High rise, new pool and school move plans revealed for Frenchs Forest
THE blueprint for Frenchs Forest - including a pool-school swap, afforable housing, shops, reastaurants and bars - has finally be revealed. So is your house being rezoned?
Manly
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IT’S the first look at a transformed Frenchs Forest, which was revealed to residents last night.
The revamped suburb’s centrepiece is set to be a high street-style, pedestrianised town centre featuring shops, restaurants and small bars centred between apartment towers of up to 12 storeys.
And it means an end to the limbo for hundreds of residents who have been waiting to find out if their homes will be rezoned, potentially offering them a bumper payout.
A total of 250 houses are expected to fall within the rezoned area to make way for 2200 new dwellings of apartments and townhouses.
Plus, according to the new Draft Hospital Precinct Structure Plan, unveiled at a special Northern Beaches Council meeting, the town centre will be created on the site of The Forest High School, which will move to Warringah Aquatic Centre’s location.
Forestway Shopping Centre and Frenchs Forest Public School will also be rezoned to 12 storeys.
New apartments will be three, five or seven storeys and new pavements and cyclepaths will be created.
Council bosses have hailed the plan, which has been finalised after years of discussions, as “exciting”.
Northern Beaches Council administrator, Dick Persson, said: “The core elements in this structure plan will make Frenchs Forest a highly sought after destination not just for those living nearby but from all over the northern beaches.”
THE TOWN CENTRE
A buzzing outdoor hub of shops, cafes and a community centre, plus a new pool will be at the heart of the development.
David Kerr, acting deputy general manager, planning and community at Northern Beaches Council, described the area as “community focused”.
The Department of Education owns the land, so is likely to sell it to a developer.
SHOPS AND SCHOOL
Frenchs Forest Public School and Forestway Shopping Centre will also be rezoned to 12 storeys.
“The school will stay on the site and be rebuilt to increase capacity,” Mr Kerr said.
The dated shopping centre is also likely to get a revamp.
HOME REZONING
Residents who have been left in limbo will finally find out if they are set to be able to negotiate a big-money deal with developers if they are in rezoned areas.
If they’re not on the map, council bosses said they hope they will be pleased to stay in what is set to become a destination not only for locals but for people travelling from further afield.
A key street set for rezoning is Karingal Cr. It’s set to become townhouses, and residents are likely to be relieved.
As reported in the Manly Daily, Tim Pace, who lives there, created a video and petition on the state of his street, which backs onto Warringah Rd.
He said he got to “breaking point” after “multiple deadlines passing and not been met and excuses after excuses after excuses” from the authorities.
Other homes set to be rezoned are all to the north and west of the school site.
A slice of homes north of Frenchs Forest Rd, from Rabbett St to the Wakehurst Parkway will be rezoned – but not the entire roads, leaving some neighbours set to get a deal from developers and others missing out.
Mr Kerr said some residents would “not be happy”.
Parts of the southern end of Grace Ave, Holland Cr, Russell Ave and Ann St are also in the rezoning area.
Developers must create ‘transition zones’ to ensure there won’t be multistorey units going up right against single level homes.
Meanwhile, the council is looking to acquire five homes to create access.
JOBS
A total of 4300 jobs are being created in the area – 1400 at the hospital with another 600 later. Another 2300 will come in the town centre area.
YOUR SAY
Northern Beaches Council, which worked on the plan with State Government departments, now wants feedback. It will not be until 2018 that rezonings are decided.
“This is a draft plan that offers so much for the community and now we begin the process of ensuring everyone gets a chance to have their say on it,” Mr Persson said.
“From today there will be many opportunities for the community to provide input and we are offering an extended period of consultation through to the end of February next year.”
Have your say from Thursday, December 1, until Thursday 28 February at northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au.
POOL,SCHOOL TRADE PLACES
WARRINGAH Aquatic Centre will be demolished in a ‘site swap’ with The Forest High School.
Council bosses revealed plans to relocate the school to the pool site, building the new school on the pool’s old footprint.
Moving the school from the Department of Education-owned site, will allow that site to be redeveloped into the dramatic new town centre, including a new pool.
However, with the school building expecting to take around two years, and students not to vacate their old school until the new school is ready, it could be years before a new pool is unveiled.
School carnivals, swimming clubs and other pool-users will be forced to find somewhere else to swim.
Apart from Manly, there are no other 50m pools on the northern beaches, although there are 25m pools which council bosses are exploring the use of.
Once the new pool is built, it’s likely to include facilities for sports such as water polo and a smaller, shallower pool for swimming lessons.
Council acting deputy general manager David Kerr said: “Effectively you get a new 21st century high school and a new 21st century pool.”
HOUSING PLAN
AFFORDABLE housing aimed at low-earning workers at the new hospital is set to be part of the redevelopment.
Up to 200 of the 2200 new apartments and townhouses at Frenchs Forest will be offered to workers such as nurses as part of a recommendation in a report from the Greater Sydney Commission on Northern Sydney which came out last month. It allows councils to ask developers to make up to 10 per cent of the floorspace of their projects affordable.
The council’s acting deputy general manager David Kerr confirmed that the council would push for developers to cater for those on low to very low incomes.
‘Low income’ is defined as up to $67,600 a year and ‘very low’ is classed as less than $42,300 annually — which is half of the median Sydney income.
The housing would likely be passed on to a community housing provider to manage.
The council was last week accused of neglecting affordable housing policies.
As reported in the Manly Daily, former mayor, Michael Regan, said amalgamation had caused plans for Warringah’s affordable housing plan to fall behind.
OLD TIMELINE
September 2014: Project launched with flyers
November 2014: Warringah Council holds community workshops looking at the future land use
April 2015: Draft hospital precinct structure plan expected
June 2015: Council works with govt to address transport and road infrastructure
July 2015: More detailed transport assessment needed
January 2016: Govt asks for further detailed evaluation of scenarios
March 2016: Council resumes draft precinct structure plan after transport study approved
April 2016: Draft plan being finalised and due in May/June 2016
July 2016: Five govt agencies ask for the plan
September 2016: Report to Northern Beaches Council delayed again, with no future time frame
November 2016: Structure plan revealed
WHAT’S NEXT?
LATE 2016-EARLY 2017 Public exhibition of structure plan
EARLY 2017 Review submissions and amend structure plan
EARLY-MID 2017 Submissions report and final structure plan to council
LATE 2017 Amend/prepare planning documents
EARLY 2018 Rezoning finalised
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