New plans for Gladesville Town Centre

Something good:  our conservation concerns have been addressed in the new plan as the conservation area has been re-instated.  BUT the increased height allowed for the Victoria Rd, Massey, Flagstaff and Cowell St area will further destroy the character of the area and overshadow the backyards, houses and surrounding streets. We are talking about 10 storeys.

The plan is out of step with NSW DOP guidelines for safe and healthy development.   By encouraging housing so close to a major road the plan will result in more people living in an unhealthy environment of bad air, excessive noise and speeding traffic.   Consequently the proposed housing development along Victoria Road would become the abode of last resort for those at the bottom of the housing market.

The creation of contributory buildings, as recommended by Paul Davies in his heritage report, is not included in the plan. This further reduces the potential to maintain the character of the existing shopping centre and further diminishes the heritage values of the study area.  The building height and floor space ratios in the Town Centre would inevitably ensure the demise of the essential two-storey character that Paul Davies refers to in his report.

Increased traffic along Victoria Road would have an adverse impact on traffic flow along this major traffic artery.  It will also have a major impact on traffic and parking in the surrounding streets, particularly around the Town Centre.  The proposal fails to address some of the major issues of our time such as peak oil, global warming and the fallacy of a continuously expanding economy.