Mixed use development with in-fill affordable housing, 4 Delmar Parade and 812 Pittwater Road, Dee Why

See attached.

I object to the proposal.

Reasons for Objection:
Direct and indirect impacts on the environment and amenity of Stony Range Regional Botanic Gardens and Heritage Conservation Area.

The adverse impacts include:
• Overshadowing of well used areas within the Gardens
• Visual impact of adjoining high rise development with additional stories
• Increased intensity of development immediately adjoining the Gardens
• Potential changes to soil moisture due to excavation and seepage

There has been no adequate consultation with the many residents who visit Stony Range.

The proposal does not respect the important heritage values associated with the Gardens and the amenity it provides for the local and regional area.

The Regional Botanic Gardens provide an oasis of nature within Dee Why that is greatly appreciated by residents and visitors alike.

The proposal does not adequately address the cumulative social and environmental impacts on Stony Range.

The proposal is not suitable for the subject site adjoining Stony Range and would adversely impact on the integrity, fragility and amenity of the natural area within the Gardens.

Greater weight should be given to the regional status of the Botanic Gardens if its social and heritage values are be conserved and enjoyed in future years.

Re pedestrian link: Retain a setback for public access between steps (SE of the subject site) and Delmar Parade.

The subject site previously was not included within the Dee Why Town Centre Precinct. The height control for the subject site appears to be an oversight as it adjoins Stony Range and low density residential.

The map attached shows the approximate location of an easement to maintain a vital pedestrian access north to Dee Why shops and transport from the bottom of Tango Ave steps to Delmar Parade is. It supports my previous submission, submitted around 5pm today. Please connect the 2 submissions for consideration together by the panel.

Dear Sir,
I'm a volunteer at the Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden which will be negatively impacted by this new development. The development had its original height of 5 and 7 storey buildings approved, however now the developers wish to increase those heights.
At 7 storeys, there will be significant shadows on several important sections of the Garden, including the BBQ area, children's play area and the entrance, which will be detrimental to visitor use. Ironically, families who will live in the new development will be disappointed in the degraded utility of the Garden as will many residents of Dee Why and surrounding suburbs. Additionally, there will be less parking spaces available, which is impractical for visitors to the Garden.
Consequently, I think it's very important that the developers are not allowed to proceed with their wish to increase the heights of the buildings, since this would only worsen the impact.
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Martin

Hello,
I am writing to request an inclusion/amendment to the above development. It's a large area near the corner of Delmar Parade and Pittwater Rd.
I regularly use the steps from Tango Ave Dee Why (they run beside Stony Range Regional Botanic Gardens) down to near the corner of Delmar Parade and Pittwater Rd (just next to the proposed development). There are 80 steep steps.
Before the demolition of the buildings (currently underway) I (and many others) would walk through the business area's car park as a direct route to Delmar parade on my way to catch a bus or go shopping.
This means taking a right from the bottom of the steps. I would return this way too, usually carrying shopping.
Now there is a fence up to stop me from going that way which leaves the longer route of walking through the Garden's car park and along Pittwater Rd down to Delmar Parade past AVIS. The development would make this permanent.
Losing this convenient access to Delmar Parade makes the walk to Dee Why shops and buses longer and unpleasant, for example, in summer there is no shade along Pittwater Rd heading north for some time making it a hot addition to the walk. Further, there is a longer distance to traverse before there is cover from the rain.
It has turned a convenient public pathway to popular Dee Why destinations into something arduous for those living/working on the escarpment or headland between Dee Why and North Curl Curl. Be aware that one needs to preserve energy to climb the 80 steps to Tango Ave on the return walk.
Not being able to walk directly across this development area (once completed) to Delmar Parade will impact St Luke's staff and students and Delmar Private Hospital staff, patients and visitors as well as residents. There is no other practical way to walk to Dee Why shops and transport.
I am writing to request a public right of way (easement) for pedestrians through this development by the shortest possible route from the bottom of the stairs to Delmar Parade. It will be well used and appreciated by many people.
Without this option, I and many others will have to walk so much further on a path open to the elements before the cover of the shop fronts is available.
Blocking off this shortcut permanently will make the walk so much longer and more challenging. Walking should be encouraged not discouraged.
Pedestrians need to be considered especially due to the road pattern and terrain around Tango Ave (it curves and winds). The steps provide a vital connection to Dee Why shops and transport.
Please feel free to call me if you have questions.
Thank you for considering this important access issue and my request

I wish to strongly object to the modified development application regarding the new building at 4 Delmar Parade and 812 Pittwater Road.

