Pathways Cremorne Seniors Housing

I oppose the Proposal. Comments are detailed in the attached document.

Re: Submission (SUB-61923959). I strongly object to the Pathways Cremorne Seniors Housing Development Application proceeding as planned for the following reasons:

The development is a gross over development of the site and totally inappropriate for a small suburban street. The congestion during construction will be a nightmare for the residents, the cafes, the retail shops and indeed the cinema in this small street. Also there is a lot of pedestrian traffic through this street, hence their safety would be big concern also. After construction the situation will not improve. As Parraween Street will have the only access in and out of this huge facility, the traffic will just be a constant log-jam. With the inclusion of a residential aged care facility, that would mean ambulances/doctors and other ancillary vehicles in/out at any time of the day or night. This is not ideal for a small suburban street.

As I mentioned, it is an over development and totally distorts the historical and cultural significance of the area. There are a number of delightful old Workers Cottages of historical value in the street and it would seem, although the developer seems to think they can be partially saved, they would most likely be lost forever. I fear our lovely local community street would never be the same again.

Hence for the above reason I most certainly object to the proposed development

Kind regards,
Christopher Phillips

To whom it may concern
I live in Gerard Street, Cremorne and we are currently still going through copious hoops to oject to the Boarding House Development on the corrner of Bennelong and Gerard Street which, in conjunction with Pathways Aged Care facility proposal just up the road from it will further exacerbate the densely congestive conditions in this very busy area and again disregard the village and cottage heritage architecture. The more than sufficient submissions against the Boarding House proposal to Council renders irrelevant as the projecct is still alive, regardless of revising the proposal - does not alter the ojections.
I strongly object to Pathways Cremorne Seniors Housing SSD-49472213:
• It blatantly exceeds the planning limits and zoning for the site as well as, I understand, the regulations for height of such seniors accommodation.
• The height, bulk and scale of the proposed development – especially the 8-storey building proposed for Gerard Street – is a maximum exploitation of the site and is a massive over development of a key site adjacent to the Cremorne Town Centre.
• The loss of heritage resulting from the dismantling and partial reconstruction of some (not all) of the heritage cottages that North Sydney Council, in conjunction with the community, are seeking to permanently protect.
• The absence of a cumulative traffic impact assessment which, I believe, would demonstrate the inability of Parraween Street (in conjunction with MacPherson and Winnie Streets) to cope with the increased traffic flow this development would bring.
• The deleterious impact of a single drive access for 134 cars (both ingress and egress) to Parraween Street.
• The negative impact of staff parking and visitors parking for both the ILUs and RTCs.
• The inaccurate claim that the development would increase kerb parking in Parraween Street.
• The destruction/obscuring of so many mature trees that are so visible to pedestrians and adjacent residents, and which are so important to the character of the streetscape.
• The highly dubious demolition, excavation and construction timelines set out in the proposal suggesting a 16-month build time.
• The history of poor communications, insincere consultation and avoidance of due engagement with stakeholders by the developer and its agents, and the probability that these aspects will NOT be improved during the development.
. Foot traffic (runners, walkers, dog walkers, parents/school children to local Macpherson Street school), people traffic to Parraween shops & buses transport Military Road to their respect work places, extremely busy road traffic Gerard Street at all times & consequent use of Gerard Lane as a rat race and build up of traffic lights at Bennelong St & pedestrian crossing) = NOISE pollution.
. Extra congestion for garbage collectors
. Pathways 24/7 staff traffic, allied health care workers, visitors, AMBULANCES etc = more & more conngestion, frustration
. steet parking is already at a premium - constantly used - on Gerard, Benelong, Ada, Winnie etc - anwhere is scarce = Council fines, clearway issues - let alone trying to find parking for the Cremorne Orpheum functions.
Overdevelopment is rife in the area and locals are fed up with the ability for deep pockets to prevail over community concerns.

see attachment

The heritage of Cremorne brings charm and character to the area, it’s beautiful to walk and see the houses that show individuality. To see such a development in discussion is such a disappointment. Not only will the area loose it’s heritage charm, the development height will wreck the street structure. It will also bring so much more traffic and cause additional parking chaos than is already there. Cremorne is a very busy area already, for not only those living there but passing through, travelling from the Northern Beaches to the City and this development will make it that much worse.

