Mona St, Mona Vale: Sydney Water’s bid to redevelop bushland for housing swamped by criticism

A pocket of northern beaches’ bushland owned by Sydney Water, which was targeted for housing, has been swamped by criticism. See what planning authorities thought.

A view of the land Sydney Water owns in Mona St, Mona Vale, which it wanted to redevelop for low density housing. Picture: Supplied

A Sydney Water push to redevelop part of a large block of bushland it owns on the northern beaches has stalled.

The water utility had lodged a Planning Proposal with the council to rezone a section of the 8200 sqm site in Mona St, Mona Vale on land described as having “flooding” hazards.

It wanted permission to subdivide the site, which has a concrete stormwater channel running along its eastern and southern boundaries, into four lots to allow houses to be built.

But the block of bushland, which backs onto Bassett St close to the Mona Vale industrial area and Pittwater High School, was considered a storage site in the event of local flooding.

A map showing the location of bushland owned by Sydney Water in Mona St, Mona Vale, which it wanted partially rezoned to allow low density housing. Picture: Supplied

The NSW State Emergency Service even raised concerns about the flood risk, while the site also contains endangered Swamp Oak forest and long-nosed bandicoots.

Locals, who use the land as a popular walking and recreation spot, have also pleaded with authorities to leave it as it is.

The Pittwater Natural Heritage Association argued that with most of the site supporting endangered Swamp Oak forest, it should be “protected and enhanced instead of over half of it being cleared for residential development”.

A diagram showing the location of proposed residential building lot on land owned by Sydney Water in Mona St, Mona Vale. Picture: Supplied

Association secretary David Palmer wrote in a submission to the council suggesting that the site was a Sydney Water “environmental asset which should be retained and properly maintained by them”.

“A number of species of fauna are identified in the Preliminary Biodiversity Assessment as using the site as a foraging resource, including Long-nosed Bandicoots which are also

believed to breed there,” he wrote.

“This should be grounds for preserving and enhancing the Swamp Oak forest.”

In his submission, neighbouring property owner Ross Maclean wrote that during heavy rainfall in early March “this whole area, where the proposed buildings are to be constructed, was flooded”.

A map showing the location of bushland owned by Sydney Water in Mona St, Mona Vale. Picture: Supplied

Another local, Emma Conan, wrote that she would be saddened if “this last piece of green on Bassett St was torn down, ripped up and replaced by ugly housing just to make money for a developer”.

In a letter to the council, Sydney Water’s property portfolio manager, Grant May, wrote that the land was “surplus to the future requirements of Sydney Water”.

“It is the intention of Sydney Water to return the land to a low density residential zone similar to the surrounding zones,” Mr May wrote.

But in its assessment report to the independent Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel, the council called on the panel to recommend that the council reject the proposal.

There were concerns about the impact a rezoning would have on long-nosed bandicoots living and feeding on the Mona St property. Picture: Toby Zerna

It told the panel that Sydney Water could not demonstrate how the site could be developed safely given the flooding and coastal inundation hazards.

Before the planning panel could provide its advice to the council last week, Sydney Water withdrew its application.

A Sydney Water spokesman said on Tuesday that it regularly reviewed its land holdings to ensure it is maintaining land required for operational use and disposing of land which is no longer required.

“The planning proposal was withdrawn after Sydney Water reviewed a report prepared by council for the local planning panel meeting,” the spokesman said.