Indigo By Moran - 156 Ocean Street Narrabeen

We oppose the application as we are concerned about the increased traffic congestion that will be created with 149 apartments having 2 car spaces each in Lagoon st which currently is a fairly quiet street.
We also believe the 6 story height of the building is out of character for Narrabeens coastal feel .
We are also concerned about the disruption we will have once construction starts which will last for several years of having trucks and tradies vehicles clogging the streets when parking spaces available on the streets are already at a shortage.

While I understand the need for housing solutions for Australia's aging population, I don't believe this is it. I object mainly to the size of the development (an entire 50% taller than anything else in the 1km+ radius) and lack of adequate parking given the number of units (which will impact the congestion on a quiet residential street). I invite you to observe Ocean Street on a Friday morning during bin collection to see the street almost cannot cope with just that.
With only 10 residential care rooms, I struggle to see how this serves any purpose in solving the housing for Australia's aging population beyond for the the wealthy few who can afford the units and obviously the developer. It also doesn't feel as if the developers considered the local community at all (it is completely out of character for the area). I would like to reiterate that I would support a revised development that wasn't so large and showed some level of community consultation and addresses the concerns (size, parking, traffic, flood table etc).

To whom it may concern,
Upon review of the DA submitted and proposed at Indigo St, Narrabeen, NSW - I strongly object. The proposed apartment complex is not only an imposing structure on neighbouring properties, that does not provide affordable housing or amenities to the numerous young families and long term local residents but also impacts privacy, security and lifestyle of those home owners that surround the proposed site. It is not in keeping with the quiet lifestyle that Narrabeen is known for, will drive up housing prices in an already inflated market (limiting accessibility for young local families to stay in area) and will put significant strain on local resources including limited street parking, small and under developed local schools, limited childcare and public transport options.

Dear Sirs/Madam
We write to object to the proposed Indigo development on Ocean Street, Narrabeen.
According to the NSW State Government’s own design guide for development
applications,(quote)” good design achieves scale, bulk and height appropriate to
the existing or desired future character on the street and surrounding
buildings.”
As outlined below, this proposal breaks those requirements in a number of ways. It
also contravenes numerous local Northern Beaches council requirements (including
a height limit of 8.5 metres (!) in the local R3 zoned environ.)
The scale of the proposed monolithic development overpowers all existing
developments on or near the Ocean Street site. As seen on the submitted solar
access diagram (22 June) it visually absolutely dominates an entire block
surrounded by Ocean Street, Octavia Street and Lagoon Street, overwhelming all
adjacent properties. The proposal is for a five story plus roof terrace above ground
construction, effectively a six story development. The highest buildings on Ocean
Street are maximum four stories.
The height of the proposed construction would result in three of the floors of
apartments and terraces much higher than any local homes, effectively overlooking
and invading the privacy of numerous local homes. It would also steal the precious
northern sunlight from its southern neighbours (as confirmed on the submitted height
plane diagram!). The inevitable increase in vehicular traffic entering and exiting the
complex will also strain the local traffic infrastructure.
The proposal is for a massive development, hugely bigger than anything else in the
area, and guaranteed to be an eyesore. It is on a scale that far exceeds anything
else in the area.
It would destroy the long established and much treasured environment-friendly
nature of the surrounding area.
Ocean Street is on a narrow spit of land, effectively a long sandhill, running between
the Narrabeen Lagoon and the Ocean. Irrespective of any engineering methodology
employed, an enterprise of this size, with three (!) underground parking floors, will
inevitably impact the water table of this fragile environment, with unpredictable
but significant adverse effects.
Careful examination of the proposed plans reveals what is effectively a complex of
multi-bedroom luxury apartments, with facilities aimed at attracting wealthy owners,
not local retirees impacted by the current housing shortage. There is very little
planned communal space (communal lounge rooms, meeting spaces and the like) to
suggest a genuine intention to provide a retirement facility. The plans reveal an
obvious intention to produce a huge multi apartment private complex, rather than a
meaningful contribution to housing for the elderly.
As residents of 1/163 Ocean St, we strongly object to the proposed Indigo by Moran
development.
Yours faithfully,

