I have lived on Ocean Street my entire life and I now live across the road from the development with my partner and newborn baby. I strongly oppose the proposed 6 storey, luxury seniors complex for a number of reasons:
1) current building is three storeys high and is unobtrusive. The proposed 6 storey, 149 unit complex is not only a visual intrusion but too big for our community resources such as supermarkets and roads
2) no community benefit - the luxury apartments provide no benefit to the community. As a young family we prioritise outdoor spaces, community hubs and amenities. The proposed complex instead brings safety risks to our children with increased traffic on Ocean and Lagoon streets. There’s also no affordable housing included in the building complex that would add value to our community
3) cost and size of apartments - predominantly two and three bedroom apartments seem large for retirement complex and seniors living. Most seniors are looking to down size from three bedroom houses or units. The proposed price point also seems unrealistic for most seniors in the community and adds to the housing crisis of our communities vulnerable members
4) Traffic and safety hazard - increasing population leads to more people and carbon the road. This is not only a hazard to children walking to school and playing, but to elderly people, animals and the actual quality of the roads
5) environmental impact - tree removal required for the development impacts the wildlife already living at the current site, reduces future habitat of wildlife and threatens the fragile dune systems
6) flood and coastal erosion - development is located in flood and erosion zone which deems it unsuitable for dense development. This is why local council rejects DA proposals of this size

I am writing to formally object to the proposed State Significant Development (SSD) application for the 'Indigo by Moran' seniors housing development at 156 Ocean Street, Narrabeen (and adjacent properties, including 81-81A Lagoon Street & 8 Octavia Street).
My grounds for this objection are based on the following key issues:

Scale and Character of the Development
The proposed 5 to 6 storey building, comprising 149 independent living units and associated amenities, represents a massive overdevelopment of the site that is completely out of character with the local Narrabeen area. The existing surrounding area primarily consists of lower-density residential dwellings. This proposal would "dominate" the suburb, substantially impacting our sensitive coastal area and would create a sense of enclosure detrimental to the neighbourhood's amenity.

Environmental Impacts and Site Suitability
The proposed site is identified as being flood- and erosion-prone. The development's scale and extent of excavation (three levels of basement parking for 192 cars) may exacerbate existing stormwater and drainage issues, impacting adjoining properties and the local environment. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Flood Study and Coastal Risk Management Reports should be rigorously scrutinised.

Traffic and Parking Impacts
The development proposes 192 car parking spaces across three basement levels. The adequacy of the parking spaces for 149 units, plus amenities staff and visitors, is questionable and likely to result in significant on-street parking issues and traffic congestion in the immediate locality. The development proposes a significant increase in residential units, which will inevitably increase traffic movements on local roads, particularly Ocean Street. This increase in density will inevitably lead to increased traffic, specifically Ocean Street, Lagoon Street, and Octavia Street. Narrabeen's local infrastructure is already under pressure, and the proposed development will exacerbate congestion and road safety concerns for both vehicles and pedestrians.

Loss of Amenity (Overshadowing, Privacy, Views)
The height and massing of the building will likely result in a substantial impact on the solar access (overshadowing) and privacy of neighbouring properties. There are also concern raised by local residents to the excessive height and design of the proposed structure diminishing the liveability and enjoyment for existing residents. The extensive tree removal identified in the Arboricultural Impact Assessment will also negatively affect the local streetscape and environment, with replacement planting unlikely to replicate the visual value or mature shading of existing vegetation.

Bypassing Local Planning Controls
The developer has lodged this as a State Significant Development Proposal, effectively bypassing the Northern Beaches Council's local planning processes and community participation standards. This approach limits local input and suggests the development does not meet local planning requirements for the area.

Community Need vs. Luxury Development
The development is described as a luxury complex aimed at seniors with "extremely high disposable income," rather than addressing the broader community's need for diverse and affordable housing options. The development represents a significant reduction in the number of aged care beds and assisted living units previously provided by the former facility on the site, thus not meeting the specific aged-care needs of the local community.

Insufficient Consultation Period
The initial 14-day public consultation period is inadequate for residents to properly review the extensive documentation for a project of this scale and complexity and to provide a considered response. I support calls for an extension to a minimum of 28 days to allow for meaningful community engagement.
I urge the Department of Planning and Environment to reject the application as it stands. The development is not in the public interest and fails to respect the existing character and infrastructure capacity of the Narrabeen community.

I request that the application be refused or substantially modified to address these significant concerns, particularly regarding scale, environmental risks, and local amenity impacts. The development should be revised to be more sympathetic to the existing and desired future character of Narrabeen.
I also request a 14-day extension to the submission period to allow for a more thorough community response to such a complex and impactful proposal.

Sincerely,
Mark Dawkins
180 Ocean Street
Narrabeen

It's not compatible with the neighbourhood. It will bring traffic, parking and infrastructure issues. It is too big. It could be considered the beginning of the region's deterioration.

