Hornsby Housing Strategy for Beecroft

Hornsby Shire exhibited their Development Control Plan last month, covering the 5 storey rezoning of the Beecroft Shopping Village.

The Beecroft Cheltenham Civic Trust advised Councillors of the Trust’s concerns, as follows:

1. An array of site design options from the Residential Flat Design Code, [NSW Planning] underlying SEPP65, have not been embraced
2. The DCP will have some prescriptive controls, but is still essentially merit-based
3. Minimum lot sizes do not appear to have been defined in LEP or DCP materials, and that appears a notable oversight
4. Building envelopes are not well defined, despite recent resident concerns at Chapman Avenue East (north side)
5. It seems any control will be only height and number of storeys; if so, height will be a development standard, subject to SEPP 1 objection, opening up the possibility of higher intensity development
6. Linkages in the town centre seem opaque, & reflect little pedestrian/ traffic planning, needed for survival of a vibrant village centre
7. Heