Northern Beaches Hospital Concept & Stage 1

We wish to object based on the already congested intersection of Wakehurst Parkway and Warringah Rd

Support proposed hospital development subject to timely provision of supporting infrastructure as outlined in the SHOROC submission.

This proposal has significant issues still unresolved which are causing community concerns. To proceed with it before resolution of these are addressed would be irresponsible.

This is not a satisfactory location for such a facility:
1. It is not central to the Northern Beaches area, either geographically or demographically. It is only 20 (outside peak hour) minutes from the existing Major Facility at Royal North Shore, but 40 minutes (outside peak hour) from Palm Beach at the northern end of the region. Once Mona Vale Hospital is downgraded (as is planned if this project is completed) emergency cases will have an unacceptable access time, especially if Wakehurst Parkway is flooded, as is common following prolonged or intense wet weather. This could create life-threatening situations for acute patients trying to access the hospital.
2. There is already significant peak hour traffic congestion in the area. Before a facility such as this hospital is built the traffic congestion needs to be addressed through major road works that are projected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars but which have not yet been comprehensively budgeted. This cost will be borne by the government, unlike the cost of the hospital which has a significant private component. If this project is to be viable, the roadworks must be completed FIRST.
3.Unlike Mona Vale or RNS it is in a residential area with no buffer zone between the proposed hospital and surrounding residences. The hospital on this site has been consistently opposed by the community, a fact of which Mr Hazzard is well aware following his presence at community consultations. On the other hand, the maintaining and expanding of Mona Vale hospital has significant community support, as evidenced by the petition with over 10,000 signatures that was tabled in parliament. Unfortunately none of our local members bothered to turn up for this event-a significant one to the community they were elected to represent.
4. The area is poorly serviced by public transport. There are no trains and the main public bus transport corridor in the area is along Pittwater road through Brookvale, over the spit bridge to Mosman. Perhaps the Brookvale Bus depot-much more central to the area would be a better location-on the public transport corridor, no endangered ecology, no adjacent residential area.

The hospital proposed for this location will lead to public hospital care in the region being downgraded.
1. If this hospital is built, Manly Hospital will close down and Mona Vale will be downgraded, possibly to be closed in future. The minister has refused to rule out the sale of 'surplus' land on this site. This will lead to the loss of a significant number of public hospital beds.
2. The proposed hospital will be built and managed by a private company, hence run for profit, with public patient care sacrificed to maximise profit. This has already occurred with similar public/private partnerships at Royal North Shore and Port Macquarie-the precedent has certainly been set! This new development will NOT be a public hospital- a fact that has not been made explicit in public announcements concerning the hospital.

The proposed hospital will have disastrous environmental impact.
1. The site is the habitat for a number of protected flora and fauna and is the largest southern stand of the endangered Duffy's Forest Ecological Community. It is an active and irreplaceable wildlife corridor between three substantial reserves. Being a hilltop site it also fulfils an important functions as a butterfly breeding site and a habitat for other flora and fauna dependent on their life cycle. Being a hilltop site, visual amenity in the surrounding region will also be adversely effected.
2. P&J Smith, respected environmental consultants have reviewed the biodiversity aspects of the EIS and concluded the impacts would be "severe" and that the proposed offset (a ridiculous idea when attempting to protect an endangered local ecological community) were "grossly inadequate".

the hospital proposal will be placed in the wrong area and should be stopped immediately and returned to Mona Vale Hospital Site. The traffic in the immediate area is already at over capacity with no area to expand. To propose the staff and delivery entrance to be on Warringah Rd in cause more accidents than already occurs. The main entrance on Frenchs Forest Rd will be a disaster with only a small road that is already at gridlock. The fact that this hospital should be a public one and not private means that this government has already gone back on their word. This development should be stopped immediately and moved to a much better area.

traffic congestion ,land area too small no room for expansion,hospital bounded by three major roads,going to destroy bush land.

The proposed hospital site is not suitable and the project should be abandoned in favour of redeveloping Mona Vale Hospital for the following reasons:

1. The traffic at this location is already bad and getting worse by the day. I have been commuting along the Wakehurst Parkway between Narrabeen and Warringah Road since 1992 and I deal first hand with the increasing demands on this road in particular at the Warringah Rd intersection with the Wakehurst Parkway. The added traffic caused by Hospital staff will exacerbate the traffic chaos in the morning and afternoon making it very difficult for emergency vehicles attempting to get to the hospital.

