Northern Beaches Hospital Concept & Stage 1

I am writing to express my opposition to the above development.
The plan originated with the Labour Government and was for a public hospital. Now at the 11th hour it has been replaced by a private hospital. Private hospitals do not work as demonstrated by the Port Macquarie Hospital.
Health for all should be fundamental to a civilised society. Underdeveloped countries have poor health care facilities so we send donations and aid. Yet this proposal deprives people on the Northern Beaches of true public health care.
My son suffers from mental health issues and has been hospitalised several times at Manly Hospital on one occasion for 6 months. This type of care is not provided by the private sector.
Emergency care also cannot be delivered on a private basis.
Aneurin Bevan was instrumental in setting up the National Health Service in the UK which remains today a cornerstoine of human support in the UK.
He said "The collective principle asserts that... no society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means."
A hospital where beds are decided by a private business cannot fairly distribute health care. It would be unworkable. The private system in the US is not a model to be followed because of its many well known shortcomings.
Further not enough beds are to be provided in the new hospital to cater for the needs of the community on Northern Beaches.
I want the hospital to be controlled by the State Government and if necessary it could `hire' out private beds based on availability.

I was wondering why we are wasting all this public money on a new hospital most of the northern beaches residents do not want, the logistics of people getting there from Palm Beach and all the suburbs out that way is a nightmare. (1) Wakehurst Parkway.. when it rains it floods and so far no one has been able to fix it, before any one could consider a hospital at Frenchs Forest they would have to completely remedy that huge problem. (2) Warringah Road.. in peak hour the cars are bumper to bumper, tell me how an ambulance could possibly get through...more major works and disruption to an already congested major road.

We have a hospital at Mona Vale that is in the perfect spot with loads of room to rebuild and upgrade with no major road works (the same as Royal North Shore did) there was no talk of moving that when it was too old. We also have Manly hospital which is in the same position it can be rebuilt and upgraded the same way. With the amount of tourists in the Manly area we need a fully functioning hospital there.

Just because the Labour Government who where in at the time made the (as usual not thought out properly decision) to put a hospital at Frenchs Forest does not mean it is the right decision (as we all know they made a lot of bad decisions for our State).

I would ask this Government to rethink this decision and not just follow like sheep what Labour says and make the right decisions for the North Shore.

I object to it on all the grounds listed.
1 destruction of local amenity
2 traffic and transport problems
3 environmental issues
4 health services distribution

I oopose the State significant Infrastructure Application No 5982 for a 10-storey Northern Beaches Hospital concept proposal and destruction of endangered forests:
1. Destruction of local amenity
2. Traffic and transport problems
3. Environmental issues
4. Health services distribution
I request that Application 5982 be referred to PAC (Planning Assessment Committee)

I oppose the State Significant Infrastructure Application No. 5982 concerning the Northern Beaches Hospital proposal for the following reasons:

* Development of a 10 storey building with overshadowing in what is essentially an urban area.
* Congestion in the surrounding residential streets resulting from hospital visitor parking. Unless hospital parking is free, many visitors will choose to park in surrounding streets. Free hospital parking should be included as part of the project and the cost of providing free hospital parking should be included in the assessment of the viability of the project.
* Additional traffic flow will cause congestion in Wakehurst Parkway, Warringah Road and Frenchs Forest Road, which are already beyond capacity.
* Wakehurst Parkway can be closed due to flooding during heavy rain.
* Air pollution and noise from increased traffic flow in the area, including cars, ambulances and helicopters.
* Increased traffic flow will increase the risk to students attending the adjacent Forest High School.
* Additional noise and pollution during the construction period.
* Loss of native bushland can't be offset by preserving bushland in another unconnected location.
* Loss of the existing public hospitals at Mona vale and Manly.

