Since moving into Castlecrag in 1993, we have mostly enjoyed the community with its safety level. If the project of two high tower buildings would go ahead, there will be significant risk of traffic congestion in and out of Edinburgh Road which is already busy enough in current conditions. Usage of public bus will be much more difficult and complicated due to expected population increase. This project is absolutely unworkable in such a small peninsula suburb as Castlecrag with only one main road. Also, this project won’t be resolving Affordable Housing Development as there are only 6.67% of units are affordable which is below policy expectations. We cannot see any truths or sincerity from people who have been trying to proceed this project. Therefore, the project must go back to the original agreed plan with 3 and 5 stories apartments with shops and public toilets etc.
Regards,

The nature of the project is COMPLETELY out of character with the suburb in which it is proposed to be built.
The intersection of Edinburgh Rd and Eastern Valley Rd is already a major traffic concern during school drop off and pick up. It is inconceivable how the intersection could cope with the extra traffic from such an apartment complex - not to mention the chaos during the construction period.

I strongly object to this development. It's 12-14 stories are way over sized at the entrance to a beautiful heritage listed suburb of Sydney. This site is not within a designated LMR area. There is nothing remotely near its scale in this area and surrounding . Sure support increased density living but the scale is unacceptable and unprecedented in the area. It will create much overshadowing of surrounding street , and established housing ,light . The price point of these units hardly support the state governments reasons for wanting to increase density and social housing needs within the surrounding communities.
Transport is poor in the area, reliant on buses routes , and currently the timetables are not conducive to the movement of many people. Importantly the site is nowhere near a train or metro station. The commercial hub is in Northbridge where there are more services and shops to possibly support a larger development..
Traffic congestion already tight ,will be magnified with 152 units and a larger supermarket with supply needing to be serviced. Parking and access limited and there is only one main road in and out of the whole suburb .
We have always loved the community hub gathering and facilities aspect of Castlecrag Village and this design appears to have removed these . This is important for community cohesion and is what makes Castlecrag so special to residents and visitors alike.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I’m a pre-service teacher currently living in Castlecrag and have lived in the area for the last six years. I use the local roads and buses every day to get to work and around the area.

I understand there’s a need for more housing, especially for younger people, but I don’t think this proposal is the right fit for Castlecrag in its current form.

The biggest issue for me is traffic and how the local road network will cope. Even now, traffic builds up heavily around peak hours and it can already take a long time to get through nearby intersections. The proposal adds a huge amount of extra density, but I don’t think the traffic assessment properly reflects what daily conditions are actually like.

The reports also seem to overstate how accessible public transport is. Most people living here still need a car for work, shopping, or getting around. The area isn’t close to heavy rail or metro infrastructure, so I think it’s unrealistic to assume car use will stay low.

I’m also concerned about the scale of the buildings themselves. Castlecrag has always had a more natural and low-rise feel, and towers of this height would completely change that character. The visual impact reports seem selective in the viewpoints they include and don’t really show what the development will feel like from nearby streets.

Another issue is that there doesn’t seem to have been meaningful community consultation. A lot of residents I know didn’t feel properly informed or involved in the process, especially considering how major this proposal is for the suburb.

I’d encourage a revised proposal with lower height, reduced density, and a more realistic approach to traffic and infrastructure impacts.

This project's increased from the original intent of a low-to-medium development to high-rise development. It does not capture accurately the impact to Castlecrag zoning structure and its surrounded areas. This site is not located in a transport hub and the increased traffic will impact the already busy Eastern Valley Way and Edinburgh intersection.

This departure of the original intent of the development site to the what was previously communicated to the community represents developer's failure to consider the broader impact to the development. Setting precedence on this development undermines council's planning rules and authority that are set to protect the community. There is a broader concern that more incidence like this would occur.

