, massive developments such as this one can disrupt the existing community, changing the character of the area and potentially leading to gentrification. This can result in long-term residents being expelled out of their own neighbourhoods.
Environmental Concerns: Large-scale developments can have substantial environmental impacts, including loss of green space, increased pollution, and potential harm to local biodiversity. The construction process itself can also contribute to environmental degradation. There are currently several trees in the proposed construction site that will no longer exist.
Housing Market Impact: This large-scale development will impact the local housing market, potentially leading to an oversupply of certain types of housing and affecting property values.
Safety Concerns: Increased traffic and construction activity could raise safety concerns for children travelling to and from schools and childcare centres.
Noise and Disruption: The construction process itself could create noise and disruption, which could be particularly problematic for schools and childcare centres trying to maintain a conducive learning environment. As well as residents that work from home and residents of medical precincts that remain indoors or the local area for almost 100% of the time.
Street parking: The lack of parking within Hinkler Avenue is already sparse. The development of large-scale buildings will put extra pressure on residents who do not have underground parking, delivery drivers and visitors, hospital and medical workers, where it will be almost impossible to find parking. Also, where will the workers be expected to park? The current construction sites workers are already parking illegally in driveways, no parking spots, invading houses, etc. This is only add extra pressure on our already congested and narrow Avenue.
Medical Centre:
What will the ‘multi-storey medical building’ consist of? We would like to understand the types of facilities that can potentially be created. Please confirm that there will be NO addiction support services such as the one that can be found near St George Hospital. Depending on the services provided, we will see different impacts in our community.
Where will the patients of these medical suites be parking? The current medical facilities are already struggling with parking.
Furthermore, will there be appetite for a whole medical building? Now, we have several unoccupied medical dedicated shops which remain unsold/unrented for years and years.
44 affordable rental housing: I am asking that you provide further information about the affordable housing. The current plan lacks complete information on where they will be located, facing which street? Access from which street? Will there be a target to this housing, such as elderly people? Addicts? Single mothers?
Storm water management plan: a. The residents are requesting the Storm Water Management Plan to ensure that has been planned for effectively and will not impact surrounding properties.
Garbage management: Even though there is a plan in the proposed development, I am concerned on how frequently they will be out in the streets, how many several bins will have to in the streets, when they will be located for the truck to collect as the scarce space left is for car parking.
I am looking forward to receiving a response on the abovementioned concern items.
Kind Regards,
Resident of Hinkler Ave

To Government NSW – Major projects,

Response to: Exhibition of state significant development application – SSD-68067459

After great consideration, there are many concerns that you need to acknowledge before moving ahead with this SSD. The concerns I have in relation to the ‘Proposed Mixed Use Development, 6 – 20 Hinkler Avenue and 319-333 Taren Point Road, Caringbah’ include: 

Impact on Local Infrastructure: Large-scale developments can place significant strain on local infrastructure, including roads, public transport, and utilities. The existing infrastructure is not equipped to handle the increased demand and it will lead to congestion, overuse, and deterioration.

Congestion in Hinkler Avenue: There is already a large congestion in Hinkler Avenue due to the many construction sites rapidly appearing. Can you confirm that your build will not coincide with the current builds and that it will not congest the avenue. We are already having to wait to access our driveway due to the many road workers already placed within the avenue. In addition to this, please provide a time frame of the build, including the start date to the completion date.

Long term congestion: The surrounding avenues are already heavily congested which will only be exasperated by the 1000+ new residents moving into Hinkler Avenue and Taren Point Road.

Overcrowding: An influx of new residents, particularly families with children, could lead to overcrowding in local schools and childcare facilities. This could strain resources, leading to a decline in the quality of education and care. Nearly 300 new units will put unnecessary stress on our local educational locations. It is important that local principals and daycare directors are contacted to obtain their opinion of the build and the detrimental effects it can have on their educational institution.

Local day cares have long wait lists, where one must include their child in the waiting list even before the baby is born and be lucky to get a spot.

Local schools are at capacity and cannot take on the load of more students. 

Community Disruption: Although I appreciate we are in a R4 area, massive developments such as this one can disrupt the existing community, changing the character of the area and potentially leading to gentrification. This can result in long-term residents being expelled out of their own neighbourhoods.

