see attached

OBJECTION
Objection to Amended Redevelopment of Greenwich Hospital

I am very concerned about aspects of the amended proposed development and this letter is an objection to the proposed amended development. Please find below my objections which are as follows:-

1. I Object to the destruction of the natural environment and habitat for many animals and wildlife due to cutting down over of the trees.
2. I Object to building on such a large footprint and how it will effect the drainage of rain water and run off generally and especially on my own home on he south west tip of the boundary of the site.
3. I Object to the huge increase of electric light output at night from the hospital and residential tower and lit pathways and the fact that this will be all the more obvious because of the lack of filtering from tree which will be cut down for the development as hospitals operate all day and all night.
4. I Object to the size and height of the development. There is no precedent for a development of this size and height on River Rd between Crows Nest and Northwood.
5. I Object to the marked increase in noise pollution due to servicing the new development with its 3-4 fold increase in population, cars (residents and visitors to both residents and hospital patients), services and delivery trucks.
6. I Object to bringing so many extra people to this site. At present there are about 220 people and this development proposes to increase that to upwards of 600.
7. I Object to the residential tower as it is not a part of core hospital business and should not be allowed as part of the new development. If built it will take up a lot of space which will then not be available for necessary expansions of the hospital in the future and the future is never a long way off. It should remain a hospital although I can see how nice a second stream of income would be for the developers.
8. I Object to the traffic congestion that this development will cause. This is a huge consideration as it effect traffic on the site itself, traffic on the local roads and also on River Road which is a main road with only one lane in each direction in that area.
9. I Object to a residential tower where a large number of its residents will be trapped with lack of public transport and a lack of the sort of facilities (some of which are very basic like food shops) which make for a rich and fulfilling life in their old age.
10. I Object to he residential tower as it will cause overshadowing of my home reducing natural light especially in the winter months thereby reducing the amenity of my home.
11. I Object as the residential tower will be be overwhelming in size dominating the site and be a huge eyesore viewed from he other side of River Road.

The redevelopment of Greenwich Hospital has the potential to be a wonderful facility bringing first class specialty services to the local community and the region.
However this hugely overreaching and overbearing development is not in the best interest of this historic site set in a quiet residential area and the people of the immediate locality.
There are more suitable areas near transport hubs and near desirable facilities for our senior citizens.

Regards

Dr Peter Vince

see objection submission file attached

I object to the scale and significant alteration of the visual outlook and feel of the neighbourhood.
Specifically - the respite living which is within the curtilage of pallaster house .
Due to the natural landscape of the block - I specifically am concerned by the height of the repite living in comparison to our hourse . (accross the road to proposed living .

See attached objection

Dear Madam/Sir,

We wish to object to the scale of the proposed redevelopment of the Greenwich Hospital.

Our objection is based on the following grounds:
- Change of Residential feel to the area - this is now quite clearly a Commercial area which completely changes the residential nature of this suburb'
- Size of development - this is a very big bulk and completely changes the visual landscape particularly from our house which is across the road. This large building creates a large number of traffic - both car and foot and which has implications on safety and privacy (see below)
- Bulk and Streetscape. The current profile of the streetscape on River Road is low rise and compliments the gentle tree-lined undulating hills in the area. The imposition of a such a high risk bulk structure where currently proposed facing River Road will destroy the organic flow of the streetscape and have a harsh visual impact as well as adversely affect the environment of the area. The overall hospital site is massive and there are numerous choices available for the location of larger buildings that will eliminate this impact on the streetscape, environment and community. Council should require a re-design an re-orientation of the site accordingly.
- Privacy! This is a mjor issue for us as the house most of the proposed development will look upon. Not only is the everyday coming and goings of our property now very easily visible to a large community which is not currently there, but we have a pool in the back yard and 2 young girls - the higher levels of this building I believe may be able to see into our backyard and see some personal and private moments we are not comfortable with. Not to mention the view into the primary school next door which our children also attend. I am not comfortable with a large community being able to watch my children at school at any time.
- Over shadowing and bulk. The current high rise structure is located close to River Road and will un-necessarily impact shade, privacy and noise for local neighbouring residents on River Road. This can easily be avoided as the site is very large and there are numerous choices for the location of larger structures. The higher rise structures should be located further back on the site away from existing residences and facing sideways not directly into neighbouring properties. There is clear availability for the developing owner to make these amendments given the size and nature of the site. This would mitigate shade issues, privacy and streetscape bulk. We are predominantly single dwelling landscapes with a maximum of 2 storeys. The 8 storey proposal completely changes the nature of the neighbourhood.
- Traffic and community safety impact. The orientation of the main entrance is on River Road. This is problematic and traffic assessments have underestimated two key aspects of this:
1. River Road is currently beyond capacity at peak hours. Adding additional traffic via the scale of this development will be unsustainable and have a massive impact on traffic flow through the suburb.
2. Safety. The main entrance is located directly opposite Greenwich Primary school. Further increasing traffic flow and possible use by emergency vehicles presents a danger to children in an already difficult environment. This is a major concern and we believe has been totally underestimated by the assessments to date.
As a result we believe the entrance to the facility should be on …. Street and the design of the site should be re-oriented accordingly at a minimum.
Major issues I fear are the impact on traffic, privacy and visual streetscape of a non-commercialised community.
I appreciate your consideration of our very serious concerns around the development proposal of this property.
Kind Regards,