To whom it may concern.
I am in full agreement that the Northern Beaches area needs a new hospital. Over the years health services in our area have been badly neglected and whist our population increases and ages our hospital services are not keeping up.
What I do not agree with is the site that has been chosen for the new hospital for the following reasons:
Wakehurst Parkway and Warringah Road are already beyond capacity. I live a few streets away from the proposed site and the traffic around this area is often at gridlock.
The Wakehurst Parkway is often closed due to flooding and car accidents.
Continued population growth on the Northern Beaches will only increae the problem.
Already inadequate public transport with no major transport solutions planned.
Additional traffic movements ie ambulances, staff.patients, visitors, suppliers, waste disposal has been estimated at 10,000 per day will add to the traffic conjestion.
The area of the proposed hospital borders the local high school and residential areas, the impact on the local area will see overflowing parking in the already conjested local streets. Air polution from increaed traffic. Light pollution for residents at night along with noise pollution from helicopters, police and ambulance vehicles and cars.
The site and bulk will impact on the residences nearby.
This proposed site is a wildlife corridor between Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment and Manly Dam and Forestville Park. This site also has the largest southern stand of the endangered Duffy's Forest with unique species. If the site is develpoped it will see loss of habitat for swamp wallabies, sugar gliders and poweful owls. The idea that enviromental offsets cannot be remedied by preserving bushland in another unconnected location.
Why do the powers that be insist on this location as the best option? The money spent on the vital ungrades to the roads and infastructure would be better spent on providing health relates services to the cimmunity.
Why not consider looking for a better location that will not have such a huge impact on the local environment and the residents who have to co-exits with it?. I have a suggestion. There is a lot of land available that has better access and allows the ability to expand the hospital just up the road at the corner of Forestway and Mona Vale roads. Currently there is a Supa Centre and Bunnings and a Business Park.The road infrastructure is there. There is scope to increase public transport as buses could run up Mona Vale Road from Mona Vale, along Forestway from Frenchs Forest and down Mona Vale Road from the St Ives area. There are no schools and residents that would be affected, but over all there is better access and scope than the current proposal.
I would be very appreciative if your department would consider my suggestions.

Yours faithfully,

Linda Cahill

Whilst I understand the necessary intentions of the government's desire in improving health care accessibility for the Northern Beaches I STRONGLY OBJECT to the location chosen for this application (SSI 5982).
My main objection is due to the EIS confirming that this location is 'red flagged' and therefore I propose that notions of 'biodiversity banking' are invalid. The proposed disconnected off set area is also' red flagged' -therefore there is no credit, only the loss of an endangered (less than 15% left !!!!) important and irreplaceable ecological community. I consider this the equivalent of robbing Peter to pay Paul and this proposed offset to be an insult to the communities intelligence.
My other main concern on a humane level is that this area is an irreplaceable wildlife corridor. as well as a thriving habitat of many species of bird and wildlife. When the bulldozers move in it will be a massacre on the surrounding roads and the wildlife inhabitants that manage to flee or fly or are 'relocated' have little chance of survival out of their own territory. On an ecological level I believe that the destruction of this important remnant bushland amounts to a high level environmental white collar crime.
I also STRONGLY OPPOSE this application in accordance with the following important concerns as expressed by other members of the community being:

Concerns with the destruction of local amenity and the integral character of Frenchs Forest from this proposal due to:

* the construction of a10-storey building with resulting overshadowing
* Loss of bushland and its air cleaning function and loss of community green space
* Air pollution from increased traffic
* Noise pollution from helicopter, ambulance and cars
* Overflow parking in residential streets
* Light pollution at night


TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT PROBLEMS

* Warringah and Wakehurst Parkway Roads are already at or beyond capacity
* Intersection at proposed hospital site already gridlocked most working days
* Planned population increase on Northern Beaches (e.g. Warriewood) - retention of Mona Vale site is more viable
* Substantial additional traffic (expert's estimate 10,000 per day!): ambulances, staff, patients, visitors, suppliers, waste disposal


HEALTH SERVICES DISTRIBUTION

* Provision of public beds insufficient for future populations
* Privatising hospitals, focuses on profits, not provision of health care for all.
* Centralising for administrative convenience, does not provide health care where needed, e.g. Mona Vale and Manly.
* Loss of existing public community hospitals
* Proximity of new large hospital to existing Royal North Shore hospital.
(duplication of services)

With this submission I request that this Development Application be referred to PAC (Planning Assessment Committee)

Name:......Susan Foreman.............................. Date:21/11/13.............
Postal Address :26 Sylvia Place, Frenchs Forest, 2086
Email Address: [email protected]

HARD TO IMAGINE WHAT THE IMPACT ON TRAFFIC WILL BE LIKE. IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OUT OF OUR STREET NOW! MAJOR ROAD UPGRADES (OVER AND UNDER PASSES) NEED TO BE PERFORMED WAY BEFORE THE HOSPITAL CONSTRUCTION GETS UNDERWAY. WHY CAN'T MONA VALE BE REBUILT JUST LIKE NORTH SHORE IS - IT'S OBVIOUSLY POSSIBLE.

I am very concerned about the planning process for this proposed new hospital at Frenchs Forest. I believe it is not in the interest of Northern Beaches residents for the following reasons:
1. It will not be in the area closest to the centre of the NB and too close to RNSH; There is planned a large increase in residential buildings further up the peninsular and those residents will be disadvantaged in having to travel long distances for public hospital treatment
2. Traffic: Warringah Road is already at peak capacity and the amount of money required to upgrade both Warringah Road and Wakehurst Parkway will cost more than the building of the hospital, bottle necks will occur right down the roads coming into Warringah Road if there are accidents or other incidents.
3. Environmental: The site for the hospital is a known wildlife corridor for animals to move between Manly Dam, Narrabeen Lake and Garigal National Park. So far since the site has been fenced, there have been a number of fatalities of animals, namely Swamp Wallabies, who have lost their safe passage.
4. Loss of current community hospitals with public hospital bedsand the privatisation of the hospital, where private beds will take priority over public beds. It would be better to rebuild and retain the current two community hospitals of Manly and Mona Vale as functioning hospitals where the local residents can access health care for a variety of conditions, the majority do not require high level care.

I oppose this proposal on the grounds that a 10 story building is daft in this area, do you want to turn this area into another Dee Why! If you are going to close down Manly and Mona Vale hospital you are removing access to many suburbs due to the fact that the Wakehurst Parkway does not work, it floods and is only 1 lane either way and is always congested;

it will be an enormous waste of funding, when fiscally it appears to me to make more sense to upgrade what is already established and inline with being more available to the community. Lachlan Imrie

After spending 3 weeks at manly hospital with 2 bouts of pneumonia and a year later trying to navigate through North Shore's new super hospital with an eye injury , I feel I have some what of a feel for a community hospital verse a super hospital in regards to service and proximity;

Manly and Mona Vale hospital are some of the best hospitals I have ever been in and are local to all on the northern beaches, the 2 hospitals are located in perfect position to service the area as opposed to sending patients from all over the peninsula more than half way to North Shore hospital to receive medical care;

The new North Shore Hospital is a complete insult to tax payers of this state,fully aware of teething issues and fazing in programs it is just not working and never will.

There is no reason to close down 2 perfectly operational hospitals and spend millions on a single super hospital ( at the wrong site ) when we could put the money into the existing hospitals and ease the pressure on the hard working staff at a fraction of the cost, not to mention the environmental impact and change to the suburb, it has suffered enough after the federal government opened up crown land for development without helping with infrastructure,

the people that made this proposal clearly don't have I phones with GPS, blind freddy can see that Mona Vale, Manly and North Shore form a prefect triangle for dealing with our sick and injured , " hows 97 year old Betty going to feel when she has a stroke living in palm Beach and heads for hospital only to get turned back because the Parkway is flooded"

Tommy Knudsen.

Please consider the traffic impact on an area which is already heavily congested at peak times. The roads are not able to support the additional traffic a new hospital would bring.

As disruptive and as disturbing as this project will obviously be to the local community and the surrounding area, and as a local resident who is well and truly in the firing line, I am pragmatic enough to know that this type of infrastructure is needed for our area and for our city. So I am certainly not one to say 'not in my backyard'.

However, I firmly believe that there MUST be steps taken to mitigate the impact on the local residents - mainly impact from noise generated particularly by long term traffic changes. Although there will no doubt be other ramifications such as parking problems, that will impact on the community.

In my particular circumstances our house borders the reserve between Karingal Crescent and Warringah Road. I know that the widening of Warringah Rd is a potential change being considered by the RMS. This will impact myself and the other residents along the reserve massively. Suddenly we will have what is already a noisy road even closer to our houses and even noisier (thanks to the widening) than it was when we purchased our properties. I think any fair minded person would agree that this is a huge impost not only on our standard of (peaceful) living but also on the potential value of our land. This could potentially cost us residents hundreds of thousands of dollars!

So (and I assume others in our position) would submit that some type of compensation or some type of noise abatement measure (probably both) MUST be implement to ensure that the impact is reduced. I'm unsure what these measure would involve but potentially it could include erecting a noise barrier along the length of the reserve for both safety and noise abatement.

This is a serious issue, not only for those in my position but for the entire surrounding community. I believe we generally accept that this project is necessary however I think I speak for most of us when I say that the impact of noise and traffic MUST BE CONSIDERED CAREFULLY AND CONSIDERATELY.

Thanks
Tim

I object to the proposed new hospital based on:
Location is inappropriate for Frenchs Forest - totally out of character.
We are already well served through three hospitals now in RNS, Manly and Mona Vale.
Mona Vale Hospital can easily be upgraded to higher standards on vacant land already available at that site.
Manly need an upgrade.

Traffic is already a mess in Frenchs Forest and as yet no concrete plan has been put forward to develop an acceptable solution to the already over-crowded road network yet what will happen when a hospital is built.
The Wake Hurst Parkway is already flooded many times yearly and no concrete plan has been proposed to 1 - fix the flooding and 2 - increase the number of lanes on this road. Minister for Planning I have written to and he has never given me a defined outcome to this problem. Not good enough.

"Private" Hospital - that is totally a State Government "spring it on us" decision. We need public hospitals and not corporations seeking profit. Not in any Government promise. Again we are let down.

Our bush land is already suffering so this proposal will further adversely impact on our wild life.

Ten-storey hospital is certainly not appropriate here in the Forest.

While a new hospital is needed, Frenchs Forest is not the place for the following reasons:-

Once bushland is destroyed, it is lost forever, and the site is the habitat of various native animals.

There will be massive traffic problems, as the Wakehurst Parkway and Warringah Rd are regularly gridlocked, and the Wakehurst Parkway is regularly closed due to flooding which has occurred at least 6 times this year, including this last Monday. No plans have been exhibited for fixing this.

Land already exists for a hospital at Mona Vale, which could be built without closing the present hospital.

Public transport already exists along Pittwater and Mona Vale roads. where as Frenchs Forest is not easy to access.

The focus seems to be mainly on private operation and private beds, resulting on the loss of public beds. the hospitals Frenchs Forest is to replace are public hospitals.

I wish to object to the Hospital proposal. I have lived in FF all my life and feel the traffic congestion on Warringah Rd and the Wakehurst Parkway could not cope with the increased traffic. How will ambulances get up the Parkway when traffic is heavy, I had to move to the side of the road one afternoon when an ambulance was screaming up behind me to get to Narrabeen. How many lives will be lost due to Parkway closure when flooding occurs? This is a residential area that will be destroyed if this hospital goes thru, there is plenty of land available at the Mona Vale Rd/Terry Hills near Super Centre Belrose that could house a large Hospital and those roads could easily be upgraded without buying up peoples houses for road improvements.
I walk to work when I can due to the congestion of our roads but I also fear for my life each time I cross the pedestrian crossing at the start of the Parkway Narrabeen side as the cars speed to beat the oncoming traffic and don't observe the crossing. There will be many accidents if there is a hospital to contend with as well. This plan was put on the table 40 odd years ago FF has changed and increased in population since then. Plan for the future growth and move the Hospital some where else.

I am 100% against this hospital being built in Frenchs Forest,
Clearly the politicians who came up with this idea don't live in Frenchs forest. There is always bumper to bumper traffic on Warringah road and the parkway gets closed on a regular basis so how are people from Mona Vale ment to get to the hospital if it is closed? They will just make Frenchs Forest a nightmare, people will be sitting in Traffic for most of the day, The Forest High School will suffer and not to mention the Residents who have lived here for years.

This is a very simple submission to write. The Northern Beaches Hospital is to be sited in the wrong place. It will destroy a vital natural area of bushland which needs to be retained. The transport and traffic conditions in the immediate area will cause absolute many ongoing problems.
The dismissing of the Mona Vale Hospital as the site for the new Northern Beaches Hospital is rather short sighted and has not been completely researched. The Frenchs Forest site for the new hospital goes right against public opinion.
It appears that the idea for the Frenchs Forest site has been handed down by previous State Governments with no thought being given to current thinking and demand.

Please see the attached document outlining my strong objections to the proposal of the 10 - storey Northern Beaches Hospital due to the destructive impact on the following areas near my home in Frenchs Forest:
- Destruction of local amenities
- Traffic and transport problems
- Environmental issues
- Distribution of health services

See attachment