The Southern Dee Why area is at bursting point already and there are many problems:

Excessive traffic on Delmar Parade causing long queues of cars trying to enter Pittwater Road especially at peak times, making exiting from 2 Delmar time consuming and stressful.
Delmar Parade is a narrow winding steep road and was never designed to carry the current volume of traffic. The surface is poor and in need of upgrading. Crossing the road as a pedestrian is dangerous. There is congestion from cars trying to get around Dee Why by using local streets as a rat run and exiting from Delmar parade back to Pittwater Road, and also a parade of mums and dads having just dropped off their children to the huge St Luke’s school above. I believe that these new buildings need direct access to Pittwater Road to relieve Delmar Parade.

The supply of utilities to the area is problematic, electricity has frequent disruptions at peak times, water mains pressure is minimal with several chronic leaks in the mains under the streets, internet is almost unusable at peak times, and mobile network coverage overloaded.

The area has become prone to flooding at times of sudden heavy rain, due to the massive increase in hard surfaces as houses are replaced with concrete, causing the local stormwater drains to be overloaded and the road to build up dams of water that cannot get away.

The loss of trees in the area - we no longer awake to birdsong but noisy cars, trucks and motorbikes. The local native birds have left as their trees have been felled.

The local transport in the area is relying on a city bus service that is overloaded in peak times - the cue often runs hundreds of meters long and buses do not even stop because they are already full. Travel to any other destination is slow by 'all stops' buses or falls back to cars, on roads already overloaded in peak times, as cars from north areas try to move through the Dee Why area bringing local traffic to a standstill. Parking in the area is difficult at best, the reality is that there will be many more people driving cars looking for street parking with the new building parking that does not exist.

The area is deteriorating rapidly with discarded pizza boxes and liquor bottles, abandoned shopping trolleys, rubbish and furniture dumped, dog faeces and urine, and litter.
All the signs of an overdeveloped area with no leisure areas reserved no green space.

My issue is also the rooftop entertainment area proposed.
I believe the addition of these areas will cause excessive noise from parties on the rooftop due to the areas height and proximity to our living area and bedroom windows. Any noise echoes around the adjacent buildings already.

I also object to any increase in the proposed height of the building as exceeding the current 16m limit will create shading to the neighbouring area and excessive wind shear.

I am concerned that a three level basement will affect the groundwater/ water table significantly, draining reserves in the ground used by the trees of neighbouring Stoney Range Nature reserve during drought times, and the effect of shading and wind on the health of the flora.

I am not an architect or a builder, so I have trouble determining the effect of the other changes proposed, especially given the bloated nature of the plan files, and trust that due consideration of the changes will be thoroughly done. However I also note that studies presented in the Environmental Impact Statements are commissioned and paid for by Landmark, none are truly independent. Some have laughable exaggerations, twisting of the truth, missing crucial information and I wonder if the persons writing the reports actually visited the area during peak hours, or simply sat in their office and used google.

Thank you for listening,
Ray

Good afternoon
Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on this proposal. I express my strong opposition to this development. The building abuts an iconic and preserved natural bushland, Stony Range which is a haven for local flora and fauna and has been a popular destination for the community for many decades. It is a bushland oasis that houses several microclimates in the middle of a busy urban area. This development will impact its future as a local haven for the community who visit for bushwalks, picnics and special functions in a serene native setting. It also serves as an important source of education for our schools on local flora and fauna. The increased height of the building will mean even more shadowing of high use areas, particularly the entry and picnic BBQ and play area which will negatively impact the visitor experience. It will also affect the small parking area as trucks use the parking area as an access point to enter the development. This native bushland is a local treasure nurtured for decades by a group of dedicated volunteers, and it saddens me to think it is being treated as a secondary consideration to a large development proposal that could be done elsewhere with less impact on our natural environment. As our green spaces and native bushland gradually disappear to make way for urban development, these natural havens are needed more than ever as an escape from the stress and worries of daily life and a balm for our mental health and wellbeing.