2. The bushland on the hospital site is a small area of the Duffy's Forest Ecological community and should be preserved. Furthermore this site acts as a wildlife corridor between areas of bushland to the North and South and should be preserved for this reason.

3. The Ecological survey done is inadequate - this statement is supported by the recent damming review of the original survey done by Smith and Smith.

4. A 10 story building is out of character for this area - compare the 3-4 stories building in the commercial area to the SE of the proposed site.

5. We do not need another private hospital - there are private hospitals at the San and North Shore. We need another PUBLIC hospital and that should be on the existing Mona Vale site. Our aging population needs public hospitals as they have less disposable income to pay the high prices charged by private practitioners.

I am submitting my opposition to the the State Significant Infrastructure Application No 5982 for a 10-storey
Northern Beaches Hospital concept proposal and the destruction of endangered forest:

My reasons for objection are as follows:

1 ) ENVIRONMENTAL
* The loss of habitat for flora and fauna, e.g. swamp wallabies, sugar gliders, and other endangered species
* The destruction of corridors for wildlife between the areas of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment and (a) Manly Dam (b) Forestville Park (Garigal National Park)

2 ) HEALTH SERVICES
* The provision of public beds are below what was promised initially
* The loss of existing public community hospitals at Mona Vale and Manly


3 ) TRAFFIC & TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS
* Population growth on Northern Beaches (e.g Warriewood) will increase the already congested traffic problems that we experience
* Wakehurst Parkway and Warringah Road beyond capacity. It now takes me 50% longer each day than it did 10 years ago (for me that is 1 additional hour each day) to travel to and from my place of work .
*The Northern Beaches has only three main roads out and they are above their maximum capacity now

I oppose the State Significant Infrastructure Application No 5982 for a 10-storey Northern Beaches Hospital concept proposal and destruction of endangered forest:

This hospital has been talked about for a long time but is opposed on many issues and is short-sighted planning.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
- Destruction of irreplaceable wildlife corridors between Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment and (a) Manly Dam (b) Forestville Park (Garigal National Park).
- Loss of habitat for flora and fauna, e.g. swamp wallabies, sugar gliders, powerful owls and numerous endangered plant species.

HEALTH SERVICES DISTRIBUTION
- The proximity of the planned new 10-storey hospital is within 20mins drive to newly rebuilt Royal North Shore Hospital and thus a duplication of services.
- Loss of existing public community hospitals at Mona Vale and Manly when recent studiesshow that community hospitals in beautiful locations such as Manly and Mona Vale are more effective in promoting healing. The 21st century technology allows medical staff to treat their patients in community hospitals while being instructed by expert practitioners from afar.

TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT PROBLEMS
- Wakehurst Parkway regularly closed due to flooding and motor vehicle accidents.
- Intersection at hospital site unsuitable and gridlocked every day and polluted with traffic fumes.

I oppose the State Significant Infrastructure Application No 5982 for a 10-storey Northern Beaches Hospital concept proposal and destruction of endangered forest:

This hospital has been talked about for a long time but is opposed on many issues and is short-sighted planning.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
- Destruction of irreplaceable wildlife corridors between Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment and (a) Manly Dam (b) Forestville Park (Garigal National Park).
- Loss of habitat for flora and fauna, e.g. swamp wallabies, sugar gliders, powerful owls and numerous endangered plant species.

HEALTH SERVICES DISTRIBUTION
- The proximity of the planned new 10-storey hospital is within 20mins drive to newly rebuilt Royal North Shore Hospital and thus a duplication of services.
- Loss of existing public community hospitals at Mona Vale and Manly when recent studiesshow that community hospitals in beautiful locations such as Manly and Mona Vale are more effective in promoting healing. The 21st century technology allows medical staff to treat their patients in community hospitals while being instructed by expert practitioners from afar.

TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT PROBLEMS
- Wakehurst Parkway regularly closed due to flooding and motor vehicle accidents.
- Intersection at hospital site unsuitable and gridlocked every day and polluted with traffic fumes.

I oppose the State Significant Infrastructure Application No 5982 for a 10 storey Northern Beaches Hospital concept proposal and destruction of endangered forest because:

Transport and traffic problems have not been addressed and there has been lack of involvement of Warringah Council. The current traffic at peak times clogs the Wakehurst Parkway and Warringah Rd. local residents must be allowed to get out of their street.

The wildlife corridor from the Narrabeen Catchment to Garigal National Park is critical . Flora and fauna will be significantly impacted unless real consideration is given to preserving strips of bush land along the Wakehurst Parkway.

