Shop top housing with affordable housing - Willarong Road and President Avenue Caringbah

My comments/concerns pertaining to this project relate to traffic management. President Ave is already a busy thoroughfare, particularly at the lights at Willarong Rd where bottlenecks can occur when turning into President Ave heading east bound. What are the traffic management plans to accommodate the extra number of vehicles coming in and out of this development?

Please see the attached letter.
Please feel free to contact me should you require any further details.
Thanks David Sheehan

I am writing to formally object to the proposed residential development consisting of two towers (10-storey and 6-storey) totaling 188 apartments, at 178-186 Willarong road, 41-47 and 51 President Avenue Caringbah (SSD-72600478). I have several significant concerns about this project's potential negative impacts on our community:
1. Over-development and Neighborhood Character:
The proposed development represents an excessive density that is fundamentally incompatible with the existing neighbourhood fabric. The scale of these towers would dramatically alter the local street-scape, creating an overwhelming and out-of-character architectural intervention that fails to respect the established residential context.

2. Infrastructure and Capacity Constraints
The addition of 188 apartments will place unprecedented strain on existing local infrastructure. Our current:
• Road networks are already congested during peak hours
• Public transportation systems are operating near capacity
• Local schools and community services are struggling to meet existing demand
• Utilities infrastructure (water, sewage, electrical) may not be adequately prepared to support such a significant population increase

3. Traffic and Transportation Implications
The development would generate approximately 350-400 additional vehicle movements daily, based on standard occupancy estimates. This would:
• Increase traffic congestion on local streets
• Create additional parking pressures
• Potentially compromise pedestrian and cyclist safety
• Require significant traffic management interventions

4. Environmental and Sustainability Concerns
The proposed development raises serious environmental considerations:
• Increased carbon footprint from construction and additional residential units
• Potential shadow impacts on surrounding properties
• Increased urban heat island effect from extensive hard surfaces and building mass

5. Community Consultation and Impact
The scale of this development demands thorough and meaningful community consultation. The proposed towers represent a fundamental transformation of our neighborhood's character that cannot be justified without comprehensive community input and consensus.

6. Architectural Overshadowing and Privacy
The proposed 10-storey and 6-storey towers will:
• Create significant overshadowing of neighbouring properties
• Compromise existing residents' privacy
• Represent an inappropriate scale relative to surrounding residential developments

7. Neighbourhood Amenity Such a dense development may:
• Diminish the residential amenity of the existing neighbourhood
• Create an undesirable precedent for future over-development

8. Affordable Housing Concerns
While the inclusion of affordable housing might appear beneficial, the current proposal's implementation raises serious concerns:
• The affordable housing units are likely to be token gestures rather than meaningful community housing solutions
• Concentrated affordable housing in large tower developments can create socio-economic segregation
• The proposed units may not genuinely address local affordable housing needs
• There are insufficient details about allocation, management, and long-term affordability mechanisms
• The development risks creating a divisive "two-tier" housing model within the same complex

The proposed development represents an inappropriate and disproportionate intervention that fails to respect the existing neighborhood context and community needs. It also represents a significant departure from the original development that was previously approved. Benefits of the approved plan are:
• More sympathetic to neighborhood scale and character
• Underwent more rigorous initial community consultation
• Demonstrated better alignment with existing urban planning principles
• Proposed a more proportionate density and architectural approach

The current proposal appears to be an opportunistic attempt to maximize developer profits at the community's expense, disregarding the carefully negotiated terms of the original approved development.

