St Joseph's College

The visual impact from viewpoints 1 and 2 is high, not moderate to low.
The construction style and materials are totally incompatible with the
rest of the school and with the heritage character of the area and
immediate surrounds. This whole project is unnecessarily oversized and
intrusive.

St Josephs College Physical Education and Sports Courts Project SSD:
PROPOSED NEW BASKETBALL COMPLEX AND GYM
Submission by the Hunters Hill Trust

Introduction
The sites for the College's proposed Basketball Complex and the Healy
Gymnasium are wholly within Hunters Hill Council's Heritage item No
1242 (St Josephs College) as well as being within Council's General
Conservation Area, which means any proposed works should pay attention
to following the heritage objectives set out in Council's Local
Environment Plan and its Development Control Plan that relate
specifically to heritage. This proposal fails to observe these
heritage objectives for reasons of its scale, lack of setback from the
college's boundary, and lack of compatibility with both the existing
college buildings, and the neighbourhood. Unfortunately it also fails
to present design excellence, probably because of the constraints
imposed on the architects.


A) THE PROPOSED BASKETBALL COMPLEX
The proposed Basketball Complex, which includes 3 covered courts,
spectator seating with 180 seats, change rooms, a commercial-sized
kitchen, entrance foyer, meeting rooms, classrooms and basement
parking for 85 cars, is massive, designed not only for the use of St
Joseph's students but also for competition matches between school
teams.

Location
The proposed structure is to be built on the site of four existing
outdoor basketball courts, which provide open-air space within the
walled College campus, and a generous setback from the surrounding
residential area for the several multi-storey structures within. The
proposal reduces the number of courts by one.

Building size
To accommodate three basketball courts at 28m x 15m each, plus runoff
all round each court, spectator accommodation and other facilities
means the building is approximately 95m x 34m taking up an area of
3,230 sq m. This is a substantial area, which would accommodate more
than four individual house lots of 700 sq m (the minimum lot size in
this part of Hunters Hill).

Building Height
At the corner of Luke St and Gladesville Rd, the proposed walls are
approximately 14m high, and the pitched roof 2m higher. This is almost
twice the maximum wall height (7m) that is allowed in the adjacent
residential streets, and with a setback of only 1m from the heritage
stone wall, would be intrusive in the extreme.

 


Building Street Setbacks
In Hunters Hill's consolidated DCP, the minimum street setback for
residential development is 5m.
The massive 14m high walls of the basketball complex are set back only
1m from both Luke St and Gladesville Rd frontages.

Building form
The structure is of an industrial scale completely at odds with the
residential scale and character of the surrounding streets,
particularly Luke St. The style of the building has been described as
"brutal," "stark" and "industrial."

The proposed building will have the following negative impacts:
l On the heritage item itself:
o The replacement of the existing outdoor basketball courts with this
massive building will destroy the garden setting of the existing
buildings in this part of the college campus and will quite change its
character.
o The creation of the partially-underground carpark will increase the
height of the building
o Views of the various buildings and landscape features within the
campus will be obliterated.
o The heritage-listed stonewalls to Gladesville Road and Luke St will
be overwhelmed by the scale of the new structure's walls, particularly
when they are set back only 1m inside the stone wall on the boundary,
with no allowance for any significant landscaping to soften the
impact. As well, by locating the new building so close to the boundary
will require the demolition (and reconstruction) of the heritage
listed stone wall, and the removal of the street trees.

l On the surrounding streets and Conservation Area
o The character of Luke St will be severely downgraded by this massive
14+ metre high `Industrial' building extending 95m along Luke St, and
34m along Gladesville Rd.
o The impact on Gladesville Road will change the character of the
street, which, apart from the shops at the junction with Ryde Rd, is
essentially low-rise heritage residential, comprising housing, nursing
homes, and aged care facilities, all with carefully maintained
gardens.
o There will be significant over-shadowing of the existing properties
in Luke St to the serious detriment of the existing amenity of
residents living here, particularly the loss of afternoon sun in
winter.
o The proposed measures to limit sound escape through ventilators and
louvre windows are not acceptable as they rely on staff to close the
openings and activate mechanical air conditioning during noisy
activities.
o There will be problems created by additional need for on-street
parking for spectators in the surrounding area when sporting events
take place - particularly when events are scheduled out of school
hours or at night.
o There will be problems with spectator traffic coming and going
through the College, particularly through the Gladesville Rd Entrance.

