Residential flat building with in-fill affordable housing - 27-29 Tryon Road, Lindfield

Fundamentally I support the provision of more housing near good public transport links, however this project has some fundamental flaws which need to be addressed before if it is approved. These are:
- Provision of parking is excessive. 136 parking spaces for 62 apartments is incredibly excessive, and it will increase the cost of construction, encourage car use, and has resulted in the applicant proposing a measly 8.5% of deep soil area which can easily be improved if the basements are downsized.
- Not enough deep soil. This development will worsen the urban heat island effect, and will not help the NSW government achieve their 40% urban tree canopy target. The information provided by the applicant is also unclear and misleading regarding the provision of deep soil. Under 6.1 of the EIS, the applicant states the project has 424m^2 (14%) of deep soil, whilst in the summary of the EIS the project apparently has 393m² (13%) of deep soil. However, if you consider the ADG guidelines, the ADG compliant deep soil figure is only 8.5%.

I do like how the applicant is not proposing to use natural gas on site, which has environmental and health benefits.

PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION
Excavation
Four basement levels containing 136 car parking spaces will require deep excavations. There is a significant flow of storm water that passes through 25 Tryon Road in an easterly direction. The creation of a four-level underground car park creates a very significant possibility of subsidence and cracking of the neighbouring properties i.e. 25 and 31 Tryon Road is a real risk.
Recommendation:
• Modification to the overall design of the project by reducing its size to 5 levels would enable limiting basement level parking to one level (as exists at 9-25 Tryon Road). This would substantially reduce the risk of subsidence etc.
• Reduction in the size of the project to 5 levels will significantly reduce the level of demolition, site preparation, bulk earthworks and stormwater works associated with the proposed project.
Access during Conmstruction
It has to be borne in mind that Tryon Lane is the ONLY vehicle access available to existing developments at 9, 15, 25 Tryon Road; also, the townhouses on Russel Avenue have their garage and vehicle access via the Lane. In addition, there are residences that back onto Tryon Lane. To add construction vehicles to utilise Tryon Lane would result in chaos. The lane is also a designated bike lane as well as providing pedestrian access to the station. Ballet school on the corner of the lane sees many children darting in and out as well as parent drop offs and pick-ups. (See photo: Tryon Lane from Lindfield Avenue-photo 4)
Due to the crucial nature of Tryon Lane, there cannot be any blockages or restrictions of traffic flow within Tryon Lane at ANY time.
Building works will cause considerable disruption to the neighbourhood, increased noise and dust.
Recommendation:
• Utilisation of Tryon Lane should not be permitted to heavy vehicles during the construction phase. Access for such vehicles should be via Tryon Road only; with all heavy vehicles being required to enter and exit the site from Tryon Road.
• Building works be permitted only between the hours of 7.00am to 4.00pm on week days.
• The cost of remedial cleaning of neighbouring properties should be borne by the developer.
SIZE AND DESIGN OF THE PROJECT
9-25 Tryon Road (Seldon) is a residential block occupied by residents 95% of whom are over 70 years of age. The same applies to the properties on Russell Street that have rear access via Tryon Lane.
The construction of a building of 9 floors is totally out of character with the neighbourhood. See photos of properties adjacent to the proposed development: 1 (25 Tryon) and 2 (31 Tryon Road). Properties opposite the proposed development are depicted in photo 3. The development should be reduced to 5 levels only. The reduced size will reduce the demand on the existing infrastructure.
The construction of a 9-level development will create overshadowing to 25 and 31 Tryon Road. To avoid this, modification of the design of the property is required.
Reducing the size of the project will also enable landscaping to enhance and soften the mass and bulk of the proposed development.
Recommendation:
• The height of the project should be limited to 5 levels, commensurate with existing buildings. Not only would this be more aesthetic but the reduced size will significantly reduce the pedestrian and vehicle traffic load in the area.
• Consistent with 25 Tryon Road, the levels of the building should also be layered so that floors 4 and 5 (of the 5-floor building) are set back from the frontage.
The roof garden proposed on Building C is designed to provide recreational space for the Project. This is unacceptable as it is in close proximity to the property at 25 Tryon Road. It would both overlook 25 Tryon Road impacting on the privacy that exists now and would also create the potential for noise (from parties and celebrations in the space) to disturb both 25 Tryon Road residents and those residents on the other side of Tryon Lane. A reduction in the overall size of the buildings to 5 levels would create a resultant reduction in the number of residents and thus demand for such a facility.
The development will cause removal of significant trees and gardens that will detract from the aesthetics of the area.
Recommendation:
• Remove the proposed roof garden.
• The removal of existing trees and vegetation needs to be assessed to ensure that the streetscape and curtilage are complemented.
IMPACT OF PROJECT
Privacy
Currently there are a number of trees within 27 Tryon Road that provide some privacy for both 25 and 27 Tryon Road. It is essential these be retained.
Traffic
Tryon Road is already congested because of the present car parking facilities (on both sides of the street) which are continuously utilised by commuters accessing the train station and shops. The addition of 63 new apartments (60 of which are 3-bedroom apartments) will only result in additional congestion. Tryon Lane is a one-way lane which already serves as the ONLY entrance and exit point for a number of properties. Additional traffic load will not be able to be accommodated without posing a traffic hazard, traffic congestion and danger to pedestrians who use this lane to access the train station.
It is important to note that the current entry to Tryon Lane is next to the Masonic Hall at which a Ballet School operates. Here young children and teenagers regularly attend. Parents frequently park their vehicles in Tryon Lane or thereabouts when collecting their children. (See photo 4)
Russell Lane currently allows traffic to flow in northerly and southerly direction. It is a very narrow lane and accidents and near accidents regularly occur there. It should be restricted to one way access to only allow vehicles to exit Tryon Lane to then enter either Russell Avenue or Trafalgar Road. (See photos 5 and 6).
Recommendation:
• Require retention and maintenance of existing trees within 27 Tryon Road that are on the boundary with 25 Tryon Road.
• Tryon Road to remain one-way only.
• Traffic entering and exiting the development should be via Tryon Road only and not Tryon Lane.
• Traffic flow in Tryon Lane to be unrestricted 24/7 to enable unrestricted flow so as to permit 24/7 access to all properties that currently utilise Tryon Lane-e.g. emergency vehicles
• Confine Russell Lane to ONE direction of traffic flow to only permit vehicles to use Russell Lane to exit onto either Russell Avenue or Trafalgar Road.
Korean Church
• The adverse impact on the heritage significance of the Sydney Korean Community Church at 33 Tryon Road, Lindfield needs to be considered.
Cromehurst
Cromehurst School caters for students from the age of 4 to the completion of year 12 in the moderate to severe range of intellectual disability.
Recommendation:
• The potential adverse impact the project, the size of the development, has on the important function this school provides to the community must be considered.

