Developer will appeal council decision over accommodation next to Northern Beaches Hospital
REVEALING PHOTOS: A developer who is aiming to add 380 units for affordable accommodation for health workers near the Northern Beaches Hospital will appeal a council decision to refuse the plan.
Manly
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A DEVELOPER aiming to add 380 units for affordable accommodation for health workers near Northern Beaches Hospital will appeal a council decision to refuse the plan.
John Aspinall, of Urbaine Architecture, told the Manly Daily he had lodged an appeal with the Sydney North Planning Panel.
He also plans to approach Warringah federal MP Tony Abbott to pitch the idea in the wake of the former prime minister’s concerns about overdevelopment.
“I agree with Tony Abbott about the potential overdevelopment of the northern beaches,” Mr Aspinall said. “However, the affordable accommodation problem will remain.
“Our own scheme for the nurses’ accommodation actually alleviates the traffic infrastructure problem by placing the nurses so close to the hospital.”
Mr Aspinall said about 30 per cent in production costs would be saved by building the units (artwork pictured) in modular form and by using the existing air rights above the property, at 323 to 327 Warringah Rd.
The area would need to be rezoned to allow for an uplift in height, to mirror the new hospital at 12 storeys.
“I would just like the community to understand that this is a genuine solution to 100 per cent affordable housing forever, with no time limits, it is not a percentage of affordable housing but totally affordable,” he said.
“We are doing it because we can. We could make a huge amount of money if we had it rezoned for residential … but we are not driven by that. We are not a charity, we can still make a fair business … but we can make savings and we want to give those savings back to nurses.”
Mr Aspinall said he had been in discussions with the Greater Sydney Commission, which had given the project its tick of approval.
He said the Northern Beaches Council’s reasons for refusal were perplexing.
A major reason was the increased traffic it would create. “Ironically, our solution would actually alleviate this problem by placing the nurses within walking distance of the hospital,” he said.
He said the council’s 20-year plan was for a medical super precinct but it was “without a clear direction as to how this would be achieved”.
“Again, in 20 years the housing affordability problem will have only increased,” he said.
“Since we are submitting a Voluntary Planning Agreement, defining the 100 per cent affordable aspect, with no time limits, other developers would simply not be in a position to offer this.”