Pamela Sonnabend, B.Eng
Emeritus Professor David Sonnabend A.M., FRACS

The proposed development is grossly out of character with the local area, is unacceptably dominating and imposing and changes the atmosphere of what is currently a relaxed beachside suburb. The parking and traffic will be negatively affected by a development of this size especially given the planned off street parking allowances and as someone driving this area at least twice a day every week day, I know how bad the traffic already gets along Lagoon and Ocean Streets and the street parking is already notoriously difficult in the area. I am not opposed to development that is in keeping with the local area and respects and aligns with the character of the area that current residents are entitled to retain. This development does not meet those expectations and it needs to be scaled back in size. I vehemently oppose this development as it currently is planned. There must be a distinction recognised between “development” and “overdevelopment” and I request that this recognition be displayed by the government by the rejection of this development at its current size and number of stories.

The entire development is out of character for the area and completely unnecessary. We have enough housing for our community. It’s too big and ugly. And most of all too expensive. Who has 3M in their back pocket ?????

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am strictly opposing the development proposal at 156 Ocean Street, Narrabeen NSW 2101.
The reasons for my objection are:
- the height of the development is not in keeping with the surrounding neighbourhood and if it was to go ahead, would encourage more of these developments to occur.
- increasing the number of residents in Narrabeen and surrounding suburbs puts further strain on our traffic management and transport system. When there is heavy rainfall it doesn’t take much for Wakehurst Parkway to be closed and Mona Vale Road requires further repairs to make it safe.
- the removal of Norfolk pine trees which have been there for decades and the effect this will have on our local wildlife.
- Narrabeen was not mentioned as one of the suburbs along the Northern Beaches which is targeted for an increase in housing by the NSW State Government.
- total overdevelopment of this site. Not enough onsite parking spots supplied for this development which will cause more cars on the street where there already is a shortage of parking spots.
Thank you for your consideration and I trust the right decision will be made for the local community.
Kind regards,
Sandra Hall

I live in Lagoon Street, across the street from the proposed development, and will be directly impacted by the proposed development

The project represents a gross overdevelopment of the site in terms of size, proposed number of residents and vehicles. In addition there are issues in relation to traffic, privacy, amenity and public safety.

This small isthmus in Narrabeen is unique on the Northern Beaches and I urge the members of State Planning to visit the site to familiarise themselves with the unique challenges presented by this proposed overdevelopment and its incompatibility with the surrounding neighbourhood.

The proposed height is at least double that of the surrounding residences and completely out of character with the surrounding locale. The submission would not meet Local Government planning protocols. Overshadowing to the south would be significant. Height and oversight from balconies would impact privacy in all surrounding homes and existing rooftops (meeting local government planning protocols) would be overlooked, losing privacy completely, including my home.

Traffic in surrounding streets has already been the subject of Local Government review with proposals including a number of one way streets, traffic calming and street parking space reductions. The current population of this small isthmus already cannot find parking on the streets adjacent to their homes and the street parking adjacent to this development is at capacity. Where are the cars of the residents to be parked given insufficient parking provided within the development site? Where will the visitors to the residents of the development park?

The addition of 149 residences (2 and 3 bedrooms) (potentially 4-6 residents per apartment) represents a significant increase in population and vehicles for this very narrow strip of land surrounded by water. In the event of flooding or emergency the ability to quickly move that many more people and vehicles away from the area would be impacted.

This is a flood risk zone. The development proposes 3 levels of underground parking. What allowance has been made for basement flooding?

This is not affordable living and is unlikely to be a viable alternative for many of the locals in the over 60 demographic seeking to down size.

Commercial motive should not override common sense and considered planning. This can be done better.

I object to the proposed development based on height and Narrabeen does not fall into the LMR. The highest building for narrabeen is no more than 4 floors this is proposed to six, arguably local council would not allow this monstrosity and the external money grabbing company to take advantage of over 60yrs with a minimum sales of $3m + the new sits should be like for like height and build in the new LMR dedicated zones if they want to build for the over 55s.

This Proposal for 156-164 Ocean Street, 81-81A Lagoon Street and 8 Octavia Street Narrabeen states it will dig down 3 levels to provide parking. That is digging into a known flood zone and will not only create problems for all those living there and all those surrounding this, it will place in danger those who may live there.