I would like to object to the project for the following reasons:
1. Re four basement levels containing 136 car parking spaces - deep excavations bring about the possibility of subsidence and cracking of the neighbouring properties i.e. 25 Tryon Road and 31 Tryon Road.
2. Similar negative possibilities from demolition, site preparation, bulk earthworks and stormwater works will impact on adjacent properties, particularly 25 Tryon Road. Flooding of the car park spaces below ground poses a potential risk.
3. Tryon Road, including Tryon Lane, have been zoned low and medium rise development not exceeding 6 storeys in the past. All the subsequent development and present buildings have complied with this zoning. The new development of 9 storeys does not comply with the previous zoning and contravene the previous zoning height restrictions and is not in keeping with the streetscape of Tryon Road and Tryon Lane.
4. Additional ingress and egress on Tryon Lane - it is a one-way lane which already serves as the main entrance and exit points for a number of existing developments on site 9, 15, 25 plus the townhouses opposite, plus a number of private residences. It is used by residents and pedestrians, including school kids, as a quiet lane to walk their dogs, exercise and provide a safer access to various points within the vicinity. It is also a bicycle lane. Additional pathways from this development will not accommodate any more additional traffic without posing a traffic hazard, traffic congestion and danger to pedestrians who use this lane to access the train station.
5. The proposed height of 9 storeys (not mentioned in the letter of notice to residents) is not in keeping with the existing streetscape of Tryon Road and is considerably higher than the 5-storey developments adjacent at 25 Tryon Road and 31 Tryon Road, and looms over the heritage listed Sydney Korean Community Church on 33 Tryon Road.
6. The limited total ground space restricts the scope of landscaping to soften the mass and bulk of the proposed development. The removal of existing trees and vegetation needs to be further assessed to ensure that the streetscape and curtilage are not adversely affected.
7. Tryon Road is already congested because of the present car parking facilities (on both sides of the street) which are continuously utilised by commuters to access the train station and shops which result in a continuous movement of cars, delivery vans etc entering and exiting the street. Further provision of entrance and exit points on Tryon Road will drastically increase and negatively affect the existing traffic congestion on the street.
8. The proposed development will increase the possibility of overlooking and diminish the privacy of the adjacent buildings at 25 Tryon Road and 31 Tryon Road.
9. The various adverse impacts on the heritage significance of the Sydney Korean Community Church at 33 Tryon Road, Lindfield (Heritage State Listed in 2003) needs to be considered and further investigated.

