Residents want better planning for Brookvale
A group of Northern Beaches residents has united and launched the Better Brookvale campaign to oppose Scentre Group’s (Scentre) proposal for its Warringah Mall site.
Scentre, which owns 37 Westfield shopping centres across Australia, has proposed a new Brookvale Town Centre including the redevelopment of Warringah Mall with up to 1,600 dwellings in buildings up to 39 storeys high, to be delivered over 20 years.
Founding member of Better Brookvale, Jo Mawson-Lee, noted that the group’s primary concern was ‘the overdevelopment of the Warringah Mall site,’ including height, infrastructure, environmental and shared view effects.
“Basically, one developer is taking the whole quota for the entire suburb,” she told PL.
Scentre’s proposal was declared a state significant development (SSD) by the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) last year, meaning the road to authorisation has been fast-tracked and does not need to go through council.
Better Brookvale launched a petition, which already has over 250 signatures, calling on the State Government to reject Scentre’s proposal and review ‘whether the HDA is creating adverse and ad hoc planning outcomes.’
Wakehurst MP Michael Regan is the petition’s presenting member and aims to continue supporting the group ‘to ensure they have an effective and influential voice to help oppose this insensitive proposal.’
“What frustrates me is that we’re only here with this mega proposal bypassing council because of the NSW Government planning reforms, supported by the Liberal/National coalition, that allow developers to override local council,” Mr Regan told PL.
The tallest building on the Beaches currently is the Meriton Lighthouse Tower in Dee Why, at 17 storeys tall. In a separate proposal, Northern Beaches Council has envisioned 850 new dwellings at a maximum height of 25 storeys, stemming from traffic modelling.
“Thirty-nine (storeys) is really high. It’s much higher than anything we’ve got on the beaches,” Jo said.
“We’re concerned about the visual impact, but also from an infrastructure point of view, it’s going to create a real choking point there at Warringah Mall… and just change the whole dynamic of the suburb.”
Curl Curl ward councillors are mentoring Better Brookvale on their campaigning efforts.
“It’s hugely problematic that Scentre Group has brought this proposal to the State Government’s Housing Delivery Authority, which overrides the local council and the community,” said Cr Kristyn Glanville.
“The Scentre Group is jumping the queue on the strategic planning work being done by council, which is still in the draft process, and which the community has not yet even had a chance to have input on.”
Cr Glanville expressed her belief that council’s own proposal of 25-storey buildings was ‘already too high.’
“For Scentre Group to then propose 39 storeys is a joke at the expense of the community,” she said.
Jo expressed concern over the precedent the development might set if approved.
“If this huge development goes up, what happens to the rest of Brookvale? Is that going to then happen across the rest of the suburb? And then will the rest of the beaches also have these 39-storey buildings?” she asked.
“If we let this happen in Brookvale, then it will just happen at Dee Why, Narrabeen, Mona Vale, all up the Beaches. How will we retain the character of those suburbs?”
Jo emphasised that Better Brookvale is not against increasing housing density altogether, rather that it should be done so in a sustainable way.
“We are not saying that we don’t want more housing,” she said.
“We are happy to embrace more housing and higher density, but we just want it done in a sustainable way that builds the character of the suburb rather than destroys it.”
Scentre Group declined to comment.