Destroying the heritage houses will cause many residents to move in such a hectic condition, and can impact their lives negativley. Most people living in these houses own kids and have prioities of their own and it would be diffucult to find a house that is well in their budget as well as close to their childrens schools and their work spaces. I believe an aged care isn't necesary, plus it's better if they would be an aged care in a more quite enviroment instead of behind movies and spaces frequently used. Building an aged care would take too long and will most likely have not many people using it, making it better for people to just keep their heritage houses and live everyday life. Finally building an aged care will destroy too much narure, and all the greenery around Cremorne and make the earth more populated then it already is.

See attached. This development will have a hugely negative impact on the local community.

Please read attachment.

I strongly object to this project for the following reasons:
1. There are 12 cottages (50-56, 70-72,78-88) on Parraween Street Cremorne which are currently on public exhibition having received Gateway Approval from the Department of Planning for processing heritage listing on the North Sydney Local Environmental Plan. The demolition of these 12 cottages will permanently destroy a major part of the heritage and character of the area.
2. The significant increase from the additional 134 car spaces will have a major detrimental effect on the loss of amenity and quality of life of those who live, work and visit Cremorne junction. Parraween Street is sandwiched between two major state roads, Military Road and Gerard Street. Transport for NSW has rejected the applicant's request for access using Gerard Street on the grounds that the traffic generated from the facility will have a major impact on the state road.
3. Parraween Street is a designated high pedestrian activity area. The street is already a key through way for motorists who want to access Military Road. The expected significant increase in traffic will result in a greater risk of pedestrian accidents.
4. The expected number of heavy vehicles will have a significant effect on residents' quality of life. This is a known factor as residents are currently experiencing excessive noise and disturbance from the truck-dog vehicles that are being used on a building site in the street where 7 units are being constructed. In addition, a seniors living facility will need to have daily deliveries from a wide variety of services, all using heavy vehicles. These services will include catering, laundry, garbage removal, cleaning, and ambulances.
5. The planned height of the building on Gerard Street is a massive overdevelopment. The proposed 28.66 metres of the Independent Living Unit block on Gerard Street is 139% higher than the maximum height control permitted in the North Sydney Local Environmental Plan for residential development in an R4 zone. The R4 zoning of this site does not permit Seniors Housing. In an R3 zone, where Seniors Housing is permitted, SEPP Seniors Housing permits an additional 20% above the R3 zone 8 metre maximum. Therefore, the maximum height of the building should be approved with the condition that the height does not exceed 9.6 metres.
6. The applicant claims the retention of low rise cottages on Parraween Street recognises the importance of these federation cottages to the character of the street, and consequently the additional height on Gerard Street is warranted. Given that the Department of Planning has issued Gateway Approval to process the listing of the 12 cottages, a massive 28.66 metre building directly behind the cottages far exceeds the accepted allowance for bulk and scale in a heritage area.
7. There are over 180 trees on the site. The applicant plans to remove 60% of these trees, which will be replaced with landscaped low shrubs and grasses. This will be an enormous loss of habitat for local fauna, including many species of birds, that can be seen in the trees all year round.
8. Pedestrian pathway between Parraween and gerad Streets has multiple issues which must be addressed.
a. There are no pedestrian crossings at either end of the pathway. There is a high risk that pedestrians using the pathway will take a chance and cross these busy roads, which is an accident waiting to happen.
b. There is an acknowledged wind tunnel effect in the proposal. The mitigating measures do not adequately address this issue.
c. The pathway opens a corridor to the very high level of noise generated by the heavy traffic on Gerard Street, which is state through road for thousands of cars every day.
While there are many other issues with this project, it should be rejected on the basis that it lacks site specific and strategic merit.

Please see the attached document below.

The impacted area included Heritage listed property, which I think they should remain and protected. They form part of the uniqueness in the local area, these architecture is plays a big part in the neighbourhood streetscape.

This area is also becoming increasingly busy and surrounded by heavy traffic, I personally see this as a risk to senior resident on their day-to-day activities.