We wish to lodge an objection against the amended proposal from HammondCare for the Staged Redevelopment of Greenwich Hospital.

We lodged an objection to the initial EIS application in March 2019.

Whilst we acknowledge that some positive changes have been made to the original proposal, in reality, the majority of the previously critical issues remain unaddressed.

In our original submission, we noted that as Northwood residents, living in sight of the proposed redevelopment, we recognised that we could simplistically be categorised as NIMBYs.

As such, we endeavoured to assess the proposal objectively and not allow any parochial considerations to interfere with or override that aim. We have again adopted a similar approach.

In addition to being a neighbour, we have had two firsthand experiences with the site as an existing hospital.

We have seen much of the hospital first hand through the eyes of a rehabilitation patient, and recognise and acknowledge that a significant overhaul is well overdue. As such, we have no in-principle objections to a new or refurbished single purpose hospital.

We have also seen the existing hospital through the eyes of a close friend (and her family) who was a palliative care patient. This highlighted to us the unique nature and requirements of a hospital specialising in palliative care. Specifically, our experience was that relatives and friends invariably spend extended periods in and immediately around the hospital. The importance of space, along with a peaceful and pleasant garden environment in close proximity to the hospital are pivotal. The current plans would suggest that this feature will largely disappear under the proposed redevelopment, given the significant increase in building density.

Furthermore, since our initial objection, we now appreciate that with the proposed building of commercial residential buildings on land zoned for health use, the opportunity in future to build additional genuine health services will be eliminated, or at least significantly curtailed. Given the inevitable future need for further health resources, this does not seem either sensible or logical.

In summary, a new or refurbished medical or health services facility on a site currently zoned for such purposes would seem reasonable. A major residential development, with relatively small accompanying area allocated for a hospital, would seem totally inappropriate – especially as it falls well outside the present zoning for the site.

Further concerns for us are the impacts on the surrounding area.

The first concern is an obvious one; traffic. With River Road already regularly gridlocked at critical times of the day, the impact of vehicles belonging to, and servicing the additional occupants of the site will be self-apparent.

We are also worried about the potential impact on the existing Gore Creek Bushland Reserve and hospital surrounds. In conjunction with Lane Cove Council, a number of local residents (including ourselves) have worked for a number of years to preserve and rehabilitate the existing bushland. Such areas are so important to the health and wellbeing of the city and local community. As such, anything that jeopardises this green corridor should be subject to the strictest scrutiny, before any development proceeds.

Finally, the visual impact of the project is one that will be of concern for all impacted Northwood residents, along with anyone enjoying both Bob Campbell Oval and the Gore Creek Bushland Reserve. We have seen a photo mock-up of the development, as it currently stands, and the impact is significant. Replacing the current pleasant mix of bushland, residential houses and hospital, will be a massive residential block that will absolutely dominate the skyline.

We would be happy to elaborate further on any of the above points, if this were to be of any assistance.

In the meantime, we appreciate the opportunity to have provided some input into the process.

Yours sincerely

Peter & Rosemary Richards