I have read Appendix C- Traffic and Transport Assessment. I am concerned that whilst Warringah Road and Wakehurst Parkway have been discussed less has been assessed in regards to Frenchs Forest Road East. At Peak time (5.30pm) It is almost impossible to turn right from any of the northern side streets (eg. Harmston, Hurdis, Romford roads) onto Frenchs Forest Road East unless a west bound car allows access. Frenchs Forest Road East is often queued back to Skyline shops because the line of cars waiting to cross Wakehurst Parkway prohibits cars from accessing the left lane to turn left into Wakehust Parkway. This could be eased somewhat in the afternoon peak by disallowing parking on Frenchs Forest Road East in afternoon peak. However this would still not resolve the issue of cars waiting to turn left onto Wakehurst Parway from Frenchs Forest Rd East. Often these cars cannot move even when the lights are green because the cars travelling south on Wakehurst parkway are already queued up waiting to turn right onto Warringah rd and therefore block these lanes so cars turning left onto Wakehurst parkway to get into the right hand turning lane onto warringah rd are blocked . The only alternative option for these blocked cars is to turn into the straight ahead lane and put their indicator on hoping that someone will let them in to the right hand turn lanes from Parkway to warringah Rd. This then means that cars wishing to go straight ahead need to go around these cars. Definitely not a safe option. I have seen some cars us the bus lane travelling west on Frenchs Forest Rd east to turn left into Wakehurst Parkway.
To give an example a trip from Harmston Rd Frenchs Forest to Darley Rd Forestville should take apporx. 10 minutes. On 21/11/13 at 5.25pm it took me 20 minutes to reach the intersection of Wakehurst Parway and Warringah Road (approx. 1km travel distance). The total trip took 30 minutes. This is not a one off occasion. I can reach Mona Vale Hospital in 20 minutes with a lot less hassle. Please not only consider the impact of transport after the hospital is built but the interruption to traffic during roadworks to improve the traffic. This area is a nightmare already and does not need more traffic. Traffic issues need to be resolved regardless of a new hospital.

Dear Sir,

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this proposal. As a long time health care worker I recognise and support the need for investment in health services on the Northern Beaches, but I STRONGLY OPPOSE the location of the proposed hospital at Frenchs Forest for the following reasons.
The proposal to construct a new hospital at Frenchs Forest will adversely impact on the community of French's Forest and commuters from the entire Peninsula. The proposal compounds existing traffic problems, damages the local environment and disregards the benefits of constructing the hospital at the existing Mona vale hospital site.

Residents of the northern part of the peninsula needing to access emergency services will be forced to travel longer distances on routinely congested roads.

The travel route to the site from the northern beaches along Wakehurst Parkway is frequently blocked by flooding or traffic congestion, and is not conducive to situations with acute patients in ambulances trying to access the hospital.

The planned hospital will destroy the north- south and north- west wildlife corridors plus the most southern, well preserved 'Duffys Forest Ecological Community' plus roosting and foraging habitat of a threatened species.

A recent review of the area by Smith & Smith Ecological Consultants found `the proposed offset is grossly inadequate. The offset site contains no Duffys Forest Ecological Community (contrary to claims in the Environmental Impact Statement), nor any other endangered ecological community; it contains no Powerful Owl habitat (although it does contain habitat for two other threatened species); and it falls well short of the offsetting requirements calculated using the Bio Banking Assessment Methodology credit calculator, which is the standard method in NSW for objectively assessing biodiversity impacts and offsetting requirements. No offset is proposed for the impact of the proposed hospital on the important wildlife corridor value of the site.'

When in opposition Premier Barry O'Farrell condemned the plan and said that `the Coalition will continue to pressure the Government to maintain and build upon existing services in the area, and called on the Premier and the Health Minister to account for their failure to consult appropriately with the local community.

Mona Vale is geographically a far more suitable location for a new hospital with substantial room to grow and relatively good transport links.

Clearing of the site must be put on hold until plans for the hospital and infrastructure, including roads and public transport are finalised, approved and funded.

I call on Mr. O'Farrell to stand by his pre-election promises to consult appropriately with the community and to work together to achieve an outcome, which provides improved health services without the significant adverse impacts, which will result from the current proposal.


