1 February 2011

<address deleted>

Dear Sir or Madam:

Frenchs Forest State Significant Site proposal

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this proposal, which took most (if
not all) residents by surprise just before Xmas. I support the call to extend the
public consultation period. I have lived at the above address since December
1996.

In this submission, I state the reasons for my objection to the proposal, my

concerns in more detail and some suggestions for improving the proposal.

Objections

I object to the proposal because:

 the NSW Government has not committed to significant infrastructure

development (particularly public transport) before rezoning

 rezoning should occur organically

Concerns

My main concerns with the published proposal are:

 Unnecessary haste. The proposal is entirely based on the ‘potential’ or

‘possible’ hospital. The proposal notes that little development has
occurred in this area over the past 15 years. The hospital was first
announced several years ago and virtually no progress has been made
since then. Predictions are made in the proposal about new jobs and
demand for housing, but there seems little need to rezone commercial
and residential areas until the hospital is well underway and the impact is
clearer.

 The proposal provides very little evidential substantiation and leaves

many of its assertions and predictions open to questioning. . For instance,
people regularly change jobs these days, and most households are dual
income, making a long-term job close to work less attainable. Many of the
anticipated extra employees in Frenchs Forest are more likely to want fast
transport in and out of the area than medium density housing on
Warringah Road a long way from beaches and night-time leisure
activities.

 In addition, the area already suffers from traffic congestion that is worse
than suggested in the proposal and needs to be addressed before rezoning
and further extensive development can be undertaken smoothly and
successfully.

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 Sequencing. The proposal will be a disaster for residents, existing
businesses, their employees and through traffic if the infrastructure in the
proposal (particularly improved public transport) is not implemented
first.

 As the proposal makes clear, public transport usage in this area is low, or
very low, compared to other areas of Sydney. A key reason for this low
usage is the severe lack of public transport in this area, especially fast and
frequent services to the city, Dee Why and Chatswood, including
throughout the day and on weekends.

 This lack of suitable public transport has no doubt contributed to the slow
(negligible) commercial development in the area over the past decade and
a half. I understand the area has a bad reputation with prospective
businesses and employees because of poor public transport and road
congestion. Commercial properties are frequently for lease in this area
and several large employers (including Dell) are apparently moving out.

 Getting the sequencing right is essential if more businesses are to be

attracted to an area that is currently a public transport black spot. In fact,
it is unimaginable that a ‘CBD’ could be created in the 21 st century without
a very high reliance on public transport.

 Character. Many people have moved to this area because it has

traditionally provided affordable separate dwelling housing for young
families. The area is far more affordable than beachside suburbs or areas
closer to the city, like Lane Cove. Certainly, this is true in Dareen Street.
Where young families continue to be very much in evidence. Warringah
Council continues, rightly, to ensure that housing developments are
consistent with this landscaped, low-density environment.

 Nevertheless, Dareen Street is typified by dual occupancy, which seems a

good compromise between large block, single dwellings and the proposed
3 or 4 story medium density option.

 Rezoning one side of Dareen Street as medium density would destroy this
long maintained balance and character, and leave the street ‘unbalanced’.

 Dareen Street has many well established trees and gardens and these are
central to its valued, existing character. Any rezoning should not be at the
expense of these large trees which also serve to integrate the area with
the surrounding bush reserves.

 Safety. Dareen Street has long been blocked at Ellis Road. This change
removed a very dangerous intersection and created safe, easy walking
access to bus stops for many residents. Traffic flows along Ellis Road have
only become more intense, despite several efforts at traffic calming in the
area. The proposal also emphasises the need to promote walking and
cycling in the area. Dareen street is nominally part of an existing cycle
route, but it has neither a dedicated cycle path or marked lane. Nor is
there a pavement in Dareen Street and residents are forced to walk along

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 the road. Many local employees also currently use Dareen Street for their
lunch time walks. Medium density rezoning would increase vehicular
traffic significantly to the detriment of the amenity and safety of walkers
and cyclists unless proper walkways and cycle paths are built.

 The area around Skyline shops is also a major congestion point with
pedestrians forced to cross Patanga Road without a pedestrian crossing
and to use the pedestrian crossing on Frenchs Forest East road where
cars regularly travel at dangerous speeds, I understand a pedestrian was
knocked down on this pedestrian crossing as recently as during this
morning’s peak hour. Clearly, further action is urgently required to make
this area safer for pedestrians. The Skyline shop area has historically seen
a fairly significant turnover in businesses, and difficult in accessing the
area safely must be seen as a contributing factor to this business
underperformance.

 Parking. With the prevalence of dual occupancy, and existing commercial

activity, parking is already an issue. It is, for instance, already difficult to
park at or near the Skyline shops during various times of the day.
Speeding traffic coming from several directions also makes it difficult to
enter and exit this area.

 The south side of Frenchs Forest East road is regularly fully utilized for
parking during business hours, suggesting that existing off street parking
is insufficient to meet the needs of existing businesses. Side streets are
also used by commuters using the existing bus service to the city and to
Chatswood.

 Parking is also often at or near capacity in Dareen Street at various times.

Plans need to be put in place for accommodating the extra demand for
parking that would result from medium density housing and extra
commercial activity.

Suggestions

In response to these concerns, I suggest:

 Phased rezoning. It makes sense to wait and see if the hospital gets built
and what the actual demand for residential housing might be, this would
require monitoring and much more research and evidence collection than
has so far taken place. Zoning changes should be solidly based on real
evidence of business and householder demands.

 Public infrastructure first. Before significant rezoning takes place,

Warringah Road should become a major bus route with a Metro service
running between Dee Why and Chatswood every 10 or 15 minutes during
peak periods and every 30 minutes at other times. In addition, the
existing Metro 30 service, which currently terminates at Spit Junction,
could be extended through Seaforth up Wakehurst Parkway to terminate
at or near the new hospital. Interestingly, this would provide a direct link
between RPAH and the Frenchs Forest hospital.

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  Improving the bus service in these ways would lead to greater utilization
of existing commercial space in the area and provide a viable alternative
for existing employees (thereby taking some of the existing pressure off
local roads).

 Maintain Dareen Street’s character. Any greater density should be

achieved through attached dwellings which do not exceed the current
limit of 8.5m or slightly (1 or 2 metres) higher. The same zoning should
apply on both sides of the street. In addition, trees and landscaping and
open space should be key features of any further developments in the
street. A sensible compromise could be to allow 3 to 4 storeys on
developments facing Warringah Road, but limit to two storeys medium
density buildings that face Dareen Street. Rezoning both sides of Dareen
Street, but limiting, both sides to the current 8.5 metres would
presumably result in a broadly similar increase in the number of
dwellings.

 Improve safety for walkers and cyclists. Whether or not re-zoning

proceeds, a good case can be made for a pathway and cycleway along
Dareen Street and for better crossings of Warringah Road, particularly at
Jones street (included in the existing proposal). As mentioned above,
urgent action is required in the vicinity of the skyline shops.

 Regulate parking. If the rezoning is to proceed a residents parking

scheme should be quickly introduced.

In sum, an appropriate approach would be researched, phased, sequenced and

underpinned by a significant upfront investment in public transport
(including cycle and walkways).

Regards

Trevor Cook