The Timberyards by RTL Co.

To Whom it may concern,
I object to SSD-76927247 - The Timberyards by RTL Co. The 8 storey building being proposed will overshadow Sydenham Road, leaving homes with little to no sunlight. Some properties will receive less than 30 minutes of sunlight daily, which will negatively affect and raise energy costs.

Attached is my submission objecting to the Timberyards Development in its current form.

I object to the Timberyards project for the following reasons:
1. Lack of infrastructure, parking space and traffic congestion.
I understand that the government is hoping to encourage the use of public transport or e bikes as well as walking to accommodate this major development, however, public transport in Marrickville is no where near as good as Paris or London to support 1188 apartments. The development will increase population in the area leading to increased traffic congestion, parking issues and e bike dumping / discarding on footpaths. The development is too close to Marrickville Public School and increased traffic congestion will be unsafe for everyone near the area. Allowing to build 1188 apartments will exacerbate the problem we have with traffic congestion and parking space. This area would be ideal to be used to build a nature reserve for the environment or as an outdoor creative space which would be a much better outcome for the Marrickville community and the environment.

2. This project does not provide a true affordable housing option for low-income people and is not family friendly.
Less than 10% of these units are set aside for Affordable Housing.
Out of the 1188 units, there will only be 40 three-bedroom apartments. That is not enough apartments for families. This development is for housing high income earners. Having looked at other projects such as Scape’s building projects shows the rents are high. For example, a studio of 15 square metres is advertised at above $750 a week per person in Darlington and in Glebe. This is clearly not affordable housing for the people of NSW.

3. The proposed height of 8 floors to 13 floors of the buildings, the architecture and design are not sympathetic to the character of the local neighbourhood. The proposed height of 8 floors and above is illegal, aesthetically displeasing and it will cause overshadowing around Farr Street, the streets off Sydenham Road, including houses on Sydenham Road and Victoria Road.

I strongly object to the project! The number of units is too many and the proposed height of the building (8-13 storeys) excessive and not in line with current planning restrictions. There has already been a very large unit complex go up on Victoria Rd (Wicks Place) in the last few years. This isn't yet full and it has impacted the traffic along Victoria Rd enormously. A new complex of the proposed size (1200 units) will further strain the current infrastructure to breaking point. Having two extremely large complexes so close to each other is too much.

Less than a quarter of the units will have parking, this doesn't mean people don't have cars, where will they park? This will be very destructive to the living conditions of surrounding streets, with many homes not having off street parking. Where will people park in surrounding streets when parking spaces are taken up by people in the new complex? There is a public school right next to the proposed complex, the parking issue will impact school drop off and pick up and there is a possibility of children being hit by cars and injured or killed when parents are unable to park to safely support their child to the school premises or in the afternoon back to the car. I believe the increased volume of traffic will result in an increase of car accidents and possible loss of life. Longer waits to move through the area, traffic congestion often results in people taking risks.

Apparently the complex is applying for an exemption with regards to Greenspaces, this is completely unacceptable! With the high density living, green spaces become more important not less. This destroys the suburb and impacts heat in summer and air quality. I have questions about water and flooding as there has been flooding in some areas of Marrickville, a big complex such as this will create blockages where water naturally flows impacting the whole area.

I believe many businesses in the area will suffer, while yes more people may mean an increase in business for some in the short term, however I believe in the long term it will be different. When I go out on a Saturday night in Marrickville, the area has become a lively welcoming community. People are coming into Marrickville and increasing the profits of business and creating an ambience that many suburbs would aspire to, however if people are unable to park or if it takes them 30 minutes or more to travel up Victoria Rd, they will stop coming and find another place to spend time.

When the other Wicks Place development was built this impacted my phone reception, I don't know how or why but I was no longer able to take calls as people couldn't hear me. I needed to change my provider to Telstra because I have health issues and wouldn't have been able to phone an ambulance if needed at that time. I feel very concerned about another very tall building interfering with phone reception, I do acknowledge I don't have expertise in this and even though I can't think of anything else that could have suddenly impacted my phone reception after 10 years of it being fine, it may not be relevant but I thought I would mention it.

I am concerned about how an Ambulance will navigate transporting emergencies to hospital in a place that doesn't have adequate roads for the increasing volume of traffic. There is an aging population in Marrickville and this is going to be something that is important. It is already often very difficult and time consuming trying to get out of Marrickville with the inadequate roads. I have concerns about older people, people with disabilities or health concerns becoming isolated in their homes due to increased traffic volume making services less accessible.