Thank you for notifying Sydney Water of SSD-78493518 at 27-29 Tryon Road, Lindfield. Please see attached response and information sheet for the applicant. If this response raises any enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Sydney Water at [email protected].

I object to the project as the outcome of the long term plan between the state and council has not been formalized yet. There are many trees, heritage areas in this area.

I object to this project because:
1. Will increase the density of population around Lindfield area, which will bring negative impact on our living environment, traffic, shopping, education, etc.
2. There are many elderly people living around, the noise made during apartment construction will impact our normal living standard, especially for people who have sleep disorder problems.
3. It will cause a sharp fall in the value of our own property.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to object the project due to the below reasons.

1. The project provides only 13% deep soil, which is well below the 50% deep soil requirement - undermining canopy retention, biodiversity objectives and storm infiltration. Also, this would be unfair for future 15 years local residential development projects.
2. The proposed FSR (i.e 3.25) is too high, far above the residential development standard in this suburb. As Ku-ring-gai council is going to finalize its preferred scenario which indicates an FSR 1.69 (base 1.3 with 30% bonus) for this site. The project FSR doesn't take the transition impact into account as it only considers its own project alone. Though other factors are considered in the design process, they are not able to consider other compliant projects/infrastructure/community feedback as a whole.
3. A 9-storey building is also one concern, affecting nearby sites solar access, sunlight, characters as well.

Overall, I would request that such projects should complied with the council preferred scenario. That scenario is an outcome from the council and whole community after one and half years' hard work.

Thank you.

I object to the Application SSD-78669234.

Currently in Tryon Road there are NO apartment buildings as high as 7-9 stories so this development would not be in keeping with the area.

Tryon Road is a busy through road and often log jammed with cars when they are trying to pass in the street. It already has a number of apartment buildings on the road and in surrounding areas. This new development would increase the traffic considerably. There is a school on the corner of Tryon Road and Nelson Road and adding more traffic is not ideal. Also, during construction I wonder how the school would be impacted by construction traffic?

During any development where are all the trades going to park etc? Parking is at a premium in Tryon Road already, often near capacity during the day.

Tryon Lane is the access to many garages and during construction I wonder how access will be impacted? I would hope during any construction there would NEVER be any Tryon Lane closures.

1. This development is excessive in height and will overshadow adjacent home units, reducing their resale value and restricting their amenity.
2. This development adds up to another 150 residents. Together with several other development proposals in the Lindfield area, this will cause overpopulation with excessive traffic flows in Lindfield Ave, Tryon Rd, Russell Ave and surrounds. There is already a regular traffic jam in Lindfield Ave twice daily, due to people parking for shopping. Access from Lindfield Ave to the Pacific Highway is appallingly slow right now. This and other developments will make that much worse.
3. If this development proposes car access to 4 levels of underground parking spaces opening only into Tryon Lane, there will be a major regular traffic problem, as the Seldon apartment complex already has over 90 cars that use Tryon Lane for entry regularly. The Lane is one-way and narrow. Several properties on Russell Ave also have garages opening onto Tryon Lane.
4. Prior experience in other suburbs with "affordable housing" often means introduction of undesirable people into an area with an increase in crime rates. Tryon Road has a high proportion of elderly residents, who will be very nervous about this prospect.
5. The excavation to 4 below ground levels for parking spaces will involve prolonged noise and will certainly require heavy machinery able to excavate bedrock. That is a major loss of amenity to neighbours with noise a major issue. It is usual to require a minimum 10,000 litre underground water supply in such developments and often a further underground level of excavation for electrical, sewerage and other facilities. I estimate that together with the garage space excavation, it would require the removal of approximately 7,000 - 10,000 cubic metres of rock and soil...requiring up to 500 separate 20 tonne truck loads. Access to the site for these trucks MUST NOT be via Tryon Lane and MUST be via Tryon Road. That will require an approximately 50 metre parking ban along Tryon Road outside the development, as parking on both sides of Tryon Rd would make truck access impossible. That further reduces the amenity of visitors to Tryon Road.
6. There is an underground stream that flows north-east under the properties that back onto Tryon Lane. That will cause significant water drainage issues in a 4 level below-ground excavation.
7. In general, I object to the insane over-population policies of the current NSW government. Despite adding over a million residents to the greater Sydney area in recent years, there has been NO provision for adding further water supply, which already in times of drought is marginal. There are inadequate green spaces, inadequate health services and inadequate schooling to cope with this influx. The roads are poorly-maintained. The further million residents planned for Sydney over the next 5 years is adding madness to madness in my opinion. This development is just one small symptom of this insanity.

I am writing in support of this project. More housing is needed and Lindfield is a place which is dramatically underutilised. Its placement on the train line makes it a great place for more infill development. I know the area well because my grandparents lived there.