Yours sincerely,

Jenny Harris

I object to the proposed Northern Beaches Hospital at Frenchs Forest. I believe the following:
1. A negative impact on the local community with traffic congestion which is already unacceptable, plus added noise, light and air pollution. There are other hospital locations in the Northern Beaches with better infrastructure and less disruptive impact on their community. In addition the local roads are subject to flooding and closure.
2. This site will cause irreparable damage to the ecological community. Endangered flora and fauna will be severely impacted as this is a crucial nature corridor between Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment and Garigal National Park.
3. The proposed hospital site is close to the existing Royal North Shore Hospital, and too far from the Northern area of our peninsula, the additional travel for these patients from Mona Vale to Frenchs Forest could be a matter of life or death.
4. Downgrading/closure of public hospitals to build this new proposed hospital is not in the interest of the community. The government is reneging on care and focussing on profits.

Please visit the site, consider the environment, and rebuild on the current Mona Vale site, or use another existing degraded site in the area, do not hack in to the precious and pristine bushland.

I think the lodgement period should be extended beyond the minimum of 4 weeks for such a major project.

Yours faithfully
Carolyn Lambert.

I object to the proposed Northern Beaches Hospital at Frenchs Forest. I believe the following:
1. A negative impact on the local community with traffic congestion which is already unacceptable, plus added noise, light and air pollution. There are other hospital locations in the Northern Beaches with better infrastructure and less disruptive impact on their community. In addition the local roads are subject to flooding and closure.
2. This site will cause irreparable damage to the ecological community. Endangered flora and fauna will be severely impacted as this is a crucial nature corridor between Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment and Garigal National Park.
3. The proposed hospital site is close to the existing Royal North Shore Hospital, and too far from the Northern area of our peninsula, the additional travel for these patients from Mona Vale to Frenchs Forest could be a matter of life or death.
4. Downgrading/closure of public hospitals to build this new proposed hospital is not in the interest of the community. The government is reneging on care and focussing on profits.

Please visit the site, consider the environment, and rebuild on the current Mona Vale site, or use another existing degraded site in the area, do not hack in to the precious and pristine bushland.

I think the lodgement period should be extended beyond the minimum of 4 weeks for such a major project.

Yours faithfully

Improving Health services on the northern beaches is well over due and it's great to see the NSW State government giving it some attention but the building of a hospital on Frenchs Forest Rd is simply idiotic due to the high level of congestion surrounding the site and the existing two hospitals on the northern beaches. The construction of this hospital will only further current congestion, destroy valuable surrounding bushland and cost human life's due to the clearly inevitable closures of manly and Mona vale hospital if the project is to proceed.

I am opposed to the new proposed private hospital being built at French s Forest

Traffic and its impact upon social and economic issues

There is no overarching plan for the traffic for the Manly Warringah area

There are exactly three points of exit/ entry into the whole Manly Warringah district.

The population density of the Manly Warringah district is increasing.

* Warriewood is still not full and its population density has been increased in spite of the original plans.
* Ingleside is planned to be opened up and it appears it that it will be opened up before Mona Vale road is extended. An extra 4500 dwellings at least are planned for Ingleside.
* There is massive infill of the Manly Warringah district with many houses being replaced by blocks of units.

The road system is already inadequate.

* Mona Vale road is to be extended but only to the top of Powderworks road. At present there are no plans to widen Mona Vale road from Powderworks road to Mona Vale.
* At 120 Mona Vale road there is another proposed development of about 70 houses which will require a slip road into the lower part of Mona Vale road. This will hugely impact on the single lane section of Mona Vale road from Mona Vale to Powderworks road.
* The Wakehurst Parkway is closed at least six times a year due to flooding. It is frequently closed due to accidents. It has been closed twice recently due to fatalities. It is usually bumper-to-bumper during the peak hours. Ambulances attempting to travel along the Parkway during peak hour will spend most of their time on the wrong side of the road and are likely to cause head-on accidents with the oncoming traffic.
* Morgan road and Oxford Falls Roads are becoming a default right-of-way
* The rapid bus plan that would help reduce the volume of traffic within the Manly Warringah area has been scrapped.
* There is no direct bus run for residents of the Northern beaches to use this new hospital
* The existing hospitals, Manly and Mona Vale both have bus runs that make easy for elderly people to get there.

The traffic is a major life impacting issue for most of the residents of Many Warringah.

The traffic plan for the hospital has only considered the intersection of Wakehurst Parkway/Warringah Road and Forest Way and a small precinct around that area.

The preliminary traffic plan states that there will be about 900 vehicle movements per hour in peak hour and this section of Warringah Road already has 1320 vehicle movements per hour. If this is correct that is a massive increase in vehicles in this area in peak hour.

These intersections are already failing at present.