Given these substantial concerns, I strongly urge the Planning Committee to reject the current development proposal and return to the previously approved proposal

As an owner of a unit in Caringbah I object to this proposal for several reasons-
1. There are blocks of government housing and this brings in a demographic of people that are of low socio economic background. Unfortunately these persons are more likely to commit crimes like theft, vandalism, petty crime and other misdemeanors. Caringbah already has a number of public housing blocks and owners that live in neighbouring blocks have reported crimes that have likely been committed by individuals living in these blocks.
This is evident in the statistics which show that the crime rate has increased by 6.31% from 2022 to 2023. (See Crime Map Australia).
2. Lowering of property values. As these affordable housing units bring persons that are not owners they do not value their dwellings in the same way as owners do who take personal responsibility for their property in terms of maintenance, being part of the Owner's Corp and volunteering their time on behalf of other owners, and in general considering the well being and safety of their neighbours and other citizens. Why should owners that pay premium prices for their apartment share with others that perhaps do not have the same values as them? With high interest rates and cost of living pressures, not to mention high strata levies the onus is on owners to maintain their payments and other strata issues that the owners of affordable housing do not have to stress about.
3. The safety of other owners is at stake. The affordable housing residents may have connections to other society members who are unsavoury, bringing those persons onto the property thereby compromising the safety of other unit owners.

Subject: Objection to Proposed Increase in Residential Units for 178-186 Willarong Road and 41-47 & 51 President Avenue, Caringbah

I am writing to formally express strong concerns regarding the proposed development at 178-186 Willarong Road and 41-47 & 51 President Avenue in Caringbah, which entails the construction of 188 residential apartments, an increase from the initially proposed 130 units. While we understand and respect the intent to provide affordable housing, this increase poses numerous adverse implications for our local community and requires serious consideration before approval is granted.

Key Points of Objection:
1. Increased Traffic Congestion Caringbah’s roads are already facing significant traffic congestion. The area surrounding Willarong Road and President Avenue is known for its narrow streets and limited capacity to handle high traffic volumes. The proposed increase in residential units will lead to a substantial rise in vehicle numbers, further exacerbating traffic congestion. Local residents, commuters, and emergency services may experience delays, particularly during peak hours. This could have far-reaching negative impacts on the safety and accessibility of the area.

2. Limited Parking Availability
The current parking infrastructure in Caringbah is already strained. An additional 188 units will bring a considerable increase in vehicle ownership among new residents and visitors. Without robust parking solutions in place, this increase is likely to exacerbate parking frustrations for local residents. Parking on surrounding streets will become increasingly competitive, leading to overcrowded street parking and negative spillover effects in adjacent neighborhoods. Such a scenario undermines the convenience and livability of the area.

3. Noise Pollution Impact on Local Residents
The construction and subsequent occupation of 188 residential units will bring increased noise levels to the local community. Construction noise will disrupt daily life for months, if not years. Post-construction, the increase in residents, traffic, and potential commercial activities will generate further noise, affecting the quality of life and peace of local residents. Given the density of the proposed project, this noise pollution could be significant and difficult to mitigate.

4. Strain on Local Amenities and Infrastructure
An increase to 188 units will place greater demand on the area’s already limited local amenities and services, such as schools, medical facilities, recreational areas, and public transport. This added strain may lead to a decline in service quality and availability for both existing and new residents. Infrastructure improvements often lag behind population growth, causing frustration and dissatisfaction in the community.

5. Overdevelopment and Character Disruption
The proposed increase in units represents a substantial shift from the original intent of 130 apartments. Overdevelopment at this scale can negatively alter the character of Caringbah. The introduction of such a high-density housing development could be visually and structurally inconsistent with the established character and lifestyle of the area. Residents chose this community for its balance of urban and residential qualities, and the introduction of such high-density developments risks undermining that identity.

6. Concerns Regarding Existing Affordable and Social Housing
There are already concerns from the original affordable and social housing developments located within Caringbah and across the broader Sutherland Shire. Local residents have reported various challenges, including strained public resources, increased traffic, and broader impacts on community cohesion. Adding a larger-scale development without addressing these existing issues may exacerbate community tensions and reduce the ability to effectively integrate additional affordable housing units into the local area.

While the provision of affordable housing is important, it must be balanced with thoughtful consideration for the impact on existing communities. The proposed development and its increased density will exacerbate traffic congestion, create parking challenges, introduce heightened noise pollution, strain local amenities, and disrupt the area’s character, all while compounding existing concerns related to affordable and social housing in Caringbah. We urge the council to carefully evaluate the detrimental impact this proposal will have on Caringbah’s livability and reject the current proposal for 188 units in favor of a more moderate, sustainable, and community-oriented development approach.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We trust that the council will prioritize the well-being and interests of the existing community in its decision-making.