When Wicks Place complex was going up they had cranes there from 11pm through the night drilling into the bedrock. It made it difficult to sleep and at the time I made a complaint to council who told me they needed to do this due to being on the flight path and they had relevant permissions. I need to sleep so I can work, I can't afford to lose my job, and this complex/project will be closer to me and therefore the noise impact greater. This will impact everyone living close to the complex with regards to disruption to sleep. Sleep derivation is a serious health hazard. I'm assuming the same flight path restrictions will apply because the proposed project is in the same area as Wicks Place and they will drill through the night for a period of time.

Which brings me to questions about the flight path, how can the project be as tall as is proposed? What about the building restrictions with regards to height and nothing over 3 storeys?
The height in conjunction with the height of Wicks Place has a huge impact on the livability and atmosphere of the area, destroying it completely, and blocking out the skyline. I thought there were height restrictions for the area, especially Sydenham Rd., Just as the suburb is moving forward and taking off it seems there are people trying to destroy it. Other suburbs don't weather this type of congestion and stay a place where people want to live, it will be the same here. The builders will make a lot of money and leave the rest of us with properties that go down in value and a suburb that becomes undesirable and slum like. They don't live here so they don't care about the destruction of the suburb.

The affordable housing is laughable at less than 10% and just a way for wealthy builders to increase their wealth at the expense of the people who live here. I strongly oppose this project, it will be a strain on the infrastructure, downgrade the suburb, have adverse health impacts with regards to not enough green space, increased summer temperatures and decreased air quality, and an increase in car accidents due to congestion. It will negatively impact the public school, the air quality for the children while it is being built and afterwards. It will negatively impact the atmosphere/ambience of a suburb that has become a lively community. The pretense of it being a project that supplies affordable housing when the allocation is less than 10% makes it clear it's just a money grab for people who don't care about destroying living conditions for people if they can make money. It's already extremely difficult to park at the local shopping centres, this will become increasingly worse, another aspect of how this will downgrade the area.

To whom it may concern,
I object to SSD-76927247 - The Timberyards by RTL Co. The new 8 story development will block out the sunlight for homes along Sydenham Road, reducing sunlight to as little as 30 minutes per day for some residents. This will create an unhealthy living environment and force us to rely more on artificial light and heating.

To whom it may concern,
I object to SSD-76927247- The Timberyards by RTL CO. the 8 story building proposed for the Timberyards is a direct violation of the local planning controls which only permit a 3 storey development. This will result in severe overshadowing for homes on Sydenham road with some properties receiving barely any sunlight less than 30 minutes a day.

I have objections to the propsed developement of The Timberyards Marrickville
- the development is too tall - should be a height of 8 to 10 floors similar to Wicks Place opposite
- No Higher as there would be undue extra noise from airplanes
- out of place in the area
- Shadowing over neighbours with loss of sunlight and views
- 1188 units with only 230 parking spaces is rediclous. This will servely impact the already limited street parking
- Traffic flow will be servely impacted in Mitchell Street and Victoria Road
- Victoria Road already is at a near standstill due to traffic lights at the corner of Victoria Road and Sydenham Road
- This will add (by Timberyards calculations)at least an additional 230 vehicles PLUS an unknown number of vehicles to the area
- Retail area and Resturants/cafes would also attract many visitors from outside the complex and thus arrive by car/taxi/uber or bus, therfore creating even more vehicular and predestrian traffic.
- There would be impact on Marrickville Public School as more vehicles and traffic in the area making it unsafe for the children to enter and leave school
Whilst I am not against the project, I believe it just to too big and overpowering for the area
Raymond Goodman
Resident
0413 99 99 98

•Instead of a large residential complex, the area could benefit from preserving green space or developing lower-density housing that blends better with the community.
• A mixed-use development with small businesses, parks, and community spaces might be a more sustainable and beneficial option.
•the impact of sun exposure due to the high rise building

Lose of sun exposure to the backyards . More pollution and heavy traffic .
Less apartments equals more equality for life

To whom it may concern,
I object to SSD-76927247 - The Timberyards by RTL Co.
The developer’s proposal to build an 8-storey structure at The Timberyards goes far beyond the allowed 3-storey height limit. This will cause significant overshadowing of the homes on Sydenham Road. In particular, many of us will see less than half an hour of sunlight a day, a serious concern that could negatively impact our health and well-being.