Environmental Concerns: Large-scale developments can have substantial environmental impacts, including loss of green space, increased pollution, and potential harm to local biodiversity. The construction process itself can also contribute to environmental degradation. There are currently several trees in the proposed construction site that will no longer exist.

Housing Market Impact: This large-scale development will impact the local housing market, potentially leading to an oversupply of certain types of housing and affecting property values.

Safety Concerns: Increased traffic and construction activity could raise safety concerns for children travelling to and from schools and childcare centres.

Noise and Disruption: The construction process itself could create noise and disruption, which could be particularly problematic for schools and childcare centres trying to maintain a conducive learning environment. As well as residents that work from home and residents of medical precincts that remain indoors or the local area for almost 100% of the time.

Street parking: The lack of parking within Hinkler Avenue is already sparse. The development of large-scale buildings will put extra pressure on residents who do not have underground parking, delivery drivers and visitors, hospital and medical workers, where it will be almost impossible to find parking. Also, where will the workers be expected to park? The current construction sites workers are already parking illegally in driveways, no parking spots, invading houses, etc. This is only add extra pressure on our already congested and narrow Avenue. 

Medical Centre: 

What will the ‘multi-storey medical building’ consist of? We would like to understand the types of facilities that can potentially be created. Please confirm that there will be NO addiction support services such as the one that can be found near St George Hospital. Depending on the services provided, we will see different impacts in our community. 

Where will the patients of these medical suites be parking? The current medical facilities are already struggling with parking.

Furthermore, will there be appetite for a whole medical building? Now, we have several unoccupied medical dedicated shops which remain unsold/unrented for years and years.

44 affordable rental housing: I am asking that you provide further information about the affordable housing. The current plan lacks complete information on where they will be located, facing which street? Access from which street? Will there be a target to this housing, such as elderly people? Addicts? Single mothers? 

Storm water management plan: a. The residents are requesting the Storm Water Management Plan to ensure that has been planned for effectively and will not impact surrounding properties. 

Garbage management: Even though there is a plan in the proposed development, I am concerned on how frequently they will be out in the streets, how many several bins will have to in the streets, when they will be located for the truck to collect as the scarce space left is for car parking.

I am looking forward to receiving a response on the abovementioned concern items.  

Kind Regards, 

Resident of Hinkler Ave and Taren point road (building with garage em both streets)

