Northern beaches campaigners celebrate ‘significant’ boarding house win in Frenchs Forest

Campaigners are celebrating a “significant victory” in the battle against boarding houses on the northern beaches after a 30-room facility was knocked back.

An artist’s impression of the side of the proposed boarding house

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Campaigners are celebrating a “significant victory” in the battle against boarding houses on the northern beaches after a 30-room facility was knocked back.

Gopala Maurer, president of the Northern Beaches Strategic Community Group (NBSCG), said the refusal of the proposal at 6 Gladys Ave, Frenchs Forest, will set a precedent.

The planned two-storey, 30-room facility, which had the capacity to house 60 adults, was rejected by the Northern Beaches Planning Panel last month.

Sixteen carparking spaces, two communal rooms and a manager’s room were also planned.

The site is just metres outside the proposed area of rezoning for the Frenchs Forest Town Centre Precinct, which is yet to be enacted by the State Government.

As such the area immediately adjoining the site to the south — currently classified as R2 low density — is proposed to be R3 medium density.

The plot, red, on the edge of the precinct zone, blue

R3 allows for much denser, taller residential buildings than R2 .

The height limit goes from 8.5m to 17.5m and there is also an increase in the minimum floor space ratio, which is an indicator of density.

The applicant, Brian Scott Haynes, argued that given the planned future zoning, the proposal was an “acceptable visual fit” and “complements the likely future character” of the area.

“The proposal is not antipathetic to the low density zone objectives given the likely future character of Gladys Ave and the relevant future strategic planning direction for the area,” his application to the panel read.

The NBSCG argued that a decision should not be made based on potential future zoning, adding that even so the boarding house was outside the Town Centre Precinct Plan.

The panel agreed, with all four members voting to refuse the proposal.

Gopala Maurer said it was a huge win in the fight against boarding houses Picture: Adam Yip

In their written refusal they said the development was inconsistent with local development plans and it “represents an overdevelopment of the site which is not compatible with the character of the local area”.

“The built form of the proposed boarding house is excessive, resulting in unreasonable

impacts upon the surrounding environment,” they decision stated.

Ms Maurer said the decision was significant and would set a precedent for similar proposals.

“We are pleased that this inappropriate boarding house development was rejected,” she said.

A model giving an idea of the size of the proposed development

“This panel decision sets a precedent in that being next to the boundary of a potential future increased height limit in not a reason to approve a high density boarding house development in an R2 zone.

“It is a great win and a significant one.”

A number of other boarding house applications will be considered in the coming weeks.

Two other boarding house applications, for Sydney Rd, Fairlight, and another in Gladys Ave, Frenchs Forest, are due to be decided on next week.