I object to this propsal for the following reasons.
1. Heritage, the very fabric of Cremorne will be torn down with the destruction of the heritage cottages. Proposing to rebuild the facades of 3 of them is an insult to the heritage of this community.
2. The height, bulk and scale of the proposed development is not within any guidelines.
3. No traffic or access considerations appear to have been taken into account. Safety of the pedestrian commuity will be severely compromised.
4 Tower block housing of disabled Seniors is not acceptable under any circumstances.

Yours sincerely
Jane Clark

I object to this project on the grounds of destruction of heritage (12 cottages)- height (8 storey building) - bulk and scale ( a huge section of Parraween Street dedicated to this one entity) - and traffic concerns regarding flow of traffic and parking on Parraween street. This is an inappropriate location for such a large facility in terms of busy urban roads and risks to the elderly. I don't support these plans which have already been refused by the local council a number of times after thorough assessment. I trust that this State process will not be used to circumvent strong community opposition. Thank you.

I oppose the proposal submitted to the State Government Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) for the development at 56 – 88 Parraween Street Cremorne (application SSD-49472213) for the following reasons
• it exceeds the current planning limits and zoning for the site
• The height, bulk and scale of the development is not suited to the key site adjacent to the Cremorne Town Centre and not aligned with local resident and North Sydney Council vision for the precinct.
• The single access from Parraween Street for 134 cars and delivery vehicles
• There will be a negative impact on the community by staff and visitor parking for the independent living and the residential care facility residents.
• The indicative timeline and truck movements outlined in Appendix DD Traffic are considered misleading.
• The loss of heritage with demolition of the heritage cottage that the community want to protect and preserve
• Lack of genuine community consultation
Zoning and Compliance
The application to the Department of Planning and Environment appears to be an attempt to circumvent the existing planning controls and North Sydney Council planning vision for the precinct. There is a 12 metre height limit in R4 Zone. 9.6 metre height limit in R3 Zone.
Height Bulk and Scale
The site of the proposed development is one of the largest to be development in the Cremorne area for a long time and needs to consider the impact on the precinct and in particular as North Sydney Council is seeking to promote Parraween Street as focus of the community due to to the ever-increasing traffic along Military Road. The proposed 8 storey building has a height of 28.66 metres which is excessive when the adjacent building which is also 8 storeys in significantly lower. I believe the scale of the current plans for the four building are not compatible with Council’s vision.
Traffic
The proposed single access into and out of the development to Parraween Street by 134 cars and delivery vehicles will result in significant increase in traffic and impact pedestrians. Parraween is a high density pedestrian area with shops, cafes, cinema egress childcare centre, existing medical facilities in the area. I cannot understand why an access onto Gerard Street for resident’s vehicles was not included. As some residents may have mobility issues, they may require taxis, Ubers or friends to pick them up at the street. There should be some provision for a dedicated pick-up setback along the northern side of Parraween Street. Public transport is restricted to buses with visitors likely to arrive by car further increasing traffic along Parraween Street.
Construction impact on the neighbourhood
In the Construction Management Plan Appendix DD the stated hours of operation listed do not allow for the restricted hours of operation of noise and vibration generating plant during demolition and excavation to comply with EPA guidelines and Council restrictions. The standard working hours for noise and vibration generating demolition and excavation plant are restricted to between 8.00AM and 4.00PM Monday to Friday and no work on Saturdays to protect the amenity of nearby residents. Local residents have been severely impacted by poor assessment of ground conditions, optimistic construction schedules and lack of environmental controls resulting in excessive noise, vibration and dust with no respite for suffering neighbours. The use of private certifiers exacerbate the situation as they are engaged the developer or contractor and for their benefit. The project is likely to run at least 20% longer than the optimistic schedule included in the draft plan.
Heritage
The proposal seeks to demolish a number of cottages which are subject to a heritage listing with the plan indicating that some will be removed and rebuilt. These cottages are in the process of obtaining heritage listing and should be retained. We do not want another Willow Grove where the pieces will languish in some distant yards.