 
B) THE GYMNASIUM BUILDING
The Gymnasium building appears to have two separate areas plus an
office, a physio-room and a toilet and shower. Unlike the Basketball
Complex, it does not appear to be designed for spectators or
competition use.

Location
The location for the proposed building is to be built in the existing
landscaped courtyard adjacent to the historically significant stone
Chapel building that faces Mary Street. The building will take up most
of the courtyard and will require the removal of a number of existing
trees and shrubs.

Building size and height
From the documentation it is difficult to precisely determine the size
of the building. However, by scaling off the drawings, it would appear
that Its roof is approximately 39m x 21m or 819 sq m, which is bigger
than the minimum building lot size of 700sq m. The ceiling height will
be around 6m, which is typical for a gymnasium.

Building Setback from Mary St
The setback from Mary St is approximately 6m, which is in line with
buildings in the rest of the street.

Building form
The building form is rectangular with a single pitched roof
(approximately 15 degrees) and from the perspective drawings the
external materials appear to be a combination of dark charcoal metal
panels above brown coloured timber or metal panels. The form and
finishes are quite alien to the existing surrounding buildings, for
example:
l the existing chapel walls are rusticated sandstone with arched
windows, and
l the adjacent Brothers' Residence, whilst not being a building of any
particular distinction, has walls of light coloured brick that do not
clash with the stone colour.

The proposed building will have the following negative impacts:
l On the heritage item itself:
o The major impact of the proposal results from the destruction of the
existing landscaped court between the Brothers Residence' and Chapel.
o Like the Basketball complex, this will degrade the existing
character of the campus.
o The proposed materials to be used and the form of the proposed
building are completely unsympathetic to those of the existing
buildings.

l On the surrounding streets and Conservation Area
o The character of Mary Street will be negatively impacted through the
loss of garden space between the two existing buildings and through
the imposition of the proposed, unsympathetic gymnasium.
o Whether there is any impact caused by noise or on-street parking
needs to be further investigated.

Impact Summation
The proposal will have a negative impact particularly on the
heritage-listed Chapel and College campus. Its impact on the
surrounding Conservation Area will not be as stark as the proposed
Basketball Complex, however loss of views of the Chapel and the
replacement of open landscaped space with an unsympathetic building
will have a negative impact on that part of Mary St.


 
C) THE COMMUNITY'S INVESTMENT IN THE COLLEGE
The local community has a direct investment in the college as a result
of:
l The college's exemption from the payment of rates on their property,
while the community continues to fund the maintenance and upkeep of
the surrounding streets and playing grounds that are used from time to
time by The College
l Its exemption from income tax
l Its funding by both state and federal government with the federal
government funding private schools at twice the rate of public
schools.
l It is disappointing that it is the stated intention of the college
to seek exemption from the Section 94A levy towards infrastructure, in
spite of the large budget ($38 million) of this project.


D) REQUIREMENTS of SEARs
The proposal fails to address and/or meet several of the Secretary's
Environmental Assessment Requirements, namely:
* The project creates no permanent jobs
* There is no indication of how it will increase education results
(indeed, since it reduces the number of basketball courts (replacing
four outdoor courts with three indoor ones) it could be said to reduce
them.
* The is no indication of how the project will `Revitalise existing
suburbs'
* The project fails to `enable the use of school facilities ... to be
shared with the community'. In previous times local residents were
able to use the college's swimming pool during the summer holidays,
but this practice was discontinued some years ago. The only use by
outside bodies mentioned in the proposal is by kindred organisations,
typically for one event per year, but none with the general community.