While I object to the project overall, I can see that site preparation has already started (15/5/24).
I'm of the opinion that the road and public transport infrastructure around the proposed development is totally inadequate and will not cope with such a large influx of vehicle/people.
Also the original projects building heights have increased in the new developmental proposal to 9 stories. This is unacceptable and will add further shadow to the surrounding buildings, blocking their access to sunlight. This aspect is particularly important and such high buildings will adversely affect peoples health, plant/tree growth and native fauna populations.
The shadows cast over Stony Range Botanical Reserve will negatively impact the childrens playground and a number of rare native trees which require sunlight to thrive.
I am a volunteer at Stony Range and the existing number car parking spaces are being drastically reduced. These are used by the general public and volunteers. The proposed number of spaces will discourage volunteers from coming to the maintain the Reserve. The result will be Dee Why's"Gem of Nature" falling into disrepair.
There is also the issue of the development being too far(>500metres) from the B1 and 160X bus terminal.
In conclusion, if the development must go ahead, maintain the initial proposals height restrictions (5 and 6 stories, I believe), increase the number of car spaces available to Stony Range volunteers and address the transport issues outlined above.
I look forward to your responses.

I wish to strongly object to the amended D/A proposal to add two more storeys to development already approved at this site, which, if approved, which will shade out even more of Stony Range Regional Regional Botanic Garden than the already recently approved development.



Stony Range Flora and Flora Reserve was officially opened in 1961 and a small army of dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly to rehabilitate, protect and enhance the reserve in the more than sixty subsequent years. Stony Range was proclaimed a Regional Botanic Garden for the Northern Beaches in 2006. It is a wonderful natural asset for the district, a stunning bushland oasis, with a variety of features which volunteers have created and maintained over the decades including a network of undulating pathways, planted ferneries, palm, rainforest and native grassland sections, volunteer-instigated projects such as Federation Cascades, ponds, and features such as a plant nursery, children’s play areas, a BBQ area and a small auditorium. A sanctuary with sandstone rock outcrops and remnant bushland areas for native wildlife, Stony Range is a quiet refuge from busy, increasingly urbanised Dee Why.

The proposal to fevelop even higher - with a nine-storey and a six/seven storey tower adjacent to Stony Range native vegetation, will reduce sunlight to the reserve even more, especially in late autumn and winter. Excessive and increased shading will cause damage to flora through increased dampness & reduced sunlight and is likely to result in plant and tree loss. The specialist microclimates in the reserve will be impacted by increased shading, not only in the immediate area of shading, but also in the adjacent areas. The Corkery Building too is likely to be permanently shaded in winter making this pivotal area very cold and bleak in winter, compared with the sunny aspect it has enjoyed in previous decades.

It will also block sunlight to the visitor recreation area on the northern section of the reserve, which could become a cold, sunless area in winter, instead of the pleasant place for visitors it is at present.

Looming multi-storey towers next to the entrance to a Regional Botanic Garden is also aesthetically unappealing. It is surprising that there were not existing height restrictions already in place on properties adjacent to the Regional Botanic Gardens to protect this wonderful local asset from being permanently impacted by inappropriate over-development and this would have prevented the previously D/A from being approved. The lack of a two-three storey height restruction seems to have been a major oversight by former Warringah Council which was not rectified by the amalgamated Northern Beaches Council, in terms of protecting this wonderful natural asset.


Also the Flora and Fauna Assessment Report identifies four vulnerable species in the area affected by winter shading which could see these rare plants struggle to survive. Such plants are not easy to replace.

Finally, the impact on the small parking area is significant. Previously, the developers applied to Northern Beaches Council to use the Stony Range carpark as a ‘construction zone’ meaning builder’s vehicles and trucks would utilise the capark, leaving few spaces for the volunteers, making it difficult for them to access the Gardens.
I urge NSW Planning to not allow this amended D/A for an increase in the height of the towers to be rejected.

