Precincts in Berowra

As a resident of Berowra I must object in the strongest terms to the ridiculous proposal to permit 5-story high density unit developments on the Pacific Highway.

I understand that there is pressure from the State Government to increase accommodation of this type but I also understand the criteria and I don't believe that this area of Berowra matches any, accept for the proximity of the station.

As there will be requirements for these proposed new residents to work, shop, visit health professionals and engage in leisure activities they will need to travel for virtually all of these and (as the pitiful public transport system is already incapable of dealing with the current load) most will be forced to drive.

So, as most of the proposed residents of Berowra will need cars we meet the next problem of where to park them, as this has been shown in all previous developments of this type to be totally inadequate (as most units have 2 or more vehicles) thus forcing the overspill to park on surrounding roads.

It is all very well for the State Government to impose such requirements on Local Councils but what will they be doing to upgrade the roads, railways, buses, water, sewage, power supply, policing, phones and broadband services, in their current financial situation I would think absolutely nothing for the foreseeable future.

I think the amount of development proposed wihtin the plan is excessive.

I think redevelopment of the existing shops, businesses & RSL between the corner of Berowra Waters Rd & Pacific Hwy up to opposite the train station could be positive for Berowra. This strip is an eyesore - so development here of a mixture of both commercial and multi-story residential could be ok.

What consideration has been given to the future of the Berowra RSL club? Will this pose the club with any challenges associated with operating within a residential area?

I think the rest of the proposal for Berowra stinks.

I don't believe that there would be enough demand from home-buyers for units north of Hornsby to justify the amount of development proposed.

What, if any research has council produced to confirm that demand for this many units in Berowra would exist? I for one have noticed a unit that has been advertised for sale in Berowra (just north of the shops on the Pacfic Hwy opposite the station) for as long as I can remember.

Unfortunately all I can see this component of the proposal doing is lowering the value of property in Berowra as a result of the increased supply of housing stock with low demand for units.

Could a possible alternative for council be to explore the opportunity to use some of these precints for retirement villages and / or aged care? This development would then be in a different part of the housing sector & the value of the surrounding property less affected?

Naturally, both Council and the State Government would need to significantly improve services within the area and possibly do something about that Bowling Club....

I have posted this comment in Mt Colah and Mt Kuring-Gai sections too...

I have concerns about the safety of bringing more people into Mt Colah, Mt Kuring-Gai and Berowra when there is effectively one road in, and one road out. In a bushfire situation there is roadblock and there has been no planning amongst different sectors on how to remedy this. Council needs to have an emergency plan in place for how to coordinate traffic when bushfire is in this area. You are planning on putting high-density housing right on the main escape routes.

I was horrified to see the amount of development being proposed for Berowra. I initially moved to Berowra because it was 'surrounded by the australian bush' and had a great community feel to it. Now that community spirit is about to be lost and the slogan on the stickers will have to be changed to 'surrounded by over development'.

The infrastructure barely copes now with the current number of residents. There is only one main road in and out and good luck using public transport! Many of the express trains don't stop at Berowra and the all stops trains are slow, crowded and infrequent.

I don't want my little piece of paradise overshadowed by a five storey block of units. I want to know my neighbours and have a chat to them over the fence. It's all part of that beautiful community spirit that Berowra has cherished for so long. Now it seems that Council is happy to destroy it all.

Many blocks have already been subdivided, allowing for more residents. There is still land at the end of Gully Road that could have more homes (not units) built. Isn't this enough of a contribution to the housing strategy?

I wonder if the potential buyers of the house currently for sale on the highway and the block of land behind that is currently having a new house built are aware of what is being planned. Who would honestly buy them knowing that it has being marked for development?

The whole concept is simply outrageous.

Leave Berowra alone! We like it the way it is.

I agree with Outraged, Berowra has always been a place for people who want to live with some space around them. I live on the Highway in a house that has stood here for over 75 years. I bought it for the bush views and walks, the easy access to the station, park and school, the shops nearby and the feel of being on a hilltop. The friendliness of the people here came later!

How can it be allowed that I have to move out just because someone else fancies what I own? Do I plant bulbs for spring or is that a foolish thing to do if the house and garden are doomed?

I am sorry there are not more letters here from concerned Berowra people.

