They wanted a hospital upgrade. A 62-storey apartment tower is proposed instead

A prime block of public land with approval to build a 62-storey apartment tower overshadowing one of Sydney’s largest hospitals has been put up for sale by the NSW government despite fierce opposition from residents, health workers and the hospital’s own board.

The state government this month invited offers from developers on the 3300-square-metre vacant block between St Leonards train station and the southern gateway to the Royal North Shore Hospital campus.

Residents and hospital staff have fought for years to prevent a 45-storey residential development being built on the site and are incensed by the prospect of an even larger tower and the land falling out of public hands entirely.

Judy Simpson (centre) with other members of the Save Royal North Shore community group, Willoughby MP Tim James (second from left) and members of Willoughby City Council.Credit: Steven Siewert

Judy Simpson, an Artarmon resident and founding member of the Save Royal North Shore Hospital campaign, said the community had consistently campaigned for the land to be used to redevelop the hospital closer to St Leonards station, improving access for patients.

“It’s so shortsighted,” Simpson said. “The hospital is already overstretched, overcrowded, [and] limited in space, so if you moved outpatients closer to the station, you’d make it far more accessible.”

Dr Tony Joseph, a retired emergency physician and former chair of the Royal North Shore’s medical staff council, said the hospital would face greater demands in coming decades as it delivered statewide services including major trauma, burns, high-risk maternity and neonatal intensive care units.

“What the government is failing to understand is that healthcare is changing over the next 40 years,” he said. “They need more space, not less, and for them to sell off this land for short-term gain is completely ludicrous.”

The Minns government identified the site as surplus to requirements under its land audit of publicly owned property, and rezoned it in November under the transport-oriented development (TOD) regime.

The government promised 67 of the 448 proposed apartments would be allocated for employees at Royal North Shore Hospital. A spokesman said the 15 per cent affordable housing requirement would be written into the contract with the successful bidder.

But in a submission to the planning department in August, the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) board said that was well short of the number of affordable homes previously promised, and “not sufficient” for the hospital’s needs.

The board chair wrote that the proposed rezoning was incompatible with the hospital’s master plan for future expansion and would be “strongly opposed” in its current form.

The letter raised further concerns about the development’s impact on 14 areas including traffic and congestion, accessibility, “grossly insufficient” basement parking and the flight path of ambulance helicopters.

“The NSLHD Board is extremely disappointed by the short-term vision ... of the Crows Nest TOD rezoning proposal,” the submission read. “[These] matters are considered non-negotiable from the perspective of the NSLHD Board … to disregard them will adversely affect the delivery of health services at RNSH and will be detrimental to the community served by RNSH.”

A spokesman for Lands and Property Minister Steve Kamper said all issues raised by the board would be considered as part of the planning process for the precinct.

“The continuous operation of vital health services such as ambulance helicopters are protected by planning controls,” he said.

Greens health spokesperson Dr Amanda Cohn wrote to Premier Chris Minns this week urging him to intervene in the sale, and accused the government of breaking its public promises to reverse the privatisation of public health in NSW.

“The privatisation of this asset will not only impact the local community, but generations of people from across the state who need to access care at RNSH,” Cohn wrote. “It is egregious that the site is being sold rather than developed in the public interest.”

Health Minister Ryan Park on Wednesday said there was a “natural tension” between the state’s housing and future health needs, but the development would allow hospital staff including nurses, doctors and cleaners to live close to work.

“I understand that [NSW] Health may require or want all of it, but the reality is, we’ve also got to make sure people have a roof over their head,” he said. “Housing is arguably the No.1 issue in this state.”

The site is another flashpoint in the government’s dispute with local councils over its housing plans.

“There is no community benefit in a 62-storey tower butted up against a hospital,” said Willoughby councillor Anna Greco.

Lane Cove Council unanimously voted last week to support Willoughby Council’s request to see the government’s modelling of future demand on the hospital, while North Sydney Council on Monday voted to join efforts to lobby the state government to “retain public ownership of the Royal North Shore Hospital precinct”.

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