Dear Assessment Officer,
I am a resident of 16 Holt Avenue, Mosman and have reviewed the development application. I object to the proposal because, although it refers to the LMR objectives, it fails to adequately address several key impacts, including:
1. Inconsistency with the Zone Objectives
2. Response to the Surrounding Community and Existing Character
3. Building Height
4. Inconsistency with Affordable Housing Objectives
5. Lack of Buffer Zone between R3 and C4 Zones

Please find my objection notes attached for your review and reference.

Kind Regards,
Sonni

1. The proposed development is entirely out of step with both the cultural heritage, veneer and aesthetic of the area it seeks to occupy. See the following information regarding the significance and style of the building which is directly opposite (36A Park Ave "Park Towers) where I have been an owner / occupier for 16 years :
The architect of our building is considered a very significant identity in 1960's Sydney architecture, alongside Harry Seidler with whom he had much in common.
The style of our building is what is called "Postwar International" and its designer was a Viennese immigrant named Hans Peter "HP" Oser whom - like Siedler - immigrated to Australia from Austria just in time before the onset of Nazism in the late 1930's.
He is considered to be a part of a very significant group of European designers to influence Sydney architecture from that time and was mentioned in a 2017 exhibition curated by sydney architectural historian, Rebecca Hawcroft (I am trying to to contact her to find out more)
See here :
https://dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/arts/forgotten-european-modernists-changed-the-face-of-sydney/news-story/f2c9f7ffee405f863f79946325cfe839

and see here for a snapshot of HP Oser :

https://daao.library.unsw.edu.au/bio/oser-hp/biography/

For the above reasons our beautiful and unique building is not only designated for heritage significance because of its unique veneer / appearance but also because of who designed it and where he fits into the history of sydney architecture.
See below that it enjoys local heritage listing via the state heritage register / inventory not just for aesthetic reasons, but historical, also.

https://www.hms.heritage.nsw.gov.au/App/Item/ViewItem?itemId=2060352

The proposal makes no mention that any of the above was known or even an attempt was made at research by the developers when pursuing "due diligence" over local impact to the character of our area.

2. We are extremely concerned that a development of this size and scope will cause vibrational and structural damage to the unique architecture of the abovementioned building (36A Park avenue). Our building is built into a cliff and the elevated carport / concrete slab (top Rangers Rd entrance only 20 or 30 feet from the proposed development) and is supported by very tall pylons and struts that while currently deemed safe, are at least 52 years old & will not be designed to withstand the constant daily vibrational impact of a development that could take years to complete. As you can imagine, the potential for disaster here is real, and even threat to human life. There is no mention in the Development proposal of the above specific risk or that the nearest and closest neighbour to the development was considered individually in this regard. Our identification as "sensitive Reciever 3" in the proposals Vibration Report appears to only address noise, not potential damage.

3. The building 36a Park Avenue has 12 lots but only 8 carspaces, meaning we already have at least 4 residents that are forced to find street parking daily which is extremely difficult, even now. The influx of trucks and utility vehicles required for this massive project will completely dominate street parking on Rangers Avenue, thus forcing parking pressure into nearby Park Avenue which is already crowded, presently. Worse still, we feel certain that for the prolonged period of the demolition / construction residents of our building will be forced to park blocks away and have to walk a distance to access their own homes. Add to this the constant traffic that already uses Rangers Rd (it occasionally takes me up to 5 minutes to cross from one side of Rangers Rd to the other in a break in traffic just to get to my car).

3. The designation of "affordable housing" in order to maximize the size of the project is very troubling. The agency designated to oversee and manage this aspect of the project is Bridge Housing. I have personal knowledge of this organization as I have a close family member who is their tenant. Bridge Housing is a private contractor for Public Housing NSW and nowhere in the proposal is it mentioned that the tenants managed will exclusively be frontline service workers such as teachers, nurses or emergency service workers rather than persons whose need for public housing is in fact substance dependency or serious chronic mental illness. The social impact problem to the area is also a concern to be addressed here, and clarification required.

4. The proposal states that due diligence was adhered to in terms of public / community consultation (letter drop and meeting). We understand that only 7 people attended this community meeting and to my knowlege, no-one from our building. I knew nothing about this development until I received a letter from the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure whom knew that I have all my mail delivered to a PO Box. The current level of feeling in the community tells us that adequate community consultation did not occur via notification of info sessions, as if this were the case the alarm bells would have logically sounded much earlier.

The general feeling in the community towards this proposal is one of shock that a development of this scale could even be considered for the area. The only support for it appears to be out-of-area social media commenters that are not directly affected by the proposal, certainly there is no support for it by anyone who actually lives here.
We feel it would make more sense for such a massive development to be considered for an already built-up area in proximity to a train station such as Chatswood or Milsons Point, certainly not suburban Mosman.
We strongly urge the rejection of this proposal as a whole or at the very least that the state government imposes on it a very significant downgrading of its aspirations and even then, only after all the above concerns are properly satisfied.