Community Consultation
There has been minimal community consultation and appears to have been any appreciation of the community interest or comments.
I consider the proposal to be without site specific or strategic merit and should be rejected.
I have not made any reportable political donation in the last two years.
I acknowledge and accept the DPE disclaimer and declaration.
Ciaran de Bhaldraithe
44 Reynolds Street
Cremorne 2090
0414 538 509

I object to the above proposal on the following grounds:

- Heritage Destruction
- Bulk and scale
- Unreasonable Height
- Traffic concerns
- Risk to the elderly

Thank you.

Please see attached document.

CURRENT SITUATION: The only vehicular access to Parraween & Paling Sts is from Winnie and MacPherson Sts.
Paling St branches off Parraween St and is blocked off at Gerard St.
Winnie St provides the only access from the North to the South side of Military Rd and frequently traffic is gridlocked in it between the traffic lights at both ends on Gerard St & Military Rd preventing any access or exit to or from Parraeen St.
Even though Parraween St is only approx. 500 metres in length in this area there are 582 apartments,29 houses,
12 Cafes/Restaurants, 6 Dentists, 6 Hairdressers, 3 Bottle Shops, an Irish Pub, 4 Cosmetic Clinics, 5 large Retail Shops, a very large Child Day Care , approx 30 small offices and shops plus the very popular Orpheum Theatre. Also Redland Senior campus abutts Winnie St. So it is a very active and vibrant local residential area based around the Plaza.

HERITAGE: I support the Gateway approval for listing the 12 cottages as Heritage Items as they are integral to the history and heritage of Cremorne which the Council and the Community which to preserve. The proposal that 3 of them can be demolished and rebuilt for adaptive use and will maintain their character is absurd.

TRAFFIC: The claim "...the proposal reducuces the traffic gition to theneration of the site" is a nonsense. In addition to the Residents in these 4,5 & 8 storey buildings there will be extra traffic generated by visitors, staff, Drs & Nurses, Cleaners, Ambulances, deliveries for food, medications, laundry , rubbish removal etc etc. Why then are they proposing underground parking for 134 cars if no extra traffic ?
Parraween St has a lot of traffic and has been classified as a "40 Km High Pedestrian Activity Area" , it is used as a "rat run" to cross Military Rd, as a drop-off (mainly school children) to walk through the Arcade to the pedestrian traffic lights on Military Rd to access both East & West buses, 1 + garbage trucks every day, not-in-service buses, tradesman picking up paint from Inspirations Paint, patrons of a very large Gym, dropping off/picking up children from a bvery large Child Care Facility and people coming to the Plaza cafes plus the Orpheum Theatre.
SIZE, BULK & HEIGHT: The 8 storey building height at 28.66 m more than doubles the current zoning height of 12m.
The local Community and the Council regard this area as th"heart" of Cremorne and which to retain its village atmosphere.
The Council propose to upgrade both the Plaza and Langley Place which provide 9 restaurant/coffee shops and also redevelop the Parraween St carpark for affordable housing, early childcare centre, green space and underground parking for 161 cars.

TREES: Development in the North Sydney LGA has already reduced greenspace fro mid 30%s to mid 20%s for the LGA.The recent Freeway upgrades alone have resulted in the destruction of over 600 mature trees.
The present low rise properties allows the visibilty of a large number of mature trees which will be eliminated , some of these will be destroyed along witha lot of smaller trees .
DEMOLITION AND CONSTRUCTION TIME: The proposed time 16 months is greatly underestimated.
Single 4 storey apartment buildings of say 16-20 apartments in this area with underground parking generally take longer than that
as the area is on sandstone.
CONCLUSION: An oversized Development for this area. Currently these 23 houses and 15 apartments are home to approx. 80-100 people and with sympathetic renovation and extension potentially a lot more. If these people are all evicted it will add to the current housing shortage
Pathways are currently constructing another age Care Facility approx 4 km away at Longueville so is this Cremorne Facility a greater need than the normal existing housing.
As only part of this massive proposed development is for Aged Care beds is it really a State Significant Development as most of it appears to be for other related commercial activity.

I oppose this proposed development because of the impacts it will have on our community -
1. The proposal concept is contrary to the North Sydney Council and community vision of Parraween Street as the "heart" of Cremorne. There are many initiatives being undertaken to achieve this vision (plaza renewals, IHOs for the cottages, rezoning, street traffic management and enhanced carparks) and these will effectively be negated/negatively impacted by the proposal.