E) COMPLIANCE WITH EDUCATION AND CHILD CARE SEPP - SCHEDULE 4 - SCHOOL
DESIGN QUALITY PRINCIPLES
Principle 1: In presenting a 16m high wall only 1m inside it's
heritage stone wall, the Basketball Complex quite fails to `contribute
to the streetscape and mitigate impacts on neighbouring sites'
Principle 3: It is simply not true that `SJC facilities are currently
shared with the community during school holidays'. And while 50% of
students may board at the school, most go home during term vacations,
and very few remain through the summer vacation.
Principle 5: The project fails to meet the stated standard.
Principle 7: The proposed building height, bulk and scale simply are
NOT `appropriate for the site and maintain the existing educational
form and character of school buildings' and certainly will not `have a
positive impact on the quality and sense of identity of the
neighbourhood'.


F) CONCLUSION
The severe impact of this proposal on its surroundings stems from the
stated intention to build a large, tall building without impacting on
the College's playing fields, or on the original, heritage building.
To protect its own heritage, the college is proposing to downgrade the
heritage of the surrounding community.

By virtue of being classed as a State Significant Development, The
College is not necessarily bound by the LEP controls that ratepayers
are required to abide by. This does not absolve The College from its
moral duty to do the right thing by the community and to respect the
objectives and controls set out in Hunters Hill Council's Local
Environment Plan and its Development Control Plan as it applies to its
own heritage-listed campus, as well as to the neighbourhood.

What the College is proposing with these two buildings will have a
significantly detrimental impact on the local area and flies in the
face of the objectives of Hunters Hill's planning controls.


G) RECOMMENDATION
1) The Trust objects to the proposal on the grounds that it is an
overdevelopment of the site, is excessive in bulk and height, will be
too close to the college's boundary, and by its intended use outside
normal college hours will create additional traffic and street parking
outside normal college hours.
2) The Trust calls on the Minister for Planning to hold a public
hearing into this proposal.

St Josephs College Physical Education and Sports Courts Project SSD:
PROPOSED NEW BASKETBALL COMPLEX AND GYM
Submission by Alister Sharp PhD

Introduction

This proposal fails to observe the heritage objectives of Hunters
Hill's Local Environment Plan and its Development Control Plan that
relate specifically to heritage by reason of its scale, lack of
setback from the college's boundary, and lack of compatibility with
both the existing college buildings, and the neighbourhood.
Unfortunately it also fails to present design excellence, probably
because of the constraints imposed on the architects.


A) THE PROPOSED BASKETBALL COMPLEX
The proposed Basketball Complex, which includes 3 covered courts,
spectator seating with 180 seats, change rooms, a commercial-sized
kitchen, entrance foyer, meeting rooms, classrooms and basement
parking for 85 cars, is massive, designed not only for the use of St
Joseph's students but also for competition matches between school
teams.

Location
The proposed structure is to be built on the site of four existing
outdoor basketball courts, which provide open-air space within the
walled College campus, and a generous setback from the surrounding
residential area for the several multi-storey structures within. The
proposal reduces the number of courts by one.

Building size
To accommodate three basketball courts at 28m x 15m each, plus runoff
all round each court, spectator accommodation and other facilities
means the building is approximately 95m x 34m taking up an area of
3,230 sq m. This is a substantial area, which would accommodate more
than four individual house lots of 700 sq m (the minimum lot size in
this part of Hunters Hill).

Building Height
At the corner of Luke St and Gladesville Rd, the proposed walls are
approximately 14m high, and the pitched roof 2m higher. This is almost
twice the maximum wall height (7m) that is allowed in the adjacent
residential streets, and with a setback of only 1m from the heritage
stone wall, would be intrusive in the extreme.

Building Street Setbacks
In Hunters Hill's consolidated DCP, the minimum street setback for
residential development is 5m.
The massive 14m high walls of the basketball complex are set back only
1m from both Luke St and Gladesville Rd frontages.

Building form
The structure is of an industrial scale completely at odds with the
residential scale and character of the surrounding streets,
particularly Luke St. The style of the building has been described as
"brutal," "stark" and "industrial."

