Preserving Our Heritage since 1968

The Hunters Hill Trust

The Hunters Hill Trust

Preserving Our Heritage since 1968

Greater Sydney Commission: what controls will we have?

GSC Dr Deborah Dearing[1]

Dr Deborah Dearing

Prof Rod Simpson

Prof Rod Simpson

The Greater Sydney Commission (GSC) is now responsible for metropolitan planning, determining regionally significant development applications and rezoning proposals that will override existing Local Environment Plans  info about the Greater Sydney Commission.

Hunters Hill, Lane Cove, Ryde, Willoughby, North Sydney, Northern Beaches, Mosman and Hornsby comprise the ‘Northern District’. Draft District Plans will be released for comment in November.

Given the powers of the Commission and the intense pressure for development, the community needs a voice. Hunters Hill Trust joined representatives of more than 30 Northern District community organisations at a recent meeting in Lane Cove.  Prof Rod Simpson, the Environment Commissioner and Dr Deborah Dearing, Commissioner for the Northern Region answered questions re:

  • The power of the Sydney Planning Panels
  • The fate of existing Local Environment Plans
  • The disconnect between GSC’s stated intentions and rampant development of recent years
  • Environmental outcomes for the Northern District.

letter to the Chief Commissioner, Lucy Hughes Turnbull, AO More info:  sue.ingham@webtide.com.au

 

2016-08-18T18:19:56+10:00August 5, 2016|

BIG childcare centre proposed for Joubert Street

too bigThe Trust is concerned that a childcare centre proposed at 22 and 22A Joubert Street, Hunters Hill would be far too big for the neighbourhood.

The centre plans to cater for 98 children, making it much larger than other local centres.  The building would be way out of scale with the existing houses in the vicinity. Its bulk and proportions would be inconsistent with the domestic character of the neighbourhood.  It would adversely impact on neighbouring heritage buildings and create traffic and parking problems.

You can read the Hunters Hill Trust’s submission to Council here.

2016-10-09T18:06:31+11:00July 12, 2016|

Gladesville Shopping Village: community still in the dark

need-to-knowMoch Developments submitted a proposal to the NSW Department of Planning on April 19th to amend the Local Environment Plan, to allow a series of massive high-rise towers at Gladesville Shopping Village, the highest being 58m – that’s one and a half times the height of the Gladesville Bridge.  Detailed plans have still not been provided

There are so many unanswered questions:

  • What will it mean for the people living in the streets around the site?
  • Which streets will be inundated with traffic and which will be permanently closed off?
  • Which houses will be affected by a massive shadow?
  • How many more houses will lose privacy in their backyards?
  • What new services and infrastructure (such as schools etc.) will be offered?
  • What will happen to the heritage listed cottage at 10 Cowell Street?
  • How does Council plan to protect residents from the effects of this massive insensitive over development?
2016-07-27T13:36:35+10:00July 12, 2016|

Civic design: possibilities in Ryde

The City of Ryde is running an international competition to design a new civic precinct.  Four designs have been shortlisted from 175 entries from 49 countries.  The jury includes Peter Poulet (NSW Government Architect), Shaun Carter (President of the Australian Institute of Architects NSW Chapter) and Maria Atkinson (sustainability strategist).  Read more details here.  This clip shows the design concepts from an American firm that was shortlisted.

2016-08-09T23:26:13+10:00July 11, 2016|

Project home-land for NSW

genus project home

Is THIS the standard we aspire to in NSW?

NSW Department of Planning is asking us all to comment on NSW’s new Housing Code.  It’s informative that they should choose such a dreadful house and garden to illustrate their invitation.

cockatoos in nesting hollow Image Danielle Bamforth

Adaptive re-use? Image Danielle Bamforth

This particular example of the genus Project Home fails on every count to add anything positive to any neighbourhood and its choice says much about the sensibility of the DoP bureaucrats who want to make it easier to build such crap.

Rather than making it easier, everything should be placed in the way of having such things constructed.

 

2017-09-03T11:44:11+10:00June 19, 2016|

Council amalgamation: what would be the impact?

spotlight-clip-art-711768.out=jpg&size=l&tid=43949874If Hunters Hill Council is merged with Ryde and Lane Cove Councils, how would this affect ordinary property owners, renters and rate payers?  It seems sensible to …

  • gather some facts
  • consider the issues
  • raise questions
  • look for risks and opportunities.

