Figtree Park in summer
We’re pleased to report that Figtree Park has recently been getting some publicity! A local resident group invited A Current Affair to visit and film onsite to highlight the potential over-development of this area in relation to the $4.75m Public Spaces Legacy Grant from the NSW State Government (see posts below). Council’s recent contentious DA to remove 37 trees was also raised as an issue.
Watch here:
Source: Channel 9
4 Viret Street Hunters Hill
Our HHT Journal for July 2022 is now published and covers the continued loss of our urban trees and the changing face of our municipality as our 20th century homes become increasingly under threat. Page 3 & 4 is a special supplement featuring two modernist mid-century homes built by notable architects. We hope to continue this feature in future journals, so that it can become a ‘register’ to ensure these important local houses are recognised and preserved.
This edition includes:
The local store circa 1890
The new DA does not address any of the issues the community raised previously and here is the Trust’s written Submission regarding this proposal. HHT Submission 39 Alexandra Street As this is a new proposal and will be considered on its merits, if you wrote a previous submission, you can update it quoting DA20220114 and repeat your arguments. If you haven’t previously sent a submission and would like to do so, email your comments quoting the above DA to customerservice@
Tony Coote died peacefully in his home on 20 June, aged 78. Tony was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease two and a half years ago, and the ravages of the disease took its toll on his body. He has been a tower of strength and knowledge for the Hunters Hill Trust, and we will miss being able to draw on his exceptional wisdom and experience. And we will miss him personally.
Tony harboured a deep and abiding passion for heritage, evident in both his work, and in his dealings – this article was published in the SMH Heckler column: http://www.tonycootearchitect.com/Tony_Coote_Architect/Talks_and_articles/Entries/2012/1/31_
Heckler_column_Sydney_Morning_Herald.html
Tony served for 50 years on Council’s Conservation Advisory Panel, and was presented with ‘a plaque of acknowledgement of service’ by Mayor Ross Williams at the Council Meeting on 19 April 2021.
Tony was on the committee of the Hunters Hill Trust for 21 years, serving 3 terms as President.
On his website he says ‘I see myself as both a facilitator and a collaborator in working with my clients’ and ‘I celebrate the fact that the needs and tastes of every client are different and that these differences will inform the building we plan together.’
That’s why, unlike the work of many ‘big name’ architects, you won’t easily notice Tony’s work in Hunters Hill. It is around us, but subtle, understated, and so simply appropriate to its setting
Hunters Hill is recognised as Australia’s oldest garden suburb, of which Figtree Park in particular is an important historic component. We should rightly be proud of our reputation and Council should be doing everything possible to maintain this enviable status.
We recently wrote to the Mayor and Councillors requesting an onsite meeting due to the high level of community concern over the DA to remove 37 trees at Figtree Park. In the spirit of the Community Engagement Plan, an onsite meeting as was arranged for The Priory, would have enabled Council to explain the complex range of documents and reports.
We are disappointed to advise that the Mayor has declined our request for a public meeting. His view is that the DAs for both Figtree Park and the Demolition of the cottage at 48 Gladesville Road are in progress and submissions and presentations will be taken into account when the Local Planning Panel deliberates on the final outcome.
However this ignores the fact that a presentation on the final layout design for ALL the proposed infrastructure for the Park as a whole is vital, in order for the community to understand the reasons behind not just the proposed tree removals, but also the demolition of the cottage see the Trust’s submission here
The assertion that the significant trees will be kept, misses the point of this garden park whose charm lies in its mix of deciduous and evergreen trees, as shown below, unique in Hunters Hill
Council maintains they are retaining significant trees but two Willow Gums (one pictured below) slated for removal are 9m and 13m high respectively and are endangered in the wild – so can hardly be called insignificant. In addition there is no official mention of replacements which may or may not be planted in the future. Even if that were the case, saplings are no replacement for mature trees!
Council needs to be transparent as to why healthy trees are being removed rather than landscaping and infrastructure being worked around them. After so much public money has been invested, the community deserves full disclosure and input on the final designs and detailed drawings for the Park as a whole – including the design drawings for all the hard infrastructure.
In the last few years, we have been losing more trees than ever with 117 trees requested for removal this year alone. This runs counter to NSW goals to increase tree canopy and is compounding our growing reputation as an area of high tree loss. To now remove over 35% of the trees in this Park when the vast majority could be pruned is extremely questionable and the opposite of the recently adopted Plan of Management to “Retain and maintain existing trees and vegetation” The questions that now need to be answered include:
Where is the ‘Masterplan’ referred to by the consultants but not yet seen by the community? It is obvious as in the quote below, that some trees are proposed for removal simply because they are impeding the Masterplan design.