Whilst I believe that some sympathetic and considered development might be welcome by the community along the Pacific Highway in Berowra (e.g. the block of old shops on the corner of the Highway & Berowra Waters Road), the proposal being put forward by the Council and State Government is TOTALLY UNSUITABLE in every conceivable way for the area, the local community and the current facilities/services that are available. To propose 3-5 storey high density housing/shops is absolutely ridiculous and would create a massive issue for the community as a whole. The council's own document indicates that there is not enough open space per head of population (sports grounds, parks, etc) already and this is only going to be compounded by adding more peole to the area. The available roads, parking space, transport & utilities are totally inadequate for the current requirements and any increase in population would require major and costly upgrades.

There is also an issue of compensation for those home owners that find the value of their properties diminished due to the proximity of the high density housing. Is the Council/State Govt going to make good on this, or once again, is the poor resident expected to carry this cost themselves?

If we must have development along the Pacific Highway in Berowra, then let it be more considered and appropriate to the area, it's surrounds and the community. As a maximum, the current height limit of 2 storeys should be maintained in all instances.

Yes - I am also a little suprised that more people have not been voicing concerns about the Berowra development.

I have also spoken to a small number of people from within my social network & I am not hearing a whole lot of complaints about it - although, my social network may be quite different to other peoples.

I am beginning to feel that this is going to be very difficult to prevent - this is something I believe the Normanhurst Residents Action Group have understood and so it appears that they are accepting of some level of development.

I think perhaps Berowra's best approach may be to take up the case with Council for improved facilities and services within our local community to componsate.

Our Mayor himself may be quite willing to do something about that pool. According to the Minutes from the Council's A Ward Open Forum on 28th May 2008, Mr Berman's response to a residents question around achieving additional funding for a pool was:

"If you want more money to go into the pool at Berowra more money would have to be raised by building more multi-unit dwellings in the area. This is what will create the funds available for use in the area"

'...Asked the residents of Berowra how many multi-unit dwellings would they like to see go up in their area?'

http://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/uploads/documents/AWardOpenForum28May2008.pdf

Well.. it appears that the multi-unit dwellings are coming to Berowra, so I wonder if the additional funding for the Berowra pool will also be coming as the Mayor suggested it would?

How would you like to live in the top storey of a five storey apartment, if it were situated on the Pacific Highway in Berowra. Imagine the noise from the expressway!!!

Page 2 of today's (11/05/09) SMH - PLANNING COUP FOR DEVELOPERS. Dept of Planning has been overhauled so that senior staff who were not sympathetic enough to developers have been given the boot, thus paving the way for developers to maraud Sydney like visigoths.

Check it out!

Brilliant! Berowra will have a 5 story residential Fire & RTA "Observery Tower". At least the North will receive first notice whenever a fire in the surrounding bushland or an accident on the F3 Freeway occurs. If they're really lucky they might just have a family Kookaburra's nest on the balcony.

Get serious HSC...

I came to live in the 'BUSHLAND Shire' to be overlooked by bushland,

NOT five story high-rise!

I have been a resident in the Berowra area for 25 years and object strongly to the illogical proposal to allow 3-5 storey high rise development on the Pacific Highway from Berowra Waters Road to Waratah Road. Taking into account the lack of services to facilitate the proposed development eg public transport, sufficient road access, not to mention additional water & sewage; I am aghast at how this could be considered by council.

Berowra has always been a peaceful, family conscientous community living harmoniously with the surrounding bushland.

I accept the fact that there is pressure from the State Government for such development, but would recommend it be from Berowra Waters Road to the train station. If necessary, leaving the other proposed areas as low-rise, say 2-storey townhouses, which already exist.

It is sad to see this area becoming as overcrowded as the lower North Shore, surely commonsense can prevail.

In the recent Housing Strategy forums held by Hornsby Councils' Planning Department, one of the posters read;

"The Challenge for Hornsby Shire:

How can council ensure an adequate supply of houses to meet state government requirements based on a predicated growing & aging population, while PROTECTING BUSHLAND, PROPERTY VALUES, EXISTING RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER & NOT OVERBURDENING ROADS & SERVICES"

By any measure, Hornsby council has NOT ACHIEVED ANY of its objectives!

A five story flat roofed public housing style box building planted in the middle of predominately single story pitched roofed housing is the very antithesis of the stated objective; blighting the bushland, reducing our property values, destroying the existing residential character & overburdening our roads & services!