The Trust’s Rough Guide draws together information from the websites of the 3 councils and from NSW government planning controls.  It identifies the likely impact on:

  • Basic council services
  • Planning and heritage issues
  • Council representation, Wards, and residents’ access to Council
  • Council chambers and buildings
  • Rates and financial matters
  • a future role for the Hunters Hill Trust.
2016-06-19T12:58:38+10:00June 7, 2016|

Rampant development for historic Sydney: where will it end?

Female Factory, Asylum, Cumberland Hospital

Female Factory, Asylum, Cumberland Hospital

Female Factory, by Augustus Earle nla.pic-an2818460

Female Factory, by Augustus Earle  nla.pic-an2818460

What ever happened to the plans for an Arts and Heritage precinct in Parramatta?

The North Parramatta Government precinct covers 32 hectares of public land.  It includes buildings of immense cultural and historic significance such as the convict built Female Factory designed by Francis Greenway in 1818, fine examples of Federation and Arts and Crafts style buildings designed by Barnet and Vernon as well as 150 year old formal plantings by Charles Moore.

An estimated 1 in 7 Australians today is descended from the convict women of the Female Factory.

The State government says the land is “surplus” and plans to sell it for private residential development of 4000+ units in 30 storey towers.  And that’s before developers get to apply for extensions to those heights under the LEP.   North Parramatta Residents’ Action Group says NO and seeks support.  The video below gives an idea of just a small part of what is at stake:

2017-09-03T11:43:55+10:00June 2, 2016|

Annual General Meeting 2016

A new Executive Committee was elected at the AGM on April 28th:

President:  Tony Coote,  Vice President:  Brigid Dowsett  Treasurer:  Justin Parry-Okeden  Secretary:  Alister Sharp  Committee members:  Caroline Mackaness, Maureen Flowers, David Gaunt, Kate Russell and Gully Coote.

AGM TALK:  The ANZAC Memorial Centenary Project

Caroline Mackaness gave a fascinating and moving presentation on the Anzac Memorial Centenary Project which will complete architect Bruce Dellits’ original vision of a water cascade and build education and interpretation spaces.

Caroline Mackaness

Caroline Mackaness

ANZAC Memorial

ANZAC Memorial

Caroline Mackaness is Director, Veterans’ Affairs, NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet.  She has extensive experience in the development, management and operation of State Significant Heritage and Cultural Facilities, including capital works and heritage conservation.

Caroline is an historian and author of ‘Bridging Sydney’ for the 75th anniversary of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, ‘Sydney Then & Now’ and ‘An Edwardian Summer’.  She is also a valued member of the HHT Committee.

2016-05-09T22:36:17+10:00April 25, 2016|

update on Gladesville mega development

Tony Coote, President of HHT urged Council to reject the Planning Proposal from the developers of the Gladesville Shopping Village site who wanted to amend the Local Environmental Plan to allow them to build up to 58m and increase the floor-space-ratio.  You can read Tony’s speech here.  All Councillors, apart from Peter Astridge, voted to reject the proposal.

Whats-Next2013The state government can approve the Planning Proposal without local council support, and we expect that the developers will apply to build higher than current local planning instruments allow.

From the plans exhibited, Moch Pty Ltd expects to build across the site where the timber cottage at 10 Cowell St stands as well as the at-grade open car-park further up Cowell Street and land on Massey Street.

Moch will take legal ownership of the timber cottage at 10 Cowell Street on 4th April, having been sold it by Hunters Hill Council.  This sale was not subject to any public consultation beforehand and there was no public or competitive tender for the sale. The sale happened before Council finally agreed to grant heritage protection to the cottage.  When Council eventually put the heritage listing into the Local Environmental Plan, the land around the cottage was excluded – despite no such limit being applied to any other heritage listing by Hunters Hill Council and no such limit to the listing in the motion approved by Council.

Information and regular updates available from Gladesville Community Group. 

2016-04-01T10:20:57+11:00March 30, 2016|

Gladesville Shopping Village at Council, 29th March

GSV view from south. Image: Robertson and Marks

GSV view from south west. Image: Robertson and Marks, Architects

Hunters Hill Council will consider the Planning Proposal from the owner of GSV who wants the Local Environmental Plan to be amended to allow them to build up to 58m (16 storeys), and increase the floor-space-ratio (FSR, which is a measure of bulk because it is the ratio of how much area a building can create, expressed as a multiple of the site footprint at ground level) from 2.3 and 2.7 at different points of the site, to 3.4 across the entire site.

The development site now includes the ‘at-grade’ car park at 4-6 Cowell St, and the timber cottage at 10 Cowell St, after the developer exercised its Option to acquire these properties from the public, settling 4th April 2016.

(more…)

2016-04-01T10:16:17+11:00March 29, 2016|
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