To Government NSW – Major projects,
Response to: Exhibition of state significant development application – SSD-68067459
After great consideration, there are many concerns that you need to acknowledge before moving ahead with this SSD. The concerns I have in relation to the ‘Proposed Mixed Use Development, 6 – 20 Hinkler Avenue and 319-333 Taren Point Road, Caringbah’ include:
1 Impact on Local Infrastructure: Large-scale developments can place significant strain on local infrastructure, including roads, public transport, and utilities. The existing infrastructure is not equipped to handle the increased demand and it will lead to congestion, overuse, and deterioration.
- Congestion in Hinkler Avenue: There is already a large congestion in Hinkler Avenue due to the many construction sites rapidly appearing. Can you confirm that your build will not coincide with the current builds and that it will not congest the avenue. We are already having to wait to access our driveway due to the many road workers already placed within the avenue. In addition to this, please provide a time frame of the build, including the start date to the completion date.
- Long term congestion: The surrounding avenues are already heavily congested which will only be exasperated by the 1000+ new residents moving into Hinkler Avenue and Taren Point Road.
2 Overcrowding: An influx of new residents, particularly families with children, could lead to overcrowding in local schools and childcare facilities. This could strain resources, leading to a decline in the quality of education and care. Nearly 300 new units will put unnecessary stress on our local educational locations. It is important that local principals and daycare directors are contacted to obtain their opinion of the build and the detrimental effects it can have on their educational institution.
- Local day cares have long wait lists, where one must include their child in the waiting list even before the baby is born and be lucky to get a spot.
- Local schools are at capacity and cannot take on the load of more students.
3 Community Disruption: Although I appreciate we are in a R4 area, massive developments such as this one can disrupt the existing community, changing the character of the area and potentially leading to gentrification. This can result in long-term residents being expelled out of their own neighbourhoods.
4 Environmental Concerns: Large-scale developments can have substantial environmental impacts, including loss of green space, increased pollution, and potential harm to local biodiversity. The construction process itself can also contribute to environmental degradation. There are currently several trees in the proposed construction site that will no longer exist.
5 Housing Market Impact: This large-scale development will impact the local housing market, potentially leading to an oversupply of certain types of housing and affecting property values.
6 Safety Concerns: Increased traffic and construction activity could raise safety concerns for children travelling to and from schools and childcare centres.
7 Noise and Disruption: The construction process itself could create noise and disruption, which could be particularly problematic for schools and childcare centres trying to maintain a conducive learning environment. As well as residents that work from home and residents of medical precincts that remain indoors or the local area for almost 100% of the time.
8 Street parking: The lack of parking within Hinkler Avenue is already sparse. The development of large-scale buildings will put extra pressure on residents who do not have underground parking, delivery drivers and visitors, hospital and medical workers, where it will be almost impossible to find parking. Also, where will the workers be expected to park? The current construction sites workers are already parking illegally in driveways, no parking spots, invading houses, etc. This is only add extra pressure on our already congested and narrow Avenue.
9 Medical Centre:
- What will the ‘multi-storey medical building’ consist of? We would like to understand the types of facilities that can potentially be created. Please confirm that there will be NO addiction support services such as the one that can be found near St George Hospital. Depending on the services provided, we will see different impacts in our community.
- Where will the patients of these medical suites be parking? The current medical facilities are already struggling with parking.
- Furthermore, will there be appetite for a whole medical building? Now, we have several unoccupied medical dedicated shops which remain unsold/unrented for years and years.
10 44 affordable rental housing: I am asking that you provide further information about the affordable housing. The current plan lacks complete information on where they will be located, facing which street? Access from which street? Will there be a target to this housing, such as elderly people? Addicts? Single mothers?
11 Storm water management plan: a. The residents are requesting the Storm Water Management Plan to ensure that has been planned for effectively and will not impact surrounding properties.
12 Garbage management: Even though there is a plan in the proposed development, I am concerned on how frequently they will be out in the streets, how many several bins will have to in the streets, when they will be located for the truck to collect as the scarce space left is for car parking.
I am looking forward to receiving a response on the abovementioned concern items.
Kind Regards,
Resident of Hinkler Ave

I am writing to formally object to the development application referenced as SSD-68067459 on the NSW Planning Portal. My concerns regarding this development are as follows:

Excessive Density: The proposed development of 298 apartments is far too high a density for this designated area.This excessive number of units will inevitably lead to overcrowding and a significant strain on existing infrastructure.
Traffic Congestion: The narrowness of the street cannot accommodate the increased traffic flow that a development of this scale would generate. With 298 new apartments, traffic congestion and safety hazards for residents, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles are highly likely.
Lack of Essential Amenities: The development appears to lack essential amenities for families, such as childcare facilities and public schools. With such a large influx of residents, particularly families, the burden on existing resources would be immense, further straining the surrounding community.
Negative Impact on Neighbourhood Character: The sheer size and density of the proposed development have the potential to completely disrupt the established character of the neighbourhood.
Request for Consideration:

I urge the NSW Department of Planning and Environment to carefully consider my objections and conduct a thorough assessment of the development's impact on the surrounding community. In its current form, with 298 proposed apartments, the proposal seems detrimental to the existing infrastructure and the overall well-being of the neighbourhood.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I have provided all my concerns in the attached document

I object to this DA on the grounds that it does not comply with the basic requirements of the Caringbah Medical Precinct zoning. This zoning requires that medical suites are provided at the bottom of each building. (This proposal is for 8-9 storeys) In return for these medical suites, the developer is allowed to construct an extra two floors on each building up to a maximum of six floors. It appears that the developer is trying to use a backdoor method to get approval for a five or six storey private hospital. (Health services facility) The sweetener for this is to provide "Affordable rental housing" As the "Affordable rental housing" only applies for a limited time, then this does not provide any long term solution for the provision of low cost rental housing.