Yours sincerely,
Andrew Mythillos
101/46-48 President Ave Caringbah NSW 2229
0432214276

If I had a complaint it would be that the development isn't twice as tall. The community needs more housing and we need it now, build build build.

I received a letter on Tuesday November 12th 2024, about this project stating that it was going to build 2 towers, a 10 storey tower and a 6 storey tower, when I rang the 8275-1195 number to find out more information, I was told, no there appears to be an error, it is now requesting a 12 storey tower and an 8 storey tower, this in itself is misleading to the local community and should have been picked up before mailing out. I object to the developer seemingly making more money on the pretence of providing more affordable housing (why is the 10 storey tower being increased to 12 with no affordable housing?). There is not enough parking in the area as it is, people park their cars in the locale so that they can catch trains to work. Are you going to provide more parking than was initially built? If so where? I object to the extra storeys on both towers.
It doesn't matter if I object or not as I'm pretty sure that the extra storeys will be built regardless. The impact on Willarong rd and President ave will be disastrous.

I strongly support more well located and diverse housing, especially higher density with affordable housing like proposed. This is a perfect location for it and we need a lot more. It is well located because it is right across from a public oval, across to Woolworths, next to many shops. Its also near a hospital - it could support essential workers, or at least free up homes in the area for essential workers. And the building design looks fantastic, I would certainly live in it.
It is also well connected - a short walk to the train station. Its an optimal place to put higher density

This development modification was refused twice by Sutherland Shire Council due to the excessive height. This current submission goes back to the already refused plans with the only difference being that the developers have included affordable housing to try to appeal to the NSW Government to pass the additional height and units, thus increasing their profit. This plan is excessive in height (ref EPA), it causes even more overshadowing on the building I reside in across the road and will create further traffic congestion due to the dead-end street that the development resides on. The already approved development will overshadow my building causing me to lose sun in the winder solace, this new plan means my unit will receive almost zero direct sunlight in the middle of winter. The traffic at the intersection of President Av and Willarong Road is already a nightmare at the best of times, and this will be further exasperated with the increase in the number of units. This increase in height is not in character with the buildings around it and will overshadow every building around it. These "amended" affordable housing plans should simply be refused.

I am writing to express my concerns and formally object to the proposed development at Willarong Road/President Avenue in Caringbah which includes 188 residential units and a shopping centre on the ground floor. While I support the need for well-planned and sustainable growth in Caringbah, this proposal poses significant issues that threaten the quality of life for residents and the stability of the local area.

Firstly, the existing infrastructure in Caringbah is not equipped to handle the demands of such high-density housing. Our roads already experience significant congestion, not only during peak times but also throughout the day. Adding 188 new units and a shopping centre will undoubtedly exacerbate this, leading to further strain on local roads, increased commute times, and heightened safety risks for both drivers and pedestrians. The current road network does not have the capacity to support such a drastic increase in vehicle numbers, and no plans for substantial improvements or expansions to alleviate traffic congestion have been presented.

Furthermore, the influx of 188 residential units, many of which may be affordable housing, could impact local property values, raising concerns for current homeowners. While affordable housing is important, it must be balanced with consideration for the surrounding area to avoid abrupt shifts in housing prices and ensure a fair impact on the existing community.

Additionally, we face limitations on other infrastructure needs, such as public transport, water, sewerage, and waste management systems, which are already stretched. Without significant upgrades, these systems will not cope with the increased demand from hundreds of new residents and a commercial space. This risks creating long-term infrastructure issues that could degrade the quality of essential services for everyone.

For these reasons, I urge you to reconsider the current scale of this development and work towards a more sustainable plan that aligns with Caringbah’s capacity and addresses the infrastructure challenges it faces.

Thank you for your attention to these serious concerns.