The proposed building will have the following negative impacts:
l On the heritage item itself:
o The replacement of the existing outdoor basketball courts with this
massive building will destroy the garden setting of the existing
buildings in this part of the college campus and will quite change its
character.
o The creation of the partially-underground carpark will increase the
height of the building
o Views of the various buildings and landscape features within the
campus will be obliterated.
o The heritage-listed stonewalls to Gladesville Road and Luke St will
be overwhelmed by the scale of the new structure's walls, particularly
when they are set back only 1m inside the stone wall on the boundary,
with no allowance for any significant landscaping to soften the
impact. As well, by locating the new building so close to the boundary
will require the demolition (and reconstruction) of the heritage
listed stone wall, and the removal of the street trees.

l On the surrounding streets and Conservation Area
o The character of Luke St will be severely downgraded by this massive
14+ metre high `Industrial' building extending 95m along Luke St, and
34m along Gladesville Rd.
o The impact on Gladesville Road will change the character of the
street, which, apart from the shops at the junction with Ryde Rd, is
essentially low-rise heritage residential, comprising housing, nursing
homes, and aged care facilities, all with carefully maintained
gardens.
o There will be significant over-shadowing of the existing properties
in Luke St to the serious detriment of the existing amenity of
residents living here, particularly the loss of afternoon sun in
winter.
o The proposed measures to limit sound escape through ventilators and
louvre windows are not acceptable as they rely on staff to close the
openings and activate mechanical air conditioning during noisy
activities.
o There will be problems created by additional need for on-street
parking for spectators in the surrounding area when sporting events
take place - particularly when events are scheduled out of school
hours or at night.
o There will be problems with spectator traffic coming and going
through the College, particularly through the Gladesville Rd Entrance.


B) THE GYMNASIUM BUILDING
The proposed Gymnasium would have a negative impact particularly on
the heritage-listed Chapel and College campus. Its impact on the
surrounding Conservation Area will not be as stark as the proposed
Basketball Complex, however loss of views of the Chapel and the
replacement of open landscaped space with an unsympathetic building
will have a negative impact on that part of Mary St.


C) THE COMMUNITY'S INVESTMENT IN THE COLLEGE
The local community has a direct investment in the college as a result
of:
l The pays no Council rates, leaving the community to fund the
maintenance and upkeep of the streets surrounding its various
properties, and Council playing grounds that are used from time to
time by The College
l Considering the large budget ($38 million) of this project, it is
inexcusable that the college to seek exemption from the Section 94A
levy towards infrastructure.


D) COMPLIANCE WITH SEARs and the EDUCATION AND CHILD CARE SEPP -
SCHEDULE 4 - SCHOOL DESIGN QUALITY PRINCIPLES
* The project creates no permanent jobs
* There is no indication of how it will increase education results
(indeed, since it reduces the number of basketball courts (replacing
four outdoor courts with three indoor ones) it could be said to reduce
them.
* The is no indication of how the project will `Revitalise existing
suburbs'
* The project fails to `enable the use of school facilities ... to be
shared with the community'. The only use by outside bodies mentioned
in the proposal is by kindred organisations, typically for one event
per year. While 50% of students may board at the school, most go home
during term vacations, and very few remain through the summer
vacation.
* In presenting a 16m high wall only 1m inside it's heritage stone
wall, the Basketball Complex quite fails to `contribute to the
streetscape and mitigate impacts on neighbouring sites'
* The proposed building height, bulk and scale simply are NOT
`appropriate for the site and maintain the existing educational form
and character of school buildings' and certainly will not `have a
positive impact on the quality and sense of identity of the
neighbourhood'.


E) CONCLUSION
The severe impact of this proposal on its surroundings stems from the
stated intention to build a large, tall building without impacting on
the College's playing fields, or on the original, heritage building.
To protect its own heritage, the college is proposing to downgrade the
heritage of the surrounding community.

By virtue of being classed as a State Significant Development, The
College is not necessarily bound by the LEP controls that ratepayers
are required to abide by. This, however, does not absolve The College
from its moral duty to be a `good citizen' by respecting the
objectives and controls set out in Hunters Hill Council's Local
Environment Plan and its Development Control Plan as it applies to its
own heritage-listed campus, as well as to the neighbourhood.

What the College is proposing with these two buildings will have a
significantly detrimental impact on the local area and flies in the
face of the objectives of Hunters Hill's planning controls.