To Whom It May Concern,
I strongly object to the current plan for the Timberyards in Marrickville and have outlined my concerns below.

Illegal Building Height
The proposed building exceeds the current maximum of three storeys. The justification that increased height is acceptable in exchange for affordable housing is inadequate. Surrounding residents will lose their privacy, and the scale of the development is out of character with the existing area.

Overshadowing and Environmental Impact
Some houses in surrounding areas will not meet legal shadowing requirements due to the excessive height of the building. This will worsen existing problems in an area already struggling with damp issues in buildings and flooding on roads. Reduced sunlight will only exacerbate these conditions.

Lack of Genuine Affordable Housing
The proposal offers only 10% affordable housing, which is an insignificant concession compared to what the project takes away from the community. While renters may not have to worry about their apartments being sold, they will still be subjected to market rent and excessive rental increases, which have already forced many people out of the area. This project is being promoted as affordable housing, but for it to be truly accessible, rent increases would need to be capped to protect tenants from price gouging in the rental market.

Strain on Local Services
There are already long waiting lists for essential services in the area. With multiple large developments occurring at the same time, how will thousands of new residents access the services they need? For example, the local school is already at capacity—where will additional children be accommodated?

Parking and Traffic Congestion
The high market rent in the area means that most residents will have higher incomes, yet the development fails to provide sufficient parking. It is naïve to assume that people will not own cars, and parking and traffic congestion in surrounding streets are already serious issues.

Traffic Disruptions During Construction
Frampton Avenue already experiences issues with trucks double parking, leading to dangerous near-misses and head-on collisions. Despite clear signage prohibiting vehicles over three tonnes, this continues to be a problem. The addition of construction vehicles in an already high-traffic school zone will create traffic chaos.

Impact on School and Privacy
The proposed building will be so high that it will allow people to overlook children in the playground at Marrickville Public School, presenting an unacceptable child protection risk. Additionally, schoolchildren have already endured years of disruption due to noise from the Wicks Park development. How will this project ensure that students are not further disrupted in their schooling or exposed to environmental pollution from construction?

Construction Noise
Over the past four years, local streets have been subjected to extended-hours construction noise from the Wicks Park development. It is far too soon to impose yet another multi-year disruption on the local community.

Threat to Local Community and Performance Venues
The area is home to many well-established performance and dining venues. Previous developments have led to new residents making noise complaints, which in turn has forced venues to shut down, destroying the artistic and cultural identity of the area. This pattern will likely repeat with this development.

Conclusion
While this development is being presented as an affordable housing solution, it is in reality another cash grab by developers who have shown no interest in addressing community concerns. Despite community consultation, none of the raised issues have been addressed. Instead, the developers have pushed forward with a project that is entirely inappropriate for the needs of the community.

To whom it may concern,
I object to SSD-76927247 - The Timberyards by RTL Co.
The height of the proposed building—8 storeys—will cause significant overshadowing of the houses along Sydenham Road. Residents here rely on natural light for their well-being, and some homes will receive less than half an hour of sunlight each day. This will create an unhealthy and uncomfortable living environment.

To whom it may concern,I object to SSD-76927247 - The Timberyards by RTL Co. The proposed 8-storey development will result in significant overshadowing of Sydenham Road, reducing natural light for many homes. Some properties will receive less than half an hour of sunlight each day, which will have a detrimental impact on our living spaces and energy costs.

Good Afternoon Sir/Madam,
We are writing in relation to the Timberyards Development on Victoria Road, Marrickville. The Marrickville Chamber of Commerce has concerns about the insufficient parking provided for the apartments in this development.
The total number of apartments will be 1,188, yet only 216 parking spaces are planned. We are concerned about where the residents of this development will park, as the surrounding streets already face a significant shortage of parking. Given the limited parking spaces at this development, we believe it will only exacerbate the existing parking for all the businesses that are currently there such as the factories, small businesses and will also have a major impact to the retail strip on Marrickville and Illawarra road, Marrickville.
We look forward to your response.
Kind regards,

