I am objecting to this project as the Visual Impact Assessment omits any analysis from Holt avenue and the Holt Estate Heritage Conservation Area, even though these sit directly north of this site. There is no document submitted that details assessment of view loss and view sharing. This proposed development impacts Sydney Harbour views, natural landform and the heritage character of the street scape and this has not been properly evaluated. Additionally, this area has limited public transport, insufficient street parking , constrained pedestrian pathways and introducing more vehicles will worsen existing safety issues for pedestrian, cyclists and motorists. Rangers Avenue and the surrounding streets including Holt Avenue are already heavily congested, adding a 91 car basement will increase traffic movements and congestion in a system that is already above capacity. Finally, the scale is inconsistent with existing surrounding low rise residential character resulting in overshadowing, loss of privacy and loss of long established Sydney Harbour Bridge and city skyline views. Although labelled as in-fill affordable housing, this project primarily delivers luxury apartments. It is not, therefore meeting genuine affordable housing need.

Please see my objection as outlined in the attached document.

I live around the corner in Shadforth Street Mosman.
To travel from Mosman to North Sydney and Milsons point, Rangers road is the current road everyone uses.

Rangers road is a single lane, very curvy, and often gets backlogged due to being the main shortcut between Mosman and the bottom of Neutral Bay, Cremorne, North Sydney and Milsons Point.

An additional 91 car spaces on that road is not feasible nor workable nor manageable.

There are no multi lane roads around the proposed development and adding an extra 91 cars to the streets exceeds capacity in the little streets that are already often back logged with traffic. It will destroy the ability of residents to get in and out of their suburb. It will lock Mosman residents in.

Another complaint is that the 7 storey block will be able to be seen from the water as it exceeds free height. It will be an eyesore!!

This should not be allowed, so far away from public amenities, from supermarkets and main roads.

Main roads are for 7 storey dwellings, not quiet back streets!

I object to this project on the grounds of sustainability and the precedent it would set.

In terms of sustainability, contrary to the pictures of the development showing a single bike rider passing by, Rangers Avenue is a major thoroughfare through Mosman relied upon by thousands of cars per day. The size of the development with 44 apartments on a busy road and so close to the roundabout at Park Ave would put unstainable stress on traffic and road safety, especially as the development includes 91 car spaces. Given the rationale for such a development is that it is within 800 meters of a transport hub, how can over 2 cars spaces per apartment be required or justified? The number of car spaces should be a maximum of 1 per unit reflecting the entire rationale of such developments being close to public transport to support the sustainable growth of Sydney.

The other key sustainability question is around waste disposal as it is not clear from the drawings how/where the garbage of the 44 apartments will be collected? Given Rangers Avenue is so busy, garbage trucks cannot block it and the rear Bloxsome lane is too narrow for the service to be provided from there. It is not clear from the drawings that the development includes enough space for garbage trucks and other service vehicles to pull in to be completely off both Rangers Avenue and the footpath and then be able to turn around before coming back on to Rangers Avenue.

Regarding precedent, there are currently 4 mega lots at various stages of progress on Rangers Avenue alone. If 11-23 goes ahead at the size proposed it clearly creates a precedent that the road and services could not possibly cope with. Either 11-23 is required to be scaled back, or if it goes ahead as proposed, to be sustainable it would have to mean that any of the other 3 developments on Rangers Avenue would have to be on the smaller scale allowed under the LMR provisions, or some/all of them should not be allowed at all. In addition, it would not be possible to have 11-23 being under construction at the same time as any of the other 3 developments (regardless of their size) given the number of trucks this would require and the severe congestion this would cause on Rangers Ave. In isolation, it is not clear how 11-23 could be constructed on the scale proposed without this causing severe disruption to all who use Rangers Ave each and every day.

Thank you.

I object on a number of points, including that the development is within the 800m LMR safe walking distance zone given the route that is required crosses over an arterial street at an unsafe location. My submission however is objecting to the s4.6 for building height.