Council’s own document states that this is “stage 1 of a broader Council initiative to develop a community precinct within the heart of the Hunters Hill town centre. The removal of trees is consistent with the master plan for the above mentioned works”.
This is obviously a reference to the rejected Draft Property Strategy when Council stated their intention to pursue a ‘re-development opportunity at 40-48 Gladesville Road’. This plan is already being played out with the proposed demolition of the heritage cottage at no. 48 which Council promised ‘to protect’ in their Grant Application. There has been no mention of how Council will compensate for the loss of revenue that the lease of this cottage has provided in the past. It is inexcusable that ratepayers will be deprived of revenue without explanation, purely to provide a ‘grand entrance’ to this unassuming park!
We will be presenting our submissions at the Local Planning Panel but in the meantime you can ask your own questions of the mayor and councillors by emailing:
elizabethkrassoi@huntershill.nsw.gov.au
juliaprieston@huntershill.nsw.gov.au
rosswilliams@huntershill.nsw.gov.au
tatyanavirgara@huntershill.nsw.gov.au
In 2021 Council applied for $4.75m under the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program for upgrading Figtree Park. No explanation was given as to why the application was for this park only and the terms of the grant were that the money could only be spent on one location.
Although this sum was seemingly excessive for the scale of the park, it included $2.25m for the speculative acquisition of the adjoining property at 2 Ryde Road. Council subsequently discovered that this acquisition was not permitted under the grant and when questioned at the time, staff admitted that it was possible to return unused funds to the State.
This predictably has not happened so how is the huge sum of money being spent? On some upgrades the community asked for but also on removing trees ‘to improve sight lines’, creating an elaborate playground, an oversized Amenities block and a grandiose ‘plaza’ entrance that involves demolishing a Council owned revenue generating cottage! It is also apparently being spent on consultants and infrastructure embellishments which will further cover green space.
Read our Submission for DA20220104 Figtree Park Removal of Trees and have your say!
Email customerservice@huntershill.nsw.gov.au by Wednesday 6 July
In its grant application, Council committed to ‘increasing the green canopy of the park by a minimum 10%’ however this is now patently at odds with the DA for Figtree Park tree removal.
The Trust is concerned that the use of this grant may benefit Council’s previously stated aim of a “re-development opportunity at 40-48 Gladesville Road” in the rejected Draft Property Strategy (not yet returned to the community for further consultation). This is due to the Owner’s Consent document in the Figtree Park DA referring to ‘stage 1 of a broader Council initiative to develop a community precinct within the heart of the Hunters Hill town centre…..’
There is a distinct lack of transparency around the following:
a) The ‘Figtree Park Concept Report’ with all the final detailed plans and drawings of the upgrade, produced following the exhibition of the Concept Options. The Options did not made clear how wide the walking/bike tracks were, how the buffer plantings would affect the existing green space or if trees would be lost. The subsequent Concept Report, prepared on 11 March was signed off by Council on 21 March, with no opportunity for further community comment.
b) There appears to be a ‘Masterplan’ that only Council’s consultants, and not the community, has seen.
c) The demolition of 48 Gladesville Road :
The DA notification for the demolition of the above states: “The Council has received an application for approval of development on this property”. The Applicant cited in the documentation is an entity called “Chapman Planning”. However the real applicant is Hunters Hill Council. This leased Council property, in need of renovation, is revenue-generating. For a financially struggling Council, why is demolishing this property to build a grandiose ‘plaza’ style entrance to the Park the best option? The community needs to better understand the costs and benefits and whether alternate options could result in better outcomes.
A waterlogged park needs tree roots to soak up excess rain
Under the above DA, multiple trees that offer shade in summer and filtered sunlight in the winter are under threat. The importance of natural shade and trees roots that absorb excess rainwater is obvious.
There is no doubt that judicious pruning is overdue for trees that have long been neglected and, while no-one would question the removal of trees for reasons of disease or public safety, it is essential to ascertain whether some are being removed simply to make way for future construction along Gladesville Road.
In addition, to destroy trees to ‘improve sightlines’ through to the croquet lawn is an act of vandalism. If this was a homeowner doing the same to improve their view, Council would rightly be prosecuting them.
The Figtree Park Plan of Management prepared by Council acknowledges that ‘Trees, shrub and flower planting as well as grass or turf space …. are the Park’s best feature, providing a respite from the built environment”. The unwarranted cutting down of so many trees in a conservation area without adequate explanation, is unacceptable.