I object to the project for several reasons:
Firstly the detrimental impact of the size of these 7 storey buildings will have not only on the residents of Holt Avenue but on the adjacent Scenic Zone. It will be highly visible from the harbour foreshore. The scale and form of the proposed development will be incongruous with the existing buildings in the Scenic Zone
Secondly the impact of 91 or more extra cars can not be supported on the existing road system.There is a risk of safety to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Already there is a daily risk of accidents on Spofforth Street. There is not the existing infrastructure to support the scale of this development. It is a long uphill walk to Cremorne shopping village so the residents will take their cars to do their shopping.
The proposal in its current form must not go ahead.

First and foremost, demolishing existing federation homes in order to rebuild a significantly taller development that delivers only 10 affordable apartments out of 44 apartments is not aligned with the stated objectives of increasing housing supply or improving affordability. The proposal removes existing housing stock and replaces it with a small number of higher end dwellings, which does not meaningfully contribute to affordable or diverse housing outcomes.

The proposed 7 storey height is excessive for this location and does not sit comfortably with the surrounding built form. It is out of scale with neighbouring developments and will materially change the character of the area, which currently has a lower rise, more natural and open residential feel. The proposal would erode this character rather than integrate with it.

There are also significant traffic and parking impacts. My property has no on site parking and relies entirely on street parking, which is already heavily constrained, particularly in Brierley Street and surrounding roads. Rangers Avenue already experiences severe congestion during weekday peak periods and on weekends. Locating garage exits onto Rangers Avenue will further worsen these conditions and create additional safety and access issues.

Public transport in the area is already at capacity. Buses and ferries are often full, and it is difficult to board services during peak times. The proposal does not adequately address how additional residents will be supported without increased public transport capacity.

Overall, the development is poorly scaled, places further pressure on an already constrained road and transport network, and does not align with the character or housing needs of the area.

My wife and I have lived in Mosman for over 50 years and currently reside at the lower end of Holt Avenue. We would like to formally object to the proposed "Residential development with in-fill affordable housing - 11-23 Rangers Avenue, Mosman"

This objection is driven by the following impacts we believe will directly impact us:
- we will lose existing views of the city, harbour, and harbour bridge. This is a view we cherish and enjoy and a reason we purchased the house.
- the loss of views (and light) will directly and significantly impact our house value, this is important as we are aging and may need this money to fund nursing home care for both of us.
- not only will we lose significant views of Sydney but believe these will be replaced by us looking into other people's living areas, and more disconcertingly, many other people now having direct views into our living quarters resulting in a significant loss of privacy.
- we also believe there will be significant shadowing and we will lose much of the natural light that we experience today.
- parking is already difficult at our end of Holt Street and we can only imagine that this development will increase traffic and congestion in the area.

Finally this development is not consistent with the character of the Mosman that we have lived in for 50+ years and specifically it is totally inappropriate for the proposed location which is low-rise and open space. We fear going from a beautiful open living environment to one that is enclosed, natural light blocked, privacy eliminated, congested and significant views eliminated.

We request that you reject this development application and find a more appropriate location.

I am seriously concerned by the following elements of the planned development of 54 units and 91 car spots at this location:
1. The height of the structure is so out of place with the surrounding area. While I am not directly impacted, I feel terribly for the folk who have bought properties nearby with the understanding that their valuable views of the city would be preserved
2. I read with some amusement the traffic impact assessment report that stated that Rangers Road worked efficiently. I was really surprised to read that assessment. The streets in and around Mosman are very crowded and trying to build a major tower, let alone the traffic post building, will be horrendous. Getting to Mosman on Military Road (really the only entry road) either from the city or the Northern Beaches is currently a disaster. Once you arrive in Mosman the streets are currently very over-crowded. Mosman cannot handle the cars it currently has, and introducing this number of new vehicles will stretch the system to breaking point.
3. The thrust of NSW planning was to have new builds close to transport hubs. That is an admirable approach to development. While I think saying Cremorne Centre with a bus service is such a hub is a stretch, but take that as you may, why on earth if this proposed build is near such a transport hub does the structure need 91 parking spots - 80 for residents and 11 for visitors? Surely they should all be utilising the transport hub?

Please ignore my previous submission - I made a mistake. My comments do not relate to this application but to a different project nearby. My apologies.

The houses being demolished are on the site of one of Mosman's most historic and iconic houses, "The Rangers", which was demolished in 1914. The documentary evidence suggests that this mansion (which covered eight of the existing house lots) had three extensive cellars. Assuming the cellars were filled in with rubble when "The Rangers" was demolished, I (plus the Mosman Historical Society and the Mosman Local Studies Library) request that as a condition of consent an archaeological examination be carried out before the cellars are excavated for parking. There may well be artefacts and information which will be of immense interest for Mosman historians. I am the author of the attached eBook on the history of the Rangers Estate. Thank you, Pam.