A member of my family spent 35 minutes one day this week trying to get into the intersection of the Parkway with Warringah Road. It took in one hour and 50 minutes to travel from Narrabeen to the city. This person is changing where they work because the time spent travelling in this traffic is taking far too great a toll upon family life and their health.

Many residents are moving out of the Beaches because of the traffic. This impacts on their careers & finacial situations

At least $1 billion would be required to upgrade the roads in Manly Warringah to a satisfactory standard.

It is absolute folly from a social perspective and an economic perspective to build this hospital at this intersection.

Public versus private hospital.

Even though my family has always had private health insurance, it would cripple us financially if we had to find $30,000 or $40,000 to pay for an operation in a private hospital. I am totally opposed to a private hospital being built as the primary hospital for the Northern beaches.

In conclusion I am opposed to this new hospital being built in the location at the end of the Wakehurst Parkway/Warringah Road/Forest Way.

I am also opposed to it being a private hospital instead of a public hospital.

I want a new hospital built on the L 90 run in the Northern Beaches for the people of the Northern Beaches. If this is not financially viable, build the new level V hospital outside of the Manly Warringah area in the North Shore region but please ensure that we are left with functional district hospitals at Mona Vale and Manly.

I am opposed to the new proposed private hospital being built at French s Forest

Traffic and its impact upon social and economic issues

There is no overarching plan for the traffic for the Manly Warringah area

There are exactly three points of exit/ entry into the whole Manly Warringah district.

The population density of the Manly Warringah district is increasing.

* Warriewood is still not full and its population density has been increased in spite of the original plans.
* Ingleside is planned to be opened up and it appears it that it will be opened up before Mona Vale road is extended. An extra 4500 dwellings at least are planned for Ingleside.
* There is massive infill of the Manly Warringah district with many houses being replaced by blocks of units.

The road system is already inadequate.

* Mona Vale road is to be extended but only to the top of Powderworks road. At present there are no plans to widen Mona Vale road from Powderworks road to Mona Vale.
* At 120 Mona Vale road there is another proposed development of about 70 houses which will require a slip road into the lower part of Mona Vale road. This will hugely impact on the single lane section of Mona Vale road from Mona Vale to Powderworks road.
* The Wakehurst Parkway is closed at least six times a year due to flooding. It is frequently closed due to accidents. It has been closed twice recently due to fatalities. It is usually bumper-to-bumper during the peak hours. Ambulances attempting to travel along the Parkway during peak hour will spend most of their time on the wrong side of the road and are likely to cause head-on accidents with the oncoming traffic.
* Morgan road and Oxford Falls Roads are becoming a default right-of-way
* The rapid bus plan that would help reduce the volume of traffic within the Manly Warringah area has been scrapped.
* There is no direct bus run for residents of the Northern beaches to use this new hospital
* The existing hospitals, Manly and Mona Vale both have bus runs that make easy for elderly people to get there.

The traffic is a major life impacting issue for most of the residents of Many Warringah.

The traffic plan for the hospital has only considered the intersection of Wakehurst Parkway/Warringah Road and Forest Way and a small precinct around that area.

The preliminary traffic plan states that there will be about 900 vehicle movements per hour in peak hour and this section of Warringah Road already has 1320 vehicle movements per hour. If this is correct that is a massive increase in vehicles in this area in peak hour.

These intersections are already failing at present.

A member of my family spent 35 minutes one day this week trying to get into the intersection of the Parkway with Warringah Road. It took in one hour and 50 minutes to travel from Narrabeen to the city. This person is changing where they work because the time spent travelling in this traffic is taking far too great a toll upon family life and their health.

Many residents are moving out of the Beaches because of the traffic. This impacts on their careers & finacial situations

At least $1 billion would be required to upgrade the roads in Manly Warringah to a satisfactory standard.

It is absolute folly from a social perspective and an economic perspective to build this hospital at this intersection.

Public versus private hospital.

Even though my family has always had private health insurance, it would cripple us financially if we had to find $30,000 or $40,000 to pay for an operation in a private hospital. I am totally opposed to a private hospital being built as the primary hospital for the Northern beaches.

In conclusion I am opposed to this new hospital being built in the location at the end of the Wakehurst Parkway/Warringah Road/Forest Way.

I am also opposed to it being a private hospital instead of a public hospital.

I want a new hospital built on the L 90 run in the Northern Beaches for the people of the Northern Beaches. If this is not financially viable, build the new level V hospital outside of the Manly Warringah area in the North Shore region but please ensure that we are left with functional district hospitals at Mona Vale and Manly.

