Council gives go-ahead for 1,350 homes, 900 jobs
Brookvale is set for a massive development push in the next 15 years, with council passing the Brookvale Structure Plan (BSP) on 28 November.
It has taken six years for the plan to come to fruition, with the first draft endorsed in 2017. The big issue is now how council will fund rezoning for the ambitious plan, with implementation expected to cost between $882,000 and $1 million over two years.
The plan will see dramatic changes to the highly industrialised area, which is currently characterised by factories and mechanic workshops. While Brookvale has a growing micro-brewery industry, many parts are run down, despite it housing the largest number of workers on the Northern Beaches. There is a target of 900 jobs, down from 975 in the original plan.
A top priority in the plan will be providing 1,350 homes (up by 50 from the original proposal), with Brookvale taking in council’s deficit of 275 homes and the majority of the 1,000 which were factored into the now-shelved Ingleside place strategy.
One major change from the draft proposal has been an increase in residential building height from 12 to 15 storeys in the ‘Core’ sub-precinct at Warringah Mall. In the report, council said this was necessary in the north- east part of the Warringah Mall site in response to owner Scentre Group’s ‘evolving site masterplan to maximise solar access to the (proposed) town square and reduce the overall visual bulk of buildings’. Scentre plans to build shop top housing and residential flat buildings at Warringah Mall, not currently allowed under the zoning, which council would change to ‘mixed use’ under a special development control plan for Brookvale.
While a five per cent affordable housing levy will be imposed for new residential development, council will seek a higher contribution of 10 per cent from Scentre.
Council made several changes to the draft plan in response to the mostly supportive 334 submissions, with many concerns raised about traffic congestion – especially relevant now the Beaches Link has been abandoned. Council will upgrade several major roads and intersections as part of the plan, including Beacon Hill/Warringah, and implement changes to peak period parking restrictions on Pittwater Road.
Council will now write to the minister for planning and public spaces to seek funding to implement the plan and discuss a proponent-led versus council- led implementation.