Concern over shop-top DA on Barrenjoey
Pittwater councillor Michael Gencher has spoken out against a proposal for shop-top housing adjacent to heritage-listed Barrenjoey House in Palm Beach, which has residents up in arms.
In November 2023, PLP reported on the $9 million proposal for commercial and residential use over five storeys at 1112 to 1116 Barrenjoey Road.
Even though the application is still under assessment, council told PLP that the applicant has lodged a ‘class 1 (deemed refusal)’ appeal in the Land and Environment Court. This could be because council’s heritage officer has recommended it be refused.
Mr Gencher told PLP he was worried that it could be a case of ‘housing over heritage’ if the development proceeded.
“There are issues regarding compliance, with variations in bulk and scale,” Mr Gencher said. “(And) issues around parking. This is the one that is going to break hearts if it doesn’t go the way the community wants.”
There have been around 100 public objections to the proposed development. Concerns included about size and that it did not fit with the ‘character’ of Palm Beach.
One resident worried that if the application was approved, it might set a ‘dangerous precedent’ for another shop-top development proposal next door, at 1110 Barrenjoey Road, currently under appeal. Barrenjoey House would then be sandwiched between the two developments.
Housing reforms proposed by the State Government in November 2023 would force councils to approve sub-divisions and increased building height to create more density near town centres. The proposed DA is in an E1 local centre zone.
Council says this ‘could see an explosion of medium and higher density residential development on the Northern Beaches’. It is encouraging residents to comment on the proposals, saying the ‘radical changes’ would impact local character and was ‘rezoning by stealth’.
Pittwater MP Rory Amon said the changes lacked adequate infrastructure, calling the plans ‘wicked’. “(Pittwater) is not against development, but we are deadest against development without adequate infrastructure. In an area without mass transport options, these changes are unacceptable.”
Submissions on the government’s housing reforms close 23 February.