Exhibition of State Significant Infrastructure
Northern Beaches Hospital - Frenchs Forest Hospital Application No.SSI 5982

We object to the proposal
The reasons we OBJECT:-
1.The traffic problems which will be created;-
(a)unless the Wakehurst Parkway is made 2 lanes each way from Narrabeen
(b)unless both east and west Frenchs Forest Road is widened
(c)unless Mona Vale Road is made 2 lanes from Terry Hills to Mona Vale

Without any of these road works being completed before the Hospital is openedthe traffic would be impossible for our local community,as well as inaccessable to nany papients from Palm Beach to Narrabeen.

Our roads roads are already clogged during every weekway peak hour not to mention the buses servicing the Frenchs Forest High School.

2.The Expense -when Mona Vale Hospital already has ample grounds in which to build a new hospital without the government spending millions of dollars on road works.

3. The Location. This is not an adequate site for that size hospital. The site is not halfway between the Northern Beach suburbs--the halfway suburb between Manly and Palm Beach is Warriewood- so the Mona Vale site is the right location

Attention : Director, Industry, Social projects & Key sites.

I object to the Northern Beaches Hospital Frenchs Forest site on the following grounds :
- There has been no cost benefit analysis of existing hospital sites at Mona Vale and Manly versus the new site at Frenchs Forest.
- The existing hospitals at Mona Vale and Manly are perfectly located in the heart of the communities they serve.

They have many advantages over the Frenchs Forest Hospital site

1.They are public hospitals
2. They are accessable to the communities they serve, which the FF site is not
3. They can be rebuilt and modernised, without the enormous cost of the traffic and transport solutions that are proposed for the FF site, and the appalling environmental costs the loss of the Wild Life Corridors that run through the FF site will wreak on the community.
4. Mona Vale is ideally placed to become the Level 5 Hospital we are told we need on the Northern Beaches,

It is easily accessable from all parts of the Peninsular, which the FF site is no

I object to the Privatisation of our Public Hospitals.
The FF Hospital will be a Private Hospital, it is a business not a heath service provider first and foremost.
I object to the NSW Government taking us down the road of the failed American model where only the wealthy can afford adequate health care.
Our current Public Community Hospitals at Manly and Mona Vale are at the heart of our communities, they serve everyone in our communities, regardless of means, and they are easily accessable, people can walk to them.
I object to the needless destruction of the Duffys Forest remnant bush land and the precious wildlife and their habitat which will be bulldozed to make way for the FF Hospital.
The wanton destruction of this precious bush land and it's abundant life, wallabies, many,many bird species, sugar gliders, quolls etc especially in the face of the expert report from Smith and Smith on the quality of the EIS for the site, is without any merit whatsoever.
For all these reasons I oppose the FF site for the new N Beaches Hospital.

Yours faithfully,

Jacqueline French

I am opposed to this state significant infrastructure application for the construction of a 19 storey hospital in Frenchs Forest and the destruction of endangered forest required to achieve this for the following reasons:

1)the environment
The destruction of wildlife corridors between narrabeen lagoon and manly dam and Garigal national park would reduce the populations of swamp wallabies, sugar gliders and powerful owls in the area. The results would be severe as argued in peter and judy smiths EIS on biodiversity aspects in that area. The proposed offset would be inadequate. Building this hospital would entail the destruction of the largest southern stand of endangered Duffys Forest Ecological community which has a unique diversity of flora

2)hospital proximity
This hospital is way too close to the newly built royal north shore hospital (which has excellent transport links, I might add). The number of beds is insufficient. The hospital needs to be further out to service the outlying communities that need it(decreasing the need to travel).

3)traffic and transport problems
The whole area around the site is a daily traffic disaster already! Wake hurst parkway gets closed due to flooding and the growing population on the northern beaches (eg Warriewood) will only increase problems. And what of public transport? It is impossible from Manly right now in my experience....what are the plans?

4)general negatives
Increased noise pollution from cars, ambulances, helicopters
Loss of bush land carbon sinks
Will be an eyesore and overshadower
Overflow parking into surrounding suburban streets inconveniencing neighbours

Are these not enough reasons to can the plan to build this hospital? Rebuild Manly and Mona vale hospitals which already have the transport infrastructure in place and are located closer to the populations they service.

I request that it be sent to the Planning Assessment Committee

Sincerely

Michella burgers BSC
36 Lauderdale Ave
Fairlight NSW 2094
0403 507508

Michella Burgers