Morris Hanna OAM
President
Marrickville Chamber of Commerce

To whom it may concern;
On review of the plans for the Timberyards, I find some considerable items of concern. Firstly, the proposed height profile is more than two and a half times that of the largest building in the surrounds, this well beyond the lga council approved height and with the building to stand taller than the Wicks Place development at 182 Victoria Road, it would appear the only way such a decision can be taken is to circumvent council completely.
The suggestion of low-cost housing and a family oriented development is quickly eroded, when considering 1100+ units, all with a strong bias to 1 and 2 bedroom apartments. The inclusion of only 40, 3 bedroom units, appears geared to the benefit of the developer only, and not furthering what is a dynamic, family oriented enclave, close to the CBD and in the case of the Timberyards, abutting a primary school.
With the development of the recently completed Wicks Place, approved in 2019/2020, the car parking spaces were at a 1:1 ratio (lot/apartment). For the newly proposed Timberyards, a meagre 200+ car spaces are proposed. With this at a 5:1 ratio compared with the earlier development, what has changed over the past 4 years? Certainly not vehicle registration in NSW, having jumped over 250,000 units over the past two years. Consideration for the proximity of the Metro station at Sydenham could be considered, however it’s fair to assume those people attempting to make use of the proposed low cost housing, likely will not work within the CBD or lower North Shore.
Overall the height, number of small apartments and woefully inadequate car parking allocation stand to adversely impact the amenity for the impacted community, all without fostering a new one.
As I presume others will table similar concerns, I hope an independent panel can review and give thought and recommendation to, the positive impact a marginally smaller height line, coupled with increased parking and greater consideration for young families would bring to the community and ultimately, the residents of the development.
Yours sincerely,
B.

To whom it may concern,
I object to SSD-76927247 - The Timberyards by RTL Co.
The proposed development’s height—8 storeys instead of the 3 storeys permitted—will block out vital sunlight for the houses along Sydenham Road. For some homes, this means receiving barely 30 minutes of sunlight a day, reducing our living conditions and increasing our dependence on artificial lighting.

To whom it may concern,
I object to SSD-76927247 - The Timberyards by RTL Co.
The excessive height of the proposed building will lead to severe overshadowing of Sydenham Road. For some homes, this means getting less than half an hour of sunlight each day, which goes against local planning guidelines and severely impacts the quality of life.

I support some development of this site HOWEVER the scale is too large. The height of the buildings means they dominate the surrounding area and visibility is overbearing. Whilst a large site, the density is not suitable for the surrounding roads and access points. These roads will be choked and the result will make the area less liveable for everyone. Reduce the scale and create a harmonious life for all residents.

To the NSW Department of Planning and Environment,

I am writing to express my strong support for the proposed redevelopment of the Marrickville Timber Yards. This project presents a significant opportunity to address critical housing needs while promoting sustainable urban development within the Inner West.

I believe the proposed development aligns with the strategic objectives of increasing housing supply and improving affordability in high-demand areas. The provision of approximately 1200 residential units, at a scale of up to 8 storeys, is a welcome addition to the Marrickville housing market.

Furthermore, the project’s emphasis on sustainable transport solutions is commendable. The provision of 278 car spaces alongside 762 bicycle spaces, coupled with its proximity to Sydenham Metro station and Marrickville Road shops, encourages active and public transport use. This approach will contribute to a reduction in car emissions and support the broader goals of combating climate change.

The potential for increased enrolment at Marrickville Public School is also a significant benefit. With the school currently operating below capacity, the influx of new residents will provide much-needed resources and ensure the school's long-term viability.

I am also pleased to note the inclusion of retail spaces, affordable housing contributions, and public spaces within the development. These elements will enhance the livability of the precinct and contribute to a vibrant community.

The design of the development appears to be well-considered and visually appealing, contributing positively to the urban landscape.

This project demonstrates a forward-thinking approach to urban development, prioritizing housing supply and sustainable transport in a well-connected location. By creating a precinct around the new Southwest Metro line that minimizes car dependency, this project sets a valuable precedent for future developments.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that the Marrickville Timber Yards redevelopment is a positive and necessary project for the area. I urge the Department of Planning and Environment to approve this development, recognizing its potential to deliver significant benefits to the community and the broader Sydney region.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Andy Leach

To whom it may concern,
I object to SSD-76927247 - The Timberyards by RTL Co.
We are deeply concerned that the proposed 8-storey building will drastically reduce sunlight for homes on Sydenham Road. Currently, many of us enjoy ample natural light, but this development would leave some homes in near-permanent shadow, with less than 30 minutes of sunlight per day.