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

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

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

While renowned for its significant stock of fine nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings, Hunters Hill is also home to some modernist gems from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.  With many of these more modestly sized, yet excellent buildings coming under threat from unsympathetic additions or demolition – notably the recently demolished 34 Barons Crescent – it’s time to consider the recognition that the more outstanding local examples of this style of architecture might warrant.
 

8 Ellesmere Avenue Architect Frank Kolos 1959 (Ross Heathcote, (c) Sydney Living Museums)

To start a conversation on the topic of “Hunters Hill Modern” the Trust is preparing an inventory of mid-century houses and buildings.  If you know of a building you consider might meet this criteria, we would welcome your input!  Email us at huntershilltrust@gmail.com
 

33 Bonnefin Road Hunters Hill Architect Sir Roy Grounds 1954

Happy new year and we wish you a healthy and safe 2022!
 
We’re looking forward to the challenges of this new year and in particular we’re busy reviewing the three Draft Plans of Management (PoMs) for Crown Reserves, as listed below, which you may understandably have missed as they were released on 4 November the day before Council’s caretaker period commenced!  They can be viewed on Council’s website:

• Henley Precinct Open Space (including Gladesville Reserve)
• Figtree Park and Gladesville Community Centre Reserves
• Small Crown Reserves

On your behalf, we have been examining these proposals. With regard to the Figtree Park and Gladesville Community Centre Reserves PoM, although there is proven overwhelming support for retaining the croquet club in situ, we are concerned about disturbing inclusions in Council’s draft which if not corrected, will adversely affect the future of Hunters Hill village.
 
We are therefore requesting that Council’s General Manager withdraw the Figtree Park PoM from community consultation for further revision.
 
As we already pointed out to Council in July 2021, the first release of the Figtree Park PoM was misleading as it conflated the management of the Reserves with the re-development of the properties along Gladesville Road. The Acting General Manager’s reply at the time stated:
 
“I can assure you there is no intention to imbed the Draft Community Infrastructure Plan/Property Strategy into the Plans of Management for Figtree Park and Gladesville Community Reserve as detailed above, no such changes can occur without the exhibition of revised documents. All comments recorded during the consultation period will be included in the summary of feedback but as detailed earlier, only those items which are permissible under the Figtree Reserve Plan of Management will [be] considered.”
 
In spite of the above assurance, we now find that the current Plan released in October 2021 is once again strongly influenced by Council’s Draft Property Strategy!
 
Due to community opposition, Council resolved at its meeting on 26 April 2021 that “options and associated financial modelling be investigated” prior to adoption of the Draft Strategy. It is not acceptable that this unaltered and unadopted Draft now informs the intent of a potentially binding PoM. References to the Strategy appear throughout the document including:
 

7.9 Action Plan – Table 14 Objectives and performance targets – 3.2 Infrastructure and Facilities (p74)
“Plan for well-designed buildings and facilities to maximise usage through co-location, shared, flexible and multipurpose design that can accommodate changing needs overtime”.
This is a blanket statement that blatantly conflates the intent of the unadopted Property Strategy with the Figtree Park PoM.

8.2 Potential Future Development (p76)
This whole section which details the proposals in the Draft Property Strategy including the creation of residential, commercial and retail development must be deleted. Council has discussed, but has NOT “provided guidance for potential future development with corresponding intensity of use, at Figtree Park and Gladesville Community Centre reserves as an outcome in the draft Property Strategy”.
The Figtree Park PoM should not be utilised as an enabler for future developer driven goals.

 
Submissions close on 14 January 2022 and we’d ask you to please send a short email stating the concerns as above, to the Acting General Manager at tobinn@huntershill.nsw.gov.au requesting an acknowledgement. Thank you for all that you do. The Trust’s submissions are here:

HHT submission re Figtree Park Plan of Management

HHT submission re Henley precinct Open Space Plan of Management

HHT Submission re Miscellaneous Crown Reserves Plan of Management