One of two highly valued Junipers being removed
We are now calling on Council to disclose the full details of how this publicly funded grant is being spent. The community must be consulted on all aspects of the hard infrastructure design and layout before any work is carried out and before approval for the removal of any trees.
Read our full submission here: Submission for DA20220104 Figtree Park Removal of Trees
Have your say! Email
With the recent release of the Draft Community Strategic Plan for the next 10 years, originally issued in 2018 and already revised in 2020, we have yet another version from Council that appears to further weaken the objectives of the community’s expressed values relating to built heritage and the natural environment.
In 2018 the objectives in the Community Strategic Plan were clear and reflected residents’ wishes after very extensive consultation. It identified priority service areas that needed improvement, the top three of which were:
These are still relevant today, however the greater emphasis in the 2022 Draft Plan is now on promoting and enabling growth and streamlining redevelopment. This can work against maintaining the unique garden suburb character of the Hunters Hill LGA.
Apart from the inaccuracies contained within the Draft Plan – as detailed in the Trust’s submission Draft Community Strategic Plan 2022 – of particular concern is the removal of the former key direction in 2018 to Maintain Character & Manage Growth Planning:
Hunters Hill Council is a champion in heritage conservation. The Hunters Hill local government area is preserved in history, heritage and character. Residents feel strongly about maintaining the look and feel of Hunters Hill and are committed to retaining the existing visual amenity. Our lifestyle is matched by our desire to retain the beauty of our garden suburb.
Now replaced by Places for People:
Neighbourhoods reflect local character, heritage and create a sense of belonging.
Urban environments attract business investment, economic activity and place making initiatives.
Development application, regulation and monitoring services are streamlined.
Parks, sports fields and playgrounds support inclusive and accessible Play.
The current Draft Plan needs more work on the substance which must continue to reflect the priority of sustaining the special qualities of native bushland, foreshore, mature trees, and streetscapes with low scale development, in order to engender Council’s much vaunted ‘sense of belonging’ for the community. Our thanks go to Councillor Jim Sanderson for the detail on the CSP contained in his Newsletter 29 May 2022
It’s been a long time coming but we’re finally holding a Members’ get together on Thursday 23 June, combined with our Annual General Meeting, at the RSL Hall, corner Ady and Alexandra Streets from 6pm.
We’ve been awaiting a response from Council to our questions regarding community involvement in future strategies and have had an initial meeting with Mitchell Murphy, Council’s new General Manager, and he will be with us on the night to chat and mingle.
Our guest speaker will be Rev. Michael Armstrong, a staunch advocate for our irreplaceable heritage.
in addition, Councillor Ross Williams will be talking to us on some of the key issues detailed in his recent article in the TWT, which spells out how our involvement at this time is now more important than ever.
So come along for your chance to meet and mingle with our General Manager and enjoy some finger food, good wine and interesting conversation!
Please RSVP to huntershilltrust@gmail.com
Several of our members have written to us to share their deep disappointment about the decision taken by Council at its meeting on Monday 21 March 2022 to adopt Plans of Management that contained many elements of an unadopted draft Property Strategy, in spite of written assurances by the Acting GM in 2021 and the recent verbal assurance from the Mayor, that the draft Property Strategy was still being revised and would not be brought to the 21 March meeting.
The community’s objection to demolition and re-development at Hunters Hill Village has been clearly expressed and documented, yet the adopted Plan of Management for Figtree Park/Gladesville Road Community Centre Reserve lays the foundation for exactly that. (See HHT JOURNAL December 2020).
The Trust welcomes the possibility of restoring The Priory and finding a reliable means of funding the restoration and ensuring future maintenance.
We are particularly impressed by the Historical Summary included in the Conservation Management Plan which acknowledges the major state and local heritage importance of this highly significant building and its setting. This gives the community some confidence that the proposed alterations will be implemented with due regard to their overall impact on the site.
However the Trust does hold concerns that the current proposal, seating over 400 people, would be an over-development of the site, in essence becoming a Function Centre (intended for mass bookings) rather than a restaurant (individual bookings). Indeed, Council’s confidence in the proponent rests on their expertise with function centres elsewhere in Sydney.
Operating on such a large scale the proposal would inevitably create undue stress on the surrounding streets, the immediate environment and neighbours. In particular the Trust is concerned at the increased scale of the cafe portion of the development which has grown from a modest offering to a large capacity venue, impacting the setting, trees and curtilage of the Priory.
The increase in the scale of the development at this location and justification given for such a large overall development rests on the assumptions of the Financial Viability report, which has not been made public. The delay before profitability predicted by this report does not seem to justify the investment required.
See our full submission here: HHT submission re The Priory