Our former N.S.W. Regional Director Planning Northern Metropolitan Sydney Area - our area- (now retired & living in multi storey high-rise in Sydney), commented last week about proposed 5 storey high-rise in Asquith - Mt. Colah - Mt. Kuring-gai - Berowra.

"AN OUTRAGEOUS PROPOSAL"

"TOTALLY ALIEN TO THE AREA"

" ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS"

" LACKS COMMON SENSE"

"A TOTALLY STUPID JOKE"

"THIS IS NOT BARCELONA, MADRID OR LONDON"

" IF IT HAPPENED IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, THERE WOULD BE RIOTS"

"Hornsby Council, (unlike Kuring-gai Council, which refused to listen) has previously undertaken good sensible planning in the shire. This new scatter-gun approach, 'one size fits all', is ridiculous"

When a top planner with 25 years in the N.S.W planning department said this - as well as the vast majority of residents- it is time for Hornsby Council to STOP TRYING TO FORCE 5 STOREY HIGH-RISE DOWN OUR THROATS & come up with a revised plan that develops our village communities instead of attempting to reduce them to the lowest common denominator.

NO LEGITIMACY—NO CONSTITUTION—NO HEAD OF POWER

The following are based not on assumptions but “officially” admitted FACTS.

The Australian Constitution DOES NOT recognise ‘local government’

Attempts by the “government” to alter the constitution to recognize ‘local government’ have failed TWICE. The last Referendum was held on the 3rd of September 1988. 67% of the population REJECTED the proposal for recognition of a third tier of “government”, namely, local “councils”.

The result of any Referendum is LAW. Despite that clear unmistakable affirmation of the Constitution by the people of Australia IN ALL STATES, the “government” (Hawke) introduced the ‘Local Government Act 1989” (1993 in some states)

All the bureaucrats, in every “council”, are relying on this ULTRA VIRES, NULL and VOID Act to justify their UNLAWFUL actions.

The “council” has no power over your property unless you consent! The concentration of power comes from a vacuum. The Constitutional power you have that you decide to ignore does not go away. It accumulates to whomever wishes to have it via the issuance of ignored/ uncontested/ lost claims. Remember all the Council Notices in your local rag that you don’t read? How many times have you had someone speak on your behalf about what they say you decided? They can only do so with your consent in law therefore what they say and do with that consent compels you to their will even though it is against your conscience to do so. Many times they use bluff to compel you.

The remedy at hand is to ask them in a notice to provide their origin of power to direct you in anything.

"He who does not repel a wrong when he can, occasions it."

"He who fails to assert his rights has none."

"He who does not deny, admits."

The Constitution of Australia requires that State Government attends to it’s infrastructure. It gets the resources to do this from the Federal Government as it is unable to tax by law. As “councils” are not government they are relegated in operation into a state of being, not unlike that of, a sub contractor to the State Government in providing services for which they receive state monies. As they are not government, and need to be somehow legally recognized in law, they are set up as businesses e.g. CITY OF NOWHERE ( abn 345 345 345). As a business they can operate within business guidelines. They CHARGE you for services that the Constitution has already legally required the State Governments to provide you without taxes. When you use those services you are required to pay for them as they are NOT government services. Just as you have a right to choose to pay for a private hospital rather than use the free public hospital you can also “choose” to use a private business to provide your local infrastructure. You consent and choose the private business to undertake your local requirements by accepting and paying the demand on the rates notice or by ignoring it. (Remember, "He who does not deny, admits.") Just by phoning your local “council” and speaking to someone about this or that you have accepted their “authority”. You have consented to do business with them. Remember querying the bill from your solicitor about paying for a phone call to ask him/her whether they got your fax etc? Recognition of authority is “deemed” to be consent.

Should a local council business (“your council”) become insolvent you have consented to individually meet the financial shortfall.(The buy back of the Quarry) You have consented to this by not informing this local council business that this is not the case. If the local corner shop goes broke do you consent to pay all of it’s bills also?

If you have a local matter then take it to the State Government Local Government Minister’s office and if that reaps no help approach your local State Member to get it done. That is what the Constitution requires you to do as a loyal Australian.

If you do nothing with this information you have “consented” to give your right to act on your behalf on these matters to others. It is also your right to do this. All power in Australia rests in the hands of individual Australians and when used this power can rewrite the Constitution and direct the highest court of the land to your bidding!!!!

THE POWER TO CHANGE THIS COUNTRY IS IN YOUR HANDS