Hi ...I'm a resident of Willoughby located about 5 minutes walk from the development. By observation the development seems out of character with the area and seems to have not been finessed to make it work for the existing residents.
It will generate problems for residents as follows:
- there is a history/character to Castlecrag Village that appears to be overlooked by the size and lack of character of this development
- access will be difficult for residents of Castlecrag - the queue to get out of Castlecrag can stretch from Eastern Valley Way to the first roundabout in Edinburgh Rd in the morning and the extra traffic will compound that
- the height seems excessive for residents in close vicinity and will take away sunlight, privacy etc
- etc I could go on but I'm sure others could provide more detail as to why this development is wrong.
I'm Chairman of a private charity Foundation that looks after homeless young people 15-20+. When they move from our care in houses at Dulwich Hill most find it very difficult to find affordable accommodation due to the cost. To me the development at 100 Edinburgh Rd is just a development by Conquest purely for profit purposes in a highly desirable area. It may be within the current Government guidelines but will do absolutely zero to reduce lower income accommodation demand.
Based on what I've seen Conquest should come to the table and consult with the residents to get a good result for everyone.
regards

There are many and varied reasons why I object to the project,however to simplify and get to the point, I will keep it short.
1) in no way known will a huge complex in Castlecrag address the housing shortage we have in NSW. To say otherwise is deceptive.
2) the public transport,I.e. bus frequency ,is already inadequate. Not to mention the closest train station is around 3 kilometres away . I thought Governments wanted less cars on the road by people using public transport.
3) it goes without saying that the visual aspect will be horrendous. In years to come people will be shaking their heads wondering how this building was given the green light.
4) the environmental impact with loss of trees etc needs no clarification.
5) the heritage impact also seems to be massively disregarded.

This is an ill conceived development. There are constantly troubles with a lack of buses to the city already on this route. Adding large scale development will not work. There has been no consideration given to transport infrastructure or choke points getting out of Castlecrag. The scale is too large and we need more shops.

I wholeheartedly object to this development being built in Castlecrag.
It is totally against the design intentions of our suburb and inappropriate in scale and density.
I'm not a NIMBY and support more housing in appropriate areas with sympathetic design.
This is just a grab by a greedy developer with no concern about the impact of his project environmentally or culturally.
It is a visual eye sore, impractical in terms of traffic and support of public transport, shops etc. It is simply the wrong design for this location. A ghastly gateway for such a beautiful suburb.
Any design over four storeys at this location is bad planning. Chatswood/Willoughby is already doing the heavy lifting in terms of residential building. Please allow us to protect this haven of beauty.

I am a resident of Sunnyside crescent, Castlecrag

I note the traffic impacts on Sunnyside crescent are predicted to be “extreme delay”.

There are only 2 entry points into the Castlecrag peninsula, one being Edinburgh road and the other Sunnyside crescent. Edinburgh rd is a convenient entry point located at traffic lights. Although this intersection is also on the road corridor from the Northern Beaches to the city, so it is already a busy intersection. As a result people wanting to come into Castlecrag, including residents, the Gleneon school community and employees and patients at the Castlecrag Hospital will “rat run” alongside Sunnyside crescent. This is already an issue on our street, and we have previously made complaints about the speed cars take along our narrow road.

Turning right from Sunnyside crescent during peak hour is difficult and dangerous. In fact, at all times to turn right (ie head north) we almost always revert to using the “right hand turn” at Edinburgh rd road due to the extreme difficulty of turning right from Sunnyside crescent. Additional traffic attempting both left and right hand turns is going to create long and dangerous wait times.

Further, frequently cars are parked on both sides of the street, so cars must give way to each other to get through.

In this context, to add extra traffic on our street will be completely unmanageable and dangerous. Sunnyside crescent was not designed to handle through traffic. For anyone who drives on the road this would be obvious.

Most importantly, there is NO footpath on Sunnyside crescent; that is, the road is a “shared space” between pedestrians, cyclists and cars. While there has been some agitation for a footpath over time (ie decades), it has proven unachievable to have a footpath along this road that would be consistent with the heritage of Castlecrag. Therefore Sunnyside crescent is not just a road for cars, but it is where kids cycle and scooter, residents walk their dogs, parents and grandparents walk with prams, and elderly residents walk (sometimes in frames) to maintain mobility. Safety cannot be maintained on this street with increased traffic and parked cars.

To accept that Sunnyside crescent can tolerate any extra traffic is irresponsible and potentially deadly.