F) RECOMMENDATION
1) I object to the proposal on the grounds that it is an
overdevelopment of the site, is excessive in bulk and height, will be
too close to the college's boundary, and by its intended use outside
normal college hours will create additional traffic and street parking
outside normal college hours.
2) I call on the Minister for Planning to hold a public hearing into
this proposal.

Planning NSW
Major Projects Section
14 November 2018

St Josephs College Physical Education and Sports Courts Project SSD:
PROPOSED NEW BASKETBALL COMPLEX & GYMNASIUM

As local residents who care about the heritage, amenity and character
of our area, we are objecting strongly to this development proposal,
in particular the proposed Basketball Complex.

The sites for the College's proposed Basketball Complex and the Healy
Gymnasium are wholly within Hunters Hill Council's Heritage item No
1242 (St Josephs College) as well as being within Council's General
Conservation Area, which means that any new works should follow the
heritage objectives set out in Council's Local Environment Plan and
its Development Control Plan that relate specifically to heritage.

Basketball complex
This proposal fails to observe these heritage objectives due to its
scale, lack of setback from the College's boundary, and lack of
compatibility with both the existing college buildings and the
neighbourhood. It fails in terms of design excellence which, given the
expenditure on the project and its impact on the neighbourhood, is
inexcusable. If approved, it also involves the removal of over 30
trees which, within this LGA and community that highly values its
natural environment and tree canopy, is unacceptable.

The proposed basketball complex is to be built on the site of four
existing outdoor basketball courts, which provide open-air space
within the walled College campus, and a generous setback from the
surrounding residential area for the several multi-storey structures
within. The proposal will reduce the number of courts by one. The
building is approximately 95m x 34m taking up an area of 3,230 sq m.
This is a substantial area, which would accommodate more than four
individual house lots of 700 sq m (the minimum lot size in this part
of Hunters Hill).

At the corner of Luke St and Gladesville Rd, the proposed walls are
approximately 14m high, and the pitched roof 2m higher. This is almost
twice the maximum wall height (7m) that is allowed in the adjacent
residential streets, and with a setback of only 1m from the heritage
stone wall, would be intrusive and, in its current form, an ugly
addition to the neighbourhood.

As Hunters Hill's consolidated DCP has a minimum street setback for
residential development of 5m, how can it be justifiable that the
massive 14m high walls of the basketball complex are proposed to be
set back only 1m from both Luke St and Gladesville Rd frontages?

Has any consideration at all been given to the aesthetics and equity
of this proposal, the visual and other impact on the heritage-listed
stonewalls to Gladesville Rd and Luke St, as well as its relationship
to the existing streetscape and character of the largely low key
residential garden settings of the locality?

The College already has a considerable footprint in our area while,
unfortunately, having a fairly minimal relationship with its host
community. Traffic and parking are already vexing issues, amplified
when events are scheduled within the grounds and beyond. There will
inevitably be greater visitation impacts, with demands on the local
residential area for parking, if this project is approved.

Gymnasium
The proposed Gymnasium is to be built in the existing landscaped
courtyard adjacent to the historically significant stone Chapel
building that faces Mary St. It will take up most of the courtyard
and, again, require the removal of a number of existing trees and
shrubs. The form and finishes appear quite alien to the existing
surrounding buildings and will have negative impacts, particularly on
the heritage-listed Chapel and College campus.

Its impact on the surrounding Conservation Area will not be as stark
as the proposed Basketball Complex, however the loss of views of the
Chapel and the replacement of open landscape with an unsympathetic
building would be a regrettable outcome for that part of Mary St.

Conclusion
The local community has a direct investment in the college as a result
of:
The college's exemption from the payment of rates on their property,
while the community continues to fund the maintenance and upkeep of
the surrounding streets and playing grounds that are available to the
College, including management impacts resulting from stormwater flows
from the College;
its exemption from income tax;
its funding by both state and federal government with the federal
government funding private schools at twice the rate of public
schools.

It is therefore very disappointing that it is the stated intention of
the college to seek exemption from the Section 94A levy towards
infrastructure, in spite of the extravagant budget ($38 million) of
this project and the various costs borne by Council's ratepayers on
its behalf.