This project will cause traffic disaster to the area, and effectively place my unit complex in darkness.
1) Lack of parking: There are 298 residential units, and only 336 residential car spots assigned for residents. Assuming the 2 bed units have 2 adults, I estimate that there will potentially 596 adults residing at the site. There is hardly any parking on Hinkler or Taren Point Road as it is, and Hinkler in particular is narrow and only allows 1 car to pass through at a time. Given that Sutherland Hospital is next door to the site, I would have thought that the planners would have assumed that street parking would be terrible. Where on earth are the remaining 250 or so residents going to park? Hinkler is 2 hour parking and Taren Point Road which is usually full every day anyway has capacity for about 30 cars. There are also 3 other until complex developments being constructed within 50 metres of the site! This is really poorly planned.
2) Traffic and safety: There are dozens of car accidents on the corner of Kingsway and Hinkler each year. There is no turning lane into Hinkler off Kingsway travelling East. There is also no green arrow at Taren Point Road travelling East on Kingsway. The only option for residents is to run the gauntlet turning into Hinkler. This has already been raised with NSW State Roads, and now with another 298 households, it's going to be a traffic nightmare! Someone is going to die at the intersection. Furthermore, with another 500+ drivers lining up at the traffic lights at Taren Point Road/Kingsway intersection, I fear that it will be chaos! There is only 1 road out of the whole area and that's Taren Point Road! The alternative is to turn left onto Kingsway from Hinkler and find a way to turn around and come back in an easterly direction. Again, poor planning.
3) Privacy: All of the bedrooms at 315 Taren Point Road will face the new site which is 7 stories high. Our complex will be surrounded front, back and side by high level unit complexes. We will have no sunlight or privacy. I understand that there is a housing crises, but surely people are entitled to privacy and sunlight!
As you can see, I'm against this development for many reasons.

I object to the additional two storeys (if not more) proposed by greedy developers. This is a peaceful, leafy part of Caringbah. There are several blocks of townhouses along Gardere Street that are only twenty-plus years old, home to many families and children, who will be impacted by the visual pollution, overshadowing, reduction of privacy and noise echoing from this development. In particular, I refer to the following:
(1) 6.4.6 Shadow Impacts - The Environmental Impact Statement states:
“Similarly, the proposed development results in minimal shadow to the sites opposite to the east across Taren Point Road with the shadow falling predominantly in the front setback area late in the afternoon. Environmental Impact Statement (SDD 68067459) – 6-20 Hinkler Avenue & 319-333 Taren Point Road, Caringbah 80 The proposal has been designed with a stepped southern edge to also ensure that the shadow impact to the south is minimised, with the affected dwellings to the south still enjoying quality solar access throughout the afternoon period.”
The above statement is factually incorrect. The proposed development will create additional shade on the adjoining townhouses at 17-21 Gardere Street, Caringbah, because these townhouses and the adjoining southern reserve do not begin to get any sun until midday during the winter months. Attached are four photos of the front and rear courtyards of 8/17-21 Gardere Street, taken in June 2020 at 11.00 am and again at 1 pm, showing that the sun is only beginning to shine on the courtyards from 11am onwards. Our block of townhouses gets the afternoon sun in winter, but the shadow diagrams for the proposed development show that our townhouses will be overshadowed completely by 3pm. If the proposed development goes ahead, our townhouses will be permanently in shade for at least three months during winter. This will decrease our quality of life by keeping our townhouses cold and dark all day, as well as increasing our energy bills.
(2) Page 9 of the Visual Impact Assessment states:
“Across Taren Point Road to the east, there are traditional detached homes and some townhouse developments. However, these areas a zoned as either R4 High Density Residential or R3 Medium Density Residential, indicating a likelihood of future redevelopment for higher density purposes.”
The above statement seems to indicate that it doesn't matter if our townhouses are impacted because they will be knocked down soon anyway. This is incorrect. The twelve townhouses at 17-21 Gardere Street, on the corner of Taren Point Road and Gardere Street are only 24 years old, of double brick and have a minimum of two car spaces for each townhouse, with some having four. In other words, they provide more than adequately for local families and are nowhere near their end of useful life. It is unlikely that during the next ten years, this block will be redeveloped as it is furthest from the Kingsway. These townhouses are home to twelve local families who appreciate the quiet streets, the privacy and the leafy outlook, they are a good quality and affordable housing option for local families. The addition of two extra storeys, as proposed under the State scheme, will cause our townhouses to be permanently in shadow during the winter months, take away all our privacy due to the height of the units, and cause even more parking congestion in these narrow streets. We will not be able to sell and move elsewhere, because freestanding houses are now completely unaffordable.
(3) Stormwater Concept Design
There is only one Council stormwater drain in the street. In periods of heavy rain, stormwater runs down Taren Point Road and on several occasions has caused flooding in the garages of 17-21 Gardere Street because the stormwater drains have been unable to cope. Any new construction across the road needs to include the construction of additional stormwater drains to prevent additional overland water flow from the new buildings.
(4) Cracking
The soil in this area is a mixture of clay and sandstone. Buildings built on clay suffer cracking due to movement. The vibrations caused by the development construction, as well as the considerable excavation required for parking, and the presence of underground stream, may result in cracking of our townhouses. Dilapidation reports for all adjoining buildings should be commissioned and paid for by the developers.
(5) Lack of on-street parking. Parking is only permitted on both sides of Hinkler Street for part of the road, due to this being a narrow street. When cars are parked on both sides of the street, cars cannot pass each other. Yellow lines prevent cars parking elsewhere along the street, including around a dangerous narrow bend on Hinkler Avenue on the corner of Taren Point Road and Gardere Street. Trucks that are working on developments in Hinkler Avenue get stuck coming around the narrow bend.
Owing to the proximity of Caringbah train station and Sutherland Hospital, there is no-on street parking available on Gardere Street, Flide Street and Taren Point Road during work hours. Cars are parked bumper to bumper. A minimum of two car spaces per unit should be provided for in this development and the development plans altered to widen both Gardere and Hinkler Streets.

