I write in support of the proposed Indigo by Moran development for the following reasons:
1. Meeting growing demand for high quality seniors living in the Northern Beaches
The Northern Beaches LGA has a significant and increasing population of over 60 year old residents. The upper Northern Beaches have a particularly high population of retirement aged residents, however the existing retirement villages are dated and do not reflect the median house price in the locality. The Indigo by Moran proposal will provide modern, purpose-built living tailored for seniors, that will help residents stay in their community and downsize, without compromising quality.
2. Supports housing market movement and diversity
By enabling older people to downsize and remain in the local area, the project can assist in freeing up larger homes for young families, contributing indirectly to housing supply. Having dedicated seniors living also diversifies housing stock and helps create multi-generational neighbourhoods.
3. Local economic construction benefits
The development will support the local economy, by providing jobs during construction, and ongoing jobs for the operations of the village. This kind of development strengthens the local area and services the economy, as seen in the development of Sage by Moran in Cronulla and the Rose by Moran in Wahroonga.
5. Proximity to amenity and transport
The site is in a great location, a short walk from the beach, shops, healthcare facilities and public transport. For older people, proximity to these amenities means improved quality of life, reduced dependency on long commutes, and access to the local communities, leisure, and health services.
6. Revitalising an underutilised site
The site has been vacant for several years since the closure of the former facility. In its current state, it contributes little to the local streetscape and community; effectively dead land in a highly desirable and well-serviced location. Without redevelopment, the land will continue to deteriorate and offer no benefit to residents or the local economy. The proposal provides a meaningful and appropriate use for the site, activating the area with new life, employment, and community engagement, whilst addressing the need for high quality seniors living.

I support the development of additional Retirement living space on the northern beaches. I am 70 yrs old and need to downsize into somewhere that has nearby facilities and transport connections. The planned development would be of a high standard which also attracts me.

Exciting project for older residents. The plans look beautiful.

We’re completely against the proposal for a six-storey apartment block in Narrabeen. It would change the character of our community in such a damaging way. We live just one block away, in a small apartment building on Ocean Street, and we’ve been part of this community for over 30 years. We are a young family and chose to buy our first home here because of the zoning — knowing the area would stay low-rise and that we’d never be surrounded by huge, overdeveloped buildings.

This proposal goes against everything that makes Narrabeen so special. It would create major issues with parking and congestion, disrupt the close-knit community feel of the area, block sunlight from surrounding homes, and destroy native vegetation and wildlife habitats. Narrabeen simply isn’t built for this size of development — our roads, parking, and local facilities can’t support that many extra people. The Northern Beaches just doesn’t have the capacity for this kind of overdevelopment.

Narrabeen has always been a coastal village with a relaxed, small-scale feel — that’s exactly why we love it and why people choose to live here. There isn’t a single six-storey building anywhere on the Narrabeen peninsula, and there shouldn’t be. This project is completely out of place and not what the community wants. It will completely ruin Narrabeen.

This project is completely beyond planning limits!
It appears to, to me, to be a ploy to ask a lot more than is allowed to hopefully end up with a compromise of more than they would have had if they had settled for normal planning regulations.

The northern beaches needs more of this type of development which is a quality design sympathetic to the surrounding environment. This initiative supports older people moving from large family homes, thus providing the opportunity for younger families to raise a family in a house. The location is replacing facility which has been catering for older people for many years and has always been accepted by the community. The design of the building provides ample car parking for residents and visitors therefore not negatively impacting the area. As a development catering for older residents, there would be minimum noise to impact local residents versus a strata titles unit block where noise issues are frequently an issue, especially in rented apartments.
The location of the development provides ready access to a range of amenities and medical services which add to supporting older people to live independently, with the impact of reducing further strain on the Government's age care programs.
Given the high percentage of unit blocks approved and established along Ocean Street, precedence has already been established for high rise buildings, with little environmental considerations in many of the designs. In the case of Indigo, consideration of the local landscape is evident, with the inclusion of natural green spaces incorporated into the design.
This development provides the opportunity for older people to enjoy a heightened quality of life through increased social interaction, experiencing the natural and open environment of life on the northern beaches and with local access to amenities. The location reduces the requirement to use motor vehicles, resulting in a positive impact to a green environment.

I am 56 years old, a direct neighbour of this proposed development, and a potential resident of this future accommodation.

The site has been neglected for years, and this looks like an ambitious and beautiful use of the space. I hope it will bring life and energy to our corner of Narrabeen, and inspire more imaginative use of our beautiful beachfront.