At the meeting of the Association last Thursday over 100 persons voted against the proposed high rise development between Chatswood Public School and Kenneth Slessor Park.
Below is an extract from the Minutes of the meeting plus links to various documents associated with the ‘No’ campaign.
Comments can be lodge at email@willoughby.nsw.gov.au by 5 PM Friday 26 February 2016.
688-692 Pacific Highway: Over eighty residents attended the meeting to consider this matter. Needless to say their was a unanimous call for Council to refuse this application. A Petition was available for signing and residents were briefed on a variety of actions they could take.
The main basis for objections raised were:
- Proposal massively over the planning regulations for the site
- Significant loss of amenity for nearby neighbours
- Dangers to primary school children associated with increased traffic to the site
- Perception of inappropriate handling of the application by Council’s planning officers
The community response to the proposal (due to Willoughby Coincil by 25 February 2016 will include a petition, letters of objection, lobbying of Councilors and a press campaign.
MOTION
This meeting of CWWPA moves that:
- Willoughby Council oppose any high rise tower development adjacent to Chatswood Public School and adjacent to Kenneth Slessor Park and rejects any rezoning of 688-692 Pacific Highway and thus rejects the development proposal for this land now before Council.
- Such a rezoning would completely destroy Council’s long established principle of maintaining the highway as forming the natural boundary between the CBD and the dormitory residential areas to the west.
- We believe the Council Planning Manager’s initial recommendation to Council to support the development “in principle” failed to address clearly stated major concerns as expressed in the commissioned Urban Design Report by Kennedy and Associates:
“the previous approach of allowing the Pacific Highway to provide a natural demarcation between the CBD and its surrounds was sensible, practical and manageable.” and… (Council must consider) “whether it is an appropriate strategy to permit high rise development of this type on the western side of the Highway and whether it will establish a precedent that will open the doors for other similar developments along the western side of the Highway” 1 and “we think council need to be very careful in their assessment of this development.” It…will have immediately redefined the urban character of Chatswood for the entire extent of the highway between at least Freeman Rd and Railway St, and potentially much further.” …“this is the key urban design question raised by this proposal.”
PETITION (SHORT) TO WILLOUGHBY CITY COUNCIL
Chatswood West Ward History 
From a resident:
Re Planning Proposal for demolition of 688-692 Pacific Highway.
This site has Chatswood Public School to the south and Kenneth Slessor Park to the north and sits on the rim of the ridge. It has been WCC planning policy to limit all west side Pacific Highway to a maximum of five levels. The rationale being that the CBD would be limited to the east side of the Pacific Highway.
I am strongly opposed to any change in the DCP. I declare that I have made no political donations in the past two years.
There is absolutely no good reason to create a new condition precedent for the development as it would deregulate and create overshadowing, wind tunnels and create dangerous vehicle entry/exit problems. Victoria Avenue traffic lights area is always in gridlock.
Aqualand property developer’s two tower proposal has the blessing of past and present WCC personnel. They know the rules and now want to break them. This is ridiculous.
Victoria Avenue CBD must not be starved of good horizon light by the proposed towers. Leura High Rise occupants have western views they have paid for that need to be preserved.
Let’s focus on making this a child friendly precinct. The school capacity exceeds maximum enrolments due to high rise proximity to the station.
The council must reject all requests to change the DCP.
The council already set a precedent when they approved the development proposal for 654 Pacific Hwy less than 100m from the proposed 688-692 Pacific Hwy development. We raised concerns with traffic congestion and overshadowing but the council still approved it last year now it is with JRRP.
Hi Supporters,
I’ll try not to bombard with too many emails!
Thanks for the wonderful support many of you have given to date.
It looks like the Council meeting will be held towards the end of March. I’ll let you know as soon as I do.
This is the one we all promised to attend in the public gallery.
Make sure you have written to each of the Ward Councillors and the Mayor by then.
TODAY is the deadline for replying to the Council’s letter for invitation to comment.
We need the following streets covered for door knocking re Petition signatures.
This is our one opportunity to show the strength of resolve and feeling among residents.
Are you able to do one of these streets or part thereof? If so drop me an email with the street you have taken.
I’ve attached the petition to print off once more.
Post completed ones to 28 Jenkins St Chatswood 2067.
Deadline for me to receive these is Sunday 6 March.
Carr
Dardenelles
Eddy
Oliver
Whitton
Goodchap
Critchett
Edgar
DeVilliers
Hi supporters,
I have received a wonderful collection of signed petitions – over 310 (!) sofar.
Thanks so much for the hard work and dedication to door knocking that has been involved to produce this outcome.
It is so clear that overwhelming local public opposition exists against this completely inappropriate and greedy development proposal.
In all my involvement to date I have not heard of any person voicing the slightest favourable opinion, apart from the developers.
This is a reminder that the deadline is the end of this week. Letters to the North Shore Times will assist at this point. They need to be aware of our strength of numbers.
I will personally deliver hand over petitions to Council early on Tuesday 8 March in readiness for the Council meeting and advise all Councillors of this by email.
Some of you have mentioned that you intend to collect more this coming weekend.
That will be fine as long as they are in my letterbox by next Monday 7th.
If anyone can do Fuller’s Rd, Greville St or Carr St this would be wonderful. Please email me back if you can assist with these streets.
The blank petition is attached to print out.
I will contact everyone when I know the meeting date. All of us need to attend in the public gallery on that
evening.
thanks again,
David Grover
On 26 Feb 2016, at 9:00 am, Grover David wrote:
Hi Supporters,
I’ll try not to bombard with too many emails!
Thanks for the wonderful support many of you have given to date.
It looks like the Council meeting will be held towards the end of March. I’ll let you know as soon as I do.
This is the one we all promised to attend in the public gallery.
Make sure you have written to each of the Ward Councillors and the Mayor by then.
TODAY is the deadline for replying to the Council’s letter for invitation to comment.
We need the following streets covered for door knocking re Petition signatures.
This is our one opportunity to show the strength of resolve and feeling among residents.
Are you able to do one of these streets or part thereof? If so drop me an email with the street you have taken.
I’ve attached the petition to print off once more.
Post completed ones to 28 Jenkins St Chatswood 2067.
Deadline for me to receive these is Sunday 6 March.
Carr
Dardenelles
Eddy
Oliver
Whitton
Goodchap
Critchett
Edgar
DeVilliers
On Tuesday I delivered to Council a Petition with 653 signatures from residents of West Chatswood
opposing the proposed development at 688-692 Pacific Highway, Chatswood. Of these 346 are parents from Chatswood Public School!
I have sent a pdf copy of the petition to each Council member.
This is such a wonderful result! So many of you did so much work for this.
My grateful thanks for all the hard work many put in to door knocking and spreading the word about this objectionable proposal.
We all continue to hope that good sense will prevail and this proposal will proceed in its current form.
Some rumours have been circulated that the land has been on-sold but I have no evidence of this. Rather the land is still being offered for sale by the developer – a cynical action indeed.
I continue to watch the online Council Meeting Agenda each week (although our petition is likely to be tabled earlier) to see when our item is listed and will notify you all as soon as I am aware of it. At that Council meeting it will be vital for all supporters to fill the Public Gallery to indicate our strength of feeling and resolve on this issue.
It is also really important to ask others to join us when we know the meeting date as the only emails I have are from those who volunteered to help with extra tasks.
I’ll be in touch as soon as I know.