The bulk arppvoed development application shall be reject due to the below reasons:

1. local traffic: local traffic infrustrature shall be improved before appove these delveopment;
2. view loss: 10 storey building shall be appoved in the city center, these proposal leads to our view loss(ocean view);
3. bulky apprecence: bulk developments create unfit outlook of the local area. deewhy is just a local beach front suburb. not a major city center

Please see attachment.

State Significant Development SSD-68230714

I wish to register my deep sadness at the new application to extend the height of the extremely un-neighbourly development beside the treasured Stony Range Botanic Garden in Dee Why.

It appears to be a greedy add-on justified by what? Politics?

There are precious few green spaces in the Dee Why zone so why endanger the viability of Stony Range by huge over-shadowing and gross restriction of its meager parking area?

The valiant volunteers who maintain this wonderful space must be mortified.

Hello,

I have a number of concerns regarding the proposed development of this site, located adjacent to Stony Range Botanical Gardens, summarised below:

1. I am deeply concerned about the potential overshadowing of the Stony Range site due to the excessive height of the proposed development. Stony Range is a unique oasis within the higher density area of Dee Why and provides refuge to numerous animal and human species. I lived close to Stony Range for a number of years and would often walk and picnic there with my young children. It is not uncommon to see a diversity of wildlife and plant-life there, which will be threatened by the impacts of the development should it go ahead. The committee at Stony Range have done a wonderful job of rehabilitating that site over many, many years and it is a brilliant asset to the community, particularly with the environmental and educational, child-friendly events they run there throughout the year. I fear that by negatively impacting the gardens and severely detracting from visitors' experiences in going there (for instance, through lack of sunlight and seeing huge apartment blocks instead of the stunning trees that are currently there), the gardens will become a lost treasure to the people of the Northern Beaches and those who travel from farther afield to enjoy them.

2. Stony Range is serviced by a small car park, which will be inaccessible if the developers are allowed to use this as a construction zone. Regardless of whether they obtain formal approval to use that parking zone during construction, there is no doubt that subcontractors will overwhelm that car park, making it unavailable for people wishing to commute to Stony Range Gardens.

3. As a former resident of Bushey Place, Dee Why, I would regularly travel on Delmar Pde by car and also on foot. It is a relatively narrow street with long sections too narrow to even allow on street parking, and reduced visibility. There has long been an issue with cars speeding or driving in an unsafe manner, particularly travelling west down Delmar on to Pittwater Road. I am deeply concerned that any decision to allow a further ~280 dwellings (and potentially in excess of 400 new cars) on that street will make it incredibly unsafe for pedestrians and drivers alike. Delmar Pde simply is not suited to such a heavy influx of vehicles. Not only this, but the congestion caused by the increase in vehicles will potentially pose a risk to paramedics and patient transports to the Delmar Private Hospital, located at the top of Delmar Pde.

4. There is inadequate traffic conditions connecting Delmar Pde to Pittwater Road. Allowing such a huge number of additional vehicles to park on and seek access on/off Delmar Pde and Pittwater Road will lead to an unacceptable level of traffic congestion in that area. It is worth noting that there is no right hand turn from Pittwater Road onto Delmar Pde when travelling northbound between the hours of 6am-10am. This means that those wishing to travel to 4 Delmar will need to access via surrounding streets, adding to congestion issues on those streets also.

5. A development of this size and scale is simply not within keeping with the nature of other developments and living on the Northern Beaches. The push to increase housing density for the sheer sake of it, by developers who have no interest in the communities in which they are proposing to erect these mhuge developments, is irresponsible and short-sighted.

I am worried that the development will severely impact Stony Range and will cut off its natural light...it is extremely important to keep any green spaces protected for the local community...what are the restrictions & how will they be adhered to??This morning all the mature trees at the front of this development were ripped out of the ground ...will they be replaced with trees of the same height or will it be a few wilting Moraya's in their place

I object to the developers current application to increase the amount of apartments and building heights. It's the oldest ploy in the developers book, get approval, then push for more. This development overlooks and will overshadow the Stoney Range
Reserve, which is a very important habitat for local wildlife, in an area that already has one of the highest density of population in NSW.