The proposed building height, bulk and scale are not appropriate for
the site and will not have a positive impact on the quality and sense
of identity of the neighbourhood, as claimed. What the College is
proposing with these two buildings will be significant and have a
detrimental impact on the local area through not meeting the
objectives of Hunters Hill's planning controls.

Although, due to being classed as a State Significant Development, the
College is not necessarily bound by the LEP controls that ratepayers
are required to adhere to, we believe the College has a responsibility
and obligation to contribute ethically and meaningfully to the
community by respecting the objectives and controls set out in Hunters
Hill Council's Local Environment Plan and its Development Control
Plan. These should apply as much to development on the College's
heritage-listed campus as to the neighbourhood in which it is located.

We urge that this proposed development be rejected as a whole, that
the College engages more sympathetically with its surrounding
community and that the Minster for Planning is requested to hold a
public hearing.

Brigid & Leonard Dowsett,
37 Batemans Road,
Gladesville, 2111

This proposal is sited within the Council's Heritage Item no. 1242 St
Josephs College as well as being within the Council's General
Conservation Area, which means any proposed works should work with the
heritage objectives set out in Council's Local Environment Plan and
its Development Control Plan that relate specifically to heritage.

However, this proposal falls short of these heritage objectives for
reasons of scale, lack of setback from the college's boundary and lack
of compatibility with both the existing college buildings and the
neighbourhood. To accommodate three basketball courts at 28m x 15m
each, plus runoff all round each court, spectator accommodation and
other facilities means the building is approximately 95m x 34m taking
up an area of 3,230 sq m. This is a substantial area, which would
accommodate more than four individual house lots of 700 sq m (the
minimum lot size in this part of Hunters Hill).

At the corner of Luke St and Gladesville Rd, the proposed walls are
approximately 14m high, and the pitched roof 2m higher. This is almost
twice the maximum wall height (7m) that is allowed in the adjacent
residential streets, and with a setback of only 1m from the heritage
stone wall, would be intrusive in the extreme.

In Hunters Hill's consolidated DCP, the minimum street setback for
residential development is 5m. The massive 14m high walls of the
basketball complex are set back only 1m from both Luke St and
Gladesville Rd frontages.

The structure is of an industrial scale completely at odds with the
residential scale and character of the surrounding streets,
particularly Luke St. The style of the building is of an industrial
scale and will have negative impacts on the heritage-listed stonewalls
to Gladesville Road and Luke St which will be overwhelmed by the scale
of the new structure's walls,

By locating the new building so close to the boundary only 1m inside
the stone wall, will require the demolition (and reconstruction) of
the heritage listed stone wall, and the removal of the street trees
which is particularly significant and unacceptable.

The character of Luke St will be severely downgraded by this massive
14+ metre high building extending 95m along Luke St, and 34m along
Gladesville Rd. It will impact on the surrounding properties in terms
of overshadowing, noise and onstreet parking.

The location for the second proposed building to be built in the
existing landscaped courtyard adjacent to the historically significant
stone Chapel building that faces Mary Street. The building will take
up most of the courtyard and will require the removal of a number of
existing trees and shrubs.

The major impact of the proposal results from the destruction of the
existing landscaped court between the Brothers Residence' and Chapel.
Like the Basketball complex, this will degrade the existing character
of the campus. The proposed materials to be used and the form of the
proposed building are completely unsympathetic to those of the
existing buildings.

The character of Mary Street will be negatively impacted through the
loss of garden space between the two existing buildings and through
the imposition of the proposed, unsympathetic gymnasium.

The proposal will have a negative impact particularly on the
heritage-listed Chapel and College campus. Its impact on the
surrounding Conservation Area will not be as stark as the proposed
Basketball Complex, however loss of views of the Chapel and the
replacement of open landscaped space with an unsympathetic building
will have a negative impact on that part of Mary St.

What the College is proposing with these two buildings will have a
significantly detrimental impact within its own heritage-listed campus
as well as on the local heritage area.

I request that the Minister for Planning set up a public hearing for
the proposed development.

Thank you.

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Hunters Hill Council's submission is uploaded in your system

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