This project will create traffic issues in both Taren Point Road and Hinkler Ave, which have inadequately been provided for in this proposal. These streets already struggle to cope with parking due to their proximity to Sutherland Hospital and the number of developments already in place, with it being rare to find parking in the street during the day. A development of this size would cause a bottle neck of traffic during peak hours, overflow from which would exacerbate traffic on the Kingsway (an incredibly busy road, especially during peak hours). This build would also negatively impact the quality of life of those in our building, 315 Taren Point road. It would overshadow many apartments and reduce visible sunlight, negatively impacting our already limited green spaces (such as our rooftop courtyard). This may impact the pricing of our properties if we wish to sell in the future - will there be compensation for such if this is the case?

Given that this proposal only includes 44 affordable housing units, this seems to be a detrimental proposition with costs outweighing potential benefits. We already have medical buildings in this precinct laying empty, so the ground floor medical business is unnecessary. The changes to traffic conditions have not been adequately provided for in this plan and the sheer size of this development is not just unsustainable, but would be detrimental to the immediate local community in Hinkler ave and Taren Point road.

Initial submission was for a 5 storey building, now it has increased to 8 floors.

As a resident in this area I would like to point out that Flide Street, Gardere Street, Hinkler Avenue and Old Taren Point Road do not have footpaths for pedestrians. Also given the proximity to the Sutherland Hospital, these roads, particularly Gardere Street and Flide Street are choked with people parking to go to work. This only leaves room for one car to move in one direction at any given time. THE COUNCIL NEED TO PUT IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO ALLOW THIS PROJECT TO PROCCED. IE. Road widening on all these streets, footpaths to be provided and roadside curbs completed. Currently due to lack of footpaths, Sylvanvale Disability Accommodation on Hinkler Avenue have to take residents on walks in their modified wheelchairs on the road where cars are also constantly moving through. Residents in the area also need to use the roads most of the time when walking their dogs etc. Also with the inclusion of this project the roads will not be able to cope with the additional parking requirements that will be placed on the area. Most households have 2 cars and parking on site in most cases only provides for 1 space. Until Council can complete road widening, footpaths and additional parking in this area (or allow hospital staff to park on hospital grounds at no cost), this project will cause major issues in the area and possibly even accidents and property damage.