Thank you for allowing me to strongly object to this proposal.

I object to this proposal in the strongest possible terms.

I hereby lodge my strong objections to the above proposed development. The impact of the additional traffic on the street itself and the surrounding area of Mona Vale will be extensive.
This is a large overdevelopment, with no consideration of the local character, environment and local services, such as water and sewerage.
Mona Vale is a suburb mainly of single or two storey homes and low rise apartments, which is the reason I retired here.
The transport system which comprises only of buses, will be pushed to the limit, people further along the bus routes will be passed due to overcrowding, which can happen presently in peak hour. There are only two main roads in and out of Mona Vale, making it a major safety issue with the extra traffic, especially in an emergency situation, such as bushfires further up Mona Vale Rd and flooding at Narrabeen Lake and Wakehurst Parkway along Pittwater Rd.
Please consider this submission when deciding on the fate of Mona Vale and the negative precedent you will be setting by approving this high rise development.
Thank you.

Thank you for the opportunity to object to this proposal. I have uploaded a document which details my reasons for the strong objection.

While I acknowledge and support the need for multi-dwelling and affordable housing on the Northern Beaches, including in Mona Vale, I do not believe the proposed six-storey development on Darley Street West is appropriate for this location.

Mona Vale is a low-rise, beachside village with a strong sense of community and a distinctly green, open character. Recent developments in the area have respected this village scale and have been low rise, integrating more sympathetically with the surrounding streetscape. A six-storey building is out of proportion with the existing built form and is not consistent with the established character or feel of Mona Vale.

The height and bulk of the proposed development will negatively impact neighbouring low-rise residential buildings by reducing access to sunlight and natural daylight. In addition, the mechanical plant and equipment, is likely to introduce ongoing mechanical noise, further affecting residential amenity and the quiet.

In addition, the Darley Street West and Pittwater Road intersection already experiences significant traffic congestion. The increase in vehicles generated by a development of this scale will place further strain on local roads and infrastructure, diminishing safety and amenity for residents and the wider village community.

I strongly object to SSD-91496958 on the basis of clear non-compliance with fundamental planning and building controls. The Environmental Impact Statement acknowledges additional overshadowing impacts to neighbouring properties and attempts to characterise these impacts as “inevitable.” They are not. The overshadowing identified is a direct consequence of a building envelope that exceeds what would reasonably be expected under the applicable planning framework and arises from excessive scale and bulk, rather than any inherent site constraint.

Adequate solar access is a core planning outcome and a fundamental determinant of residential liveability, not a discretionary or secondary consideration. The extent of non-compliance from overshadowing is clear and material, and cannot be dismissed as unavoidable or relied upon to justify further departures from planning controls. In these circumstances, the development cannot proceed in its current form.

To whom it may concern,
I strongly object to the proposed development at 159–167 Darley Street West, Mona Vale, due to its current scale and the unacceptable traffic and transport impacts on the Mona Vale CBD and the limited arterial road network serving the Northern Beaches. The proposal will exacerbate existing congestion, reduce network reliability, and place unreasonable pressure on already constrained roads and intersections, particularly during peak periods.
Reasons for objection
• The development will generate a significant increase in daily and peak-hour vehicle movements on an already congested road network.
• Key roads, including Darley Street West, Pittwater Road, Barrenjoey Road and Mona Vale Road, already experience regular queuing, delays and reduced reliability.
• Mona Vale CBD is a critical traffic pinch point, and additional demand will worsen congestion at key intersections, particularly during peak commuter, school and bus operating periods.
• The Transport Impact Assessment relies on theoretical capacity modelling that does not reflect real-world congestion, spill-back, limited recovery times, or cumulative impacts from other approved developments.
• Increased traffic within the CBD will negatively affect broader network resilience, emergency access and travel times across the Northern Beaches.
• The proposal does not provide adequate mitigation measures to address these wider network impacts.
• Proximity to public transport does not sufficiently offset traffic impacts, as services are already operating near capacity and the development will still generate substantial private vehicle, servicing and delivery traffic.

I strongly object to the proposed project at 159-167 Darley St West Mona Vale for the following reasons:
1. I believe the application details submitted by the developer are deceptive, in classing it as an affordable housing development. There are 82 units in the proposed buildings, however only 10 will be classified as affordable, 72 thereby being unaffordable.
2. The bottom of the road where the development is proposed, being part of a natural water plain, floods in heavy rain (our 1 level underground carpark at the top of the hill also floods). With 3 underground carpark levels in this location, there is a serious risk to life & property in the event of a major weather event, such as the one which hit Mona Vale on Saturday 14th January 2026.
3. The traffic plan for the development phase has not been researched fully or accurately - the large constructions trucks will be unable to turn left from Pittwater Rd into Darley St West, due to the angle of the street & local traffic movements. Further, the trucks would not be able to traverse the roundabout at the Mona Vale town centre.
4. Any construction trucks driving down Darley St West will be dangerous for the large number of elderly residents moving about the street & local area. Additionally, the large number of construction vehicles, and workers vehicles will diminish the living conditions for the retirees who have moved into the area.
5. The additional minimum of 162 cars to the street, using only one entrance & exit to the street at Pittwater Rd vastly increases the danger for the existing residents entering & exiting their buildings by car or by foot, as well as for the school-children who use the laneway at the bottom of Darley St West to get to Pittwater High School.
6. The removal of so many trees as part of the re-development (leaving only 1 tree) will ruin the natural habitat of the area.
7. The drawings of the proposed development are inaccurate, as the buildings are not drawn to the correct scale, nor are they positioned in the correct location where the actual buildings will be built. Moreover, the foliage drawn in front of the buildings falsely depicts the buildings being smaller in scale than they will actually be. This furthers the opinion that the application is deceptive.

Please find attached my submission on application SSD-91496958 Residential Infill Affordable Housing 159-167 Darley St West, Mona Vale, for your consideration.
Kind regards
Marcia Rackham