This project is by far beyond what this small area can handle. An already congested street and suburb this project would absolutely cripple the area and surrounds. I strongly object this project.

This is not in keeping with Narrabeen's low rise beach suburb nor is in keeping with councils intent for the area. The infrastructure is already congested and will not cope with this high-density development. Our beautiful beach suburb will be ruined because a greedy developer skips past councils' planning policy.

This will set a precedent for the future, and we don't want another Dee Why or Gold Coast in our suburb.

Narrabeen is a low rise suburb of no more than 3 storey buildings. As this building is going to be 6 storeys high it will definitely impact the surrounding homes. After living in Dee Why we moved to Narrabeen 6 years ago choosing it for its atmosphere and low level buildings. It would be fine if this project was only 3 levels.

My objection to this development has come with much thought, as you can see I am local. This will affect the already much affected leisurely lifestyle of Narrabeen it’s very difficult to navigate Ocean st already at times. The hight is totally out of character for the local area talk about a Godzilla on ocean st. It would be nice to have a decent design that would enhance the visual of the area not over shadow it. It’s obvious it’s going to create much more traffic and add to the frustrating parking issues that we already have. Also the extra vehicles,of residents visitors and staff as well as all the extra boats trailers Motor homes ect, extra garbage vercles .In the plan it’s quite clear that the amount of allocated parking really doesn’t come close to keep people connected with Godzilla from parking in Lagoon and Oceans st.

My mother owns the house at the corner at Octavia street and 3 Lisle St , at this moment mum lives in an age care center and suffers from Alzheimer, my brother Michael Smith and myself, Geoffrey Smith, have Power of Attorney & Guardianship of mum's assets and disagree with this project at the address at 156- 164 Ocean street , 81-81A Lagoon Street & 8 Octavia Street Narrabeen.
- Streets are very narrow
- No parking on the streets
- 5 to 6 Floor would look out of place
- Traffic is congested as it is with council busses having to negotiate on coming and parked cars
- There is a primary school - St Joseph next door to this project and at present its very busy when parents drop off and pick up their children
- This is a residential area and bringing a project this size with 10 beds residential care facility & 149 independent living units which would have visitors / relatives and this project is ONLY providing 7 visitors spaces. Therefore more congestion on the streets.
- There is simply no more space in which to accommodate any more on street parked cars which this project will generate.
- The demolition & construction of this size project would be a mammoth work lengthy and traumatic for the every day living and the community around there.

This development will be a great asset to the many over 50's looking for comfortable accommodation in a more difficult time with less availability in these areas. It's a very polished impressive build that will offer extensive housing and improve what is currently at that location. I support this to go ahead and know that Moran have built excellent projects in the past.

Submission to NSW Department of Planning & Environment
Re: SSD‑7622 — “Indigo by Moran”, 156 Ocean Street, Narrabeen
Date: 2/11/25
I hereby make a submission in relation to the above proposal and respectfully request that the permitted building height be reduced to 2 or 3 storeys, rather than the currently proposed 5 or 6 storeys, on the following grounds of neighbourhood amenity, traffic/parking/road network capacity and local context.
Local traffic, parking & infrastructure context:
According to a study of the local area around the Narrabeen Lagoon, the 'average annual daily trips' (AADT) on Ocean Street were estimated at approximately 8,004 vehicles per day. Northern Beaches Council is implementing traffic‑calming measures under its “Safer Neighbourhoods” program, including a 40 km/h zone, raised crossings and kerb build‑outs. On‑street parking is limited and time‑restricted (1‑4 hour limits), with Council carparks near capacity. These constraints already create significant congestion and parking stress.
Implications for the proposed development:
A 5‑6 storey development is likely to bring a significantly higher number of residents, visitors and service vehicles. This would exacerbate existing congestion and parking pressure in the area. Given the Council’s traffic‑calming and pedestrian‑safety initiatives, additional vehicle load may undermine local safety and amenity. Overflow parking could displace residents and create illegal parking or circulation issues, especially on weekends and peak periods.
Proposed scaling and design modifications:
To mitigate these issues, I propose that the maximum building height be limited to 2 or 3 storeys, reducing unit count, parking demand and vehicle trips. The applicant should be required to provide an updated Traffic & Parking Impact Assessment for a reduced‑scale design. The assessment should demonstrate traffic generation, turning movements, and parking adequacy, supported by on‑site visitor and service vehicle spaces to prevent street spill‑over. The design should also enhance ground‑level amenity for seniors—promoting accessibility, less reliance on lifts, and integration with public transport, walking paths and local services.
Conclusion:
While I support seniors housing in Narrabeen, the current 5‑6 storey proposal is incompatible with the character, amenity and infrastructure capacity of Ocean Street. A more moderate 2‑3 storey development would better align with the local environment, improve safety, reduce traffic congestion, and maintain community character. I therefore request that the Department limit the development to a height of 2‑3 storeys unless compelling justification is provided that taller buildings will not cause unacceptable impacts.
Thank you for considering this.
Best regards
Mark Matthews