As someone who has owned a property virtually next door to this development for almost fifteen years, I have serious concerns about the impact it could have on neighbouring properties (as well as traffic and access to amenities).

1. Proximity to the Holt Conservation Area (HCA): Rangers Avenue is a peculiarly positioned street: it is an important traffic artery through the suburb, however it backs onto a conservation area. I have no doubt the applicant is glossing over this fact and emphasizing the existence of the small access lane between the back of the Holt avenue houses and Rangers Ave. However, this lane is approximately 2 metres wide. Even narrower in some places. It will not do anything to insulate the enormous impact such a large development will have upon the Holt Conservation Area.

Visual impact: This development will be towering over the houses behind, and will be extremely visible from Holt avenue. To provide some context, we have applied for a DA to add a story to our house and the envelope we were approved for is tiny, since we cannot go higher than 5.1m (our house is not even visible from Holt avenue as the facade is on Rangers and the house is on an incline). It boggles the mind that 11-23 Ragers could qualify for seven stories without any thought for the impact it would have on the HCA.

Views: to the best of my knowledge, the houses behind this development have views, which would completely disappear. Sunlight would also be severely limited, noting the width and height of the building and the proximity to the houses behind. Privacy would be pretty much non-existent as well. The Holt houses have their pool and gardens at the back and would be completely visible for 6 stories worth of units.

2. Risk of damaging the cliff and the adjacent houses.

I have attached a map showing the location of the creek that runs under Rangers and Park Avenue and used to spill into the old Harnett waterfalls, at the bottom of Reid park (there still is a small waterfall there). There used to be a bridge close to the Park and Rangers intersection that was providing access over the creek. The bridge became obsolete when the creek was covered up, however the water stream still runs underneath the area. Water flows under our houses regularly and into the road, and during our recent paving of the back garden the exposed sandstone was so water soaked and soft it could be scooped with one's fingers (please refer to the attached video I took at the time).

All of this is to say that excavating 10m deep over a surface of more than 3500sqm runs a very high likelihood of completely disabilising the sandstone all our houses are built on. The applicant's geological report is not available for any of us to read and it is doubtful it accounts for any of the risks. Moreover, since there is another pending development between Rangers Avenue, Brierley St and Oswald street, the combined destabilising effects could be catastrophic for the houses not only on Rangers and Holt but also Park Avenue.

It would also be interesting to know whose financial liability would it be if our houses incurred damage as part of this development.Some of us have invested our entire life's savings in our houses.

3. Historical importance

While Rangers Avenue is a busy road, it is also the site for several historical artefacts and houses that are more than 120 years old. Our house as well as the adjacent ones was built in 1902-1904. The first owners were given the house as a bridal gift and moved into it in 1905. It is now ranked as a Contributory 1 dwelling in the context of the conservation area. Most of the houses on Rangers are of the same vintage and most are in impeccable condition.

The old 1909 sandstone bridge still stands at the intersection of Rangers and Park Avenue. I have attached a photograph of the inscription dedicating it to James Glover, the Mayor of Mosman at the time. Together with the remaining Harnett waterfalls they form an important part of the history of Mosman. I would actually suggest the council considers including the northern part of Rangers Avenue in the Holt and Spencer conservation area, for all of the above reasons.

To conclude, risking the character and land stability of this street to such a degree for the sake of 10 "affordable" units and 34 multimillion apartments with harbour views makes a mockery of the affordable housing act. It is nothing more than a senseless and shameless cash grab.

4. Traffic and access to amenities

Probably the least important consideration, however Rangers Ave and Avenue Road are at a complete standstill every day during school pickup and drop-off times. I really cannot imagine how it would all play out not only with the construction vehicles blocking the traffic but also the resulting 90 odd cars having to circulate down Rangers Avenue. The capacity simply isn't there. This isn't a main artery, it is a regular street which became a main artery without any enlargement or works to support the ever increasing traffic.