The Local Planning Panel has approved the demolition of the Council-owned house at 48 Gladesville Road.   
 
Although the reason given for this DA is to provide an entry to Figtree Park, the community can be forgiven for being cynical about this demolition, as 48 Gladesville Road is one of the row of five buildings long-considered a ‘redevelopment opportunity’ by Council as part of their Draft Property Strategy. 
 
This Strategy was rejected by the community last year and therefore not adopted by Council, but this DA with its Notification Plan and drawings marked as HUNTERS HILL NEW COUNCIL CHAMBERS, PARK & COMMUNITY CENTRE now appears to progress this redevelopment agenda.
 
This is hardly the transparency that Council has promised ratepayers, who should be given the courtesy of full disclosure of its real intentions.

The Trust’s concerns are:

1.  The work does not comply with the $4.75M Public Spaces Legacy Grant

• This demolition conflicts with Council’s Grant application which stated that Council would: “Maintain the character of Hunters Hill and manage growth by protecting heritage cottages on Gladesville Road”
• The guidelines for the Grant specifically exclude work on privately owned land – 48 Gladesville Road is privately owned by Council. Also the Grant rules do not support using funds for demolition “unless council has documented and published evidence of an existing deficiency in open space” which is clearly not the case here.

2.  Existing access points not utilised

• There is already an existing access point to the park, which could have been upgraded and improved to provide a wide walkway at a fraction of the cost and with the least amount of disruption. To demolish a revenue-generating property simply to create a huge entrance to a small park is an irresponsible waste of resources.

3.  Loss of rental revenue of approximately $35,000 per annum

• There has been no explanation to ratepayers as to how Council will mitigate the loss of ongoing rental revenue from this property and no discussion about alternative income-generating options that the building could have provided.

4.  Council’s Conservation Advisory Panel does not support the demolition of this property

• The expert panel advised that this house makes an important contribution to the conservation area and the streetscape, whilst providing a low key backdrop to the park. They recommended that the existing access to the park be re-animated and options for adaptive re-use of the house as an asset to the park should be considered thoroughly prior to deciding on demolition.

5.  Local Planning Panel approval may not align with Council’s recently approved Figtree Park Plan of Management

• Item 8.3 of the Plan of Management states: “Council-owned adjacent land at 48 Gladesville Rd could contribute to the proposal either as seniors living accommodation land / age in place / over 55s, or as community land to contribute to the local government, community or open space outcomes as best suits final designs.”
• The Local Planning Panel has approved the demolition on the basis that this site would be used for creating an entry to the park. However as Council has expressed a potential longer-term use as above, the approval does not align with the site being used as part of a development.

 

At its meeting on Monday 15th August, Council resolved unanimously to withdraw the current Figtree Park proposal to remove 37 trees, pending a re-assessment. The General Manager informed the meeting that late last week he had briefed the Council with advice that the number of trees to be culled could be reduced, and that the scale of the proposed amenities block and play space could also be reduced.
 
Presentations were made at the Council meeting by residents, a local action group and the Rotary Club in support of a motion put up by Councillors Williams and Sanderson to defer the DA.  A revised proposal is to be presented to an Extraordinary Council Meeting in the next few weeks.
 
We are pleased that Council has now responded to community concerns and look forward to future inclusive consultations.

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 our posts below).   Council’s recent DA to remove 37 trees was also a contentious issue.

Watch here:
https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/park-money-hunters-hill-locals-in-one-of-sydneys-richest-suburbs-snub-5m-park-grant/a5668889-5ce0-4298-872d-c286449f2eb7

Source: Channel 9

 

 

 

Well, we didn’t expect to have to be defending the little historic building at 39 Alexandra Street, currently The Lost & Found Department, from an inappropriate change of use again quite so soon (see our post September 20, 2021).
 
This wonderful business which has contributed to the charm and success of this commercial and historic 19th century precinct at the heart of our community is again under threat.
 
The applicant’s 2021 DA for “a shop top housing development with residential accommodation on the first floor, and a retail shop and licenced restaurant on the ground floor”, was withdrawn in November 2021 but this latest proposal is now seeking approval for an increased level of development, 58 patrons up from 40, additional staff, and a bar.
 

 
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@huntershill.nsw.gov.au by Monday 1st August.

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
 

Vale Tony

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

Two charming Junipers (one shown above) which are a magnet for children, and three Weeping Elm trees (right) are being cut down plus the 4m+ high Cotoneasters (below) which the Mayor categorises as ‘bushes’, patently not the case even in their deciduous and dormant state.  Cutting down healthy trees with the loss of natural shade and tree roots which absorb rainwater is indefensible, particularly for opening up ‘sight lines’.
 

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 natural habitat – 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:

mayor@huntershill.nsw.gov.au

elizabethkrassoi@huntershill.nsw.gov.au   

juliaprieston@huntershill.nsw.gov.au 

rosswilliams@huntershill.nsw.gov.au   

tatyanavirgara@huntershill.nsw.gov.au                   

richardquinn@huntershill.nsw.gov.au     

jimsanderson@huntershill.nsw.gov.au

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:

• Preservation of heritage and character
• Council is open and transparent
• Preserving the tree canopy (including street trees)

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