The infrastructure does not support the increased number of people and traffic to Ocean street and the surrounding areas. Ocean street already struggles with the traffic at present and with the substantial increase in the number of cars and people parking in the surrounding areas this will create more congestion, accidents and displace current residents as the unit blocks surrounding usually only have enough parking for one car. The amount of rubbish has increased over the years and I collect a bag of rubbish each time I go for a walk around Ocean street, the north narrabeen area including the rock pool and the lake. The council services only include mowing and landscaping and do not include picking up rubbish. The amount of people during peak summer times is constantly increasing including parking which is not policed by parking rangers. So people coming to the area for the day are parking all day in the surrounding streets clogging up the parking areas which will only get worse if this development is approved. The public transport system is also not able to accommodate a significant increase in population as services are already being cancelled regularly or the buses are at capacity before they get to Narrabeen main. The proposed building is too large to accommodate the current infrastructure and also does not keep in with the existing surrounding housing. This will create a precedent for mega developments that do not belong in a coastal area with delicate eco systems and narrow streets, limited parking for residents and extremely lacklustre council maintenance and rubbish collection.

1/ The height level of the project is excessive and severely impacts the amenity of the surrounding properties completely eliminating sunshine to them particularly in Loftus st.
2/ Increased traffic flow will increase the danger for the large number of children within our local community particularly those attending the local schools and child care facilities .
3/Council have already proposed installing speed humps and round a bouts in Ocean and Lagoon streets and lowering the speed limit to 40kph due to the already high volume of local traffic.
4/Side streets joining Ocean and Lagoon streets are very narrow and only allow one vehicle in either direction because of the high number of vehicles already parking on these streets. This project will only increase this parking problem.
5/ The scale of the project has to be reduced to a maximum of 3 floors and allow for sufficient onsite parking for residents (2 car spaces each) plus 20% visitors car spaces, so as to not increase the already congested streets in Narrabeen.

I object to the size of the proposed building. I do not want to see the overdevelopment of Narrabeen. Please preserve the character of the suburb. Do not sell it out for the financial benefit of developers.

I don't understand how this proposal fits into the Planning System. All these new laws being legislated claim to be simplifying the Planning System, yet is just adding more & more layers of complexity.

I somewhat understand the new policies regarding Transport Oriented Developments & the Low-Mid Rise Development pathways, however this proposal at 156 Ocean Street Narrabeen is neither. If this proposal was within 800m of the government's nominated areas, then I could understand it & get onboard, but it isn't. This proposal is about 3km from the nearest nominated LMR area (Mona Vale) so it beggars belief as to how/why it can be considered. If developers have free reign to propose these develoments wherever they like, what is the point of the TOD/LMR legislation? It's one thing to undemine the public's confidence in the system, but this is undemining the government's very own legislation!

It is one thing to open up NSW Planning legislation to enable the fast tracking of new developments, but the suppport of the public & local communities is severely eroded when developers can simply upsize their proposals until it hits the Major Projects value threshold & bypass Local Council regulations that have been subject to extensive community consultation. It reeks of subterfuge & perceptions of corruption & back office deals will pervade the public's view of these proposals. What we need is a clear & unambiguous planning system where both the developers & general public know where/when new developments can occur & their typical size & scope. These "Major Projects" proposals are largely being viewed as a back door sneaky way to overdevelop otherwise non-conforming developments.

I also object to the addittional density permissibilities given to developments that incorporate affordable housing provisions. In general I support affordable housing, which is admirable in its objectives of ensuring that essential workers can afford to live in communities, however the 10 year limit severerly erodes these ideals. Who would feel comfortable moving into an affordable housing situation when they know that after 10 years they will be forced to move on, when the developers can finally sell the dwelling? The affodrable housing provisions are essentially giving free money to the developers, albeit being deferred for 10 years. The affordable housing provisions need to be made permanent upon these dwelling with a legally binding covenent upon the title, so that the essential workers in our community have assurances & are not treated like itinerants every 10 years. This housing affordability crisis is not going to be solved in 10 years.