2. The proposal seeks to achieve maximum bulk (4 storeys) for the site and any of the options would be inappropriate due to its adjacency to the Cremorne Town Centre. In particular the proposal for an 8 storey ILU is contrary to existing let alone proposed future zoning. Just because poor planning allowed such inappropriate development in the past doesn't mean it should be acceptable now. The acceptance of a four storey project will also create a shadow over much of Parraween Street, blocking the winter sun in particular

3. The local traffic flow is huge and will only get worse with the cancellation of the Northern Beaches Tunnel. The paucity of crossings of Military Rd has led to major congestion of Winnie and MacPherson Sts and Parraween St to become a "rat run". The additional 115+ cars, the extra visitors and servvice deleiveries to the RMC will only exacerbate these traffic problems.

4. Likewise the proposal will add to the considerable parking problems in Parraween St.

5. The dismantling and reconstruction of the 9 cottages subject to IHOs does not maintain the heritage - at best they will be a token facade.

6. Having a single driveway entrance for 134 vehicles and the many service truck and ambulance deliveries will cause that driveway to be a major bottleneck in Parraween St and be dangerous due to its proximity to the Cremorne Plaza.

7. The projected 18 month construction program is totally unrealistic. 3-4 years is a far more realistic estimate based on recent development experience of much smaller sites. Additionally the projected truck scheduling will have a far greater impact on the Parraween St (closures, blockages etc). And is it appropriate to great this dysfunction (traffic, parking, noise, dust, inconvenience) adjacent to the Town Centre and its businesses for such a protracted period.

Thank you for taking this objection into consideration

While I support the general concept of additional aged care facilities in convenient locations this proposal is not supported because-
- it is far too large and the proposed buildings are too tall for the local area
-it will put too much additional traffic and parking requirements on parraween st that is already busy due to local facilities such as child care, cinema, shops and apartment buildings
- the heritage of the local area will be destroyed if too many local cottages are demolished
- it is hard to see it will not be extremely disruptive to the local area due to what is sure to be an extended construction phase. How will parraween st cope with the heavy truck traffic during this phase?

I strongly object to the project for any one or more of the following reasons:


1. The permanent loss of the 12 heritage significant federation houses. These houses have received Dept. of Planning gateway approval to process an amendment to the North Sydney Local Environmental Plan for listing on the local heritage register.  They are currently on public exhibition as part of the Gateway process.

2. Excessive height bulk and scale of the 28.66 metre high Independent Living Unit block on Gerard Street. This will completely dwarf the cottages on Parraween Street which are inherently important to the centre of Cremorne’s village character.  Gerard Street has a LEP maximum height for residential building of 12 metres.  However seniors housing is not permitted in R4 zones.  In R3 zones where the maximum height is 8 metres and seniors housing is permitted, the SEPP (Housing) 2021 permits the height to increase to 9.6 metres for seniors housing. 

In addition the bulk and scale of this building is a massive overdevelopment that is not sympathetic to the content of the federation houses on Parraween Street.


3. Major problem with increase in traffic.  The addition of 134 cars to an already very busy street will create traffic chaos as Parraween Street, bearing in mind that the approved redevelopment of the Council carpark on Parraween St will add another 100 cars to the street’s traffic. This car park and the parking on Parraween Street is invariably full the primary parking spaces for the Orpheum Theatre and diners visiting local cafes and restaurants

4. Pedestrian safety is at increased risk. Parraween Street is a 40k/hr high pedestrian activity area and is frequented by children, parents and older citizens. The proposed through laneway between Parraween and Gerard Streets on the Pathways site has no crossing at either exit.  There is a high probability that pedestrians will try to cross these busy roads at those exit points.


5. The timeline of 16 months or so for demolition, excavation and construction is a farce.  A project of this size, with expected delays in tradepeople availability, materials shortages and cost increases will likely see this project take between 2-4 years to complete.  That will put an enormous burden on both residents and businesses, some of which will are still finding recovering from the business losss due to Covid.