Also, if these type of proposals are being accepted in any location, how does this affect infrastructure planning? All schools, roads, hospitals, utilities & emergency service administrations plan & prepare their future requiremnts several years in advance. This is relatively a simple forecasting task using population projections knowing where future growth is likely to occur, but this willy-nilly approach where developers can propose anything anywhere will severly undermine the future livability of communities. Infrastructure shortcomings are highly likey to occur with this lack of proper planning.

As a result I totally object to this development proceeding. It is out of place with the legislation & corrupts the planning process established for the benefit & assurances of the community & developers.

no community benefit. over development. traffic and safety hazards. this little street cannot support such a big development, this will bring over 300 vehicles, there is risk of flooding and environmental destruction. the community does NOT support this development.

Parking is already hard enough to find on this street and the road is congested all the time. There doesn’t seem to be ample solution to parking or catering for guests and we don’t want narrabeen to be turned into the gold coast. This isn’t the right construction for this area and I feel minimal thought has gone into traffic flow and parking and is just a money grab

Objection to development by Indigo by Moran - SSD-76220734
Thank you for consideration of my objection to the proposed development noted above.
I would like to object to the building height of the development that is not permissible under both current State & Local Govt. planning regulations. Whilst not against senior living/aged care on this site this development requires modification to address the matters raised in my submission attached.
Kind regards
Alex & Fiona Nicol

As a resident living directly on Lagoon St, I have a critical and immediate view on the proposed development. The scale, bulk, and design of this project will directly and permanently impact the character, amenity, and environment of our street and local area.

The proposal includes significant, deep excavation for a 3-level basement car park. This area is known to be situated over or near a high natural water table, given its proximity to the coast and lagoon.

Digging so deeply into the water table presents a severe and unacceptable risk of settlement, structural instability, and cracking to adjoining residential properties. The interruption of natural groundwater flow is a major geotechnical hazard that must be fully asessed.

Deep excavation can disturb acid sulfate soils or push contaminants into the surrounding groundwater system. This poses a direct environmental risk to the local ecosystem and the broader aquatic health of the lagoon.

Any dewatering required during construction to manage groundwater infiltration will introduce noise, truck movements, and potentially alter the water table level in a manner that affects mature street trees and existing foundations.

The proposed five-storey structure with 149 Independent Living Units is grossly excessive in scale and bulk compared to the surrounding residential fabric of Lagoon and Ocean St.
The height and sheer mass of the structure will create an over-dominance that fundamentally changes the streetscape and diminishes the existing low-density character of the area.

The bulk will inevitably result in significant loss of sunlight to neighbouring properties and public areas, and an unnecessary loss of privacy and views for local residents.

The three-level basement with 192 car spaces highlights the residential intensity. Despite the ILU status, this volume of traffic generation will place undue strain on our narrow local streets, particularly on Lagoon and Ocean St during peak visitation and construction periods.

I concur with community concerns that the proposal is strategically structured to exploit Seniors Housing planning legislation (SEPP). The core of this issue is:
- The ratio of 149 Independent Living Units (luxury residential apartments) to a mere 10 Residential Aged Care beds demonstrates that the primary function of the development is profit-driven high-density housing, not the provision of essential community aged care.
- The Applicant is seeking significant Floor Space Ratio (FSR) bonuses designed to encourage the delivery of care infrastructure, yet they are providing a minimal fraction of the necessary care beds. This abuse of the incentive renders the resultant scale and bulk inappropriate for the site.

I strongly to this DA. The risks associated with the deep basement excavation into the water table, coupled with the inappropriate bulk and scale of a project that fundamentally misuses planning mechanisms, make this proposal untenable. The Council and NSW government must uphold its duty to protect the local amenity and environment by refusing the application.

Not in community interest

Being a homeowner very on the same street as the proposed development, I strongly object to a six storey building in an area where 3 storeys are the limit. Six storeys spanning a whole block would create shadows across existing homes, invade privacy and restrict natural light and devaluing property prices. The building would look totally out of character for the area and with the proposed 149 units the increase in traffic along Ocean Street and Lagoon Street would be unreasonable. This project seems like a huge money making scheme without any regard of the local area and residents. If this proposal goes ahead it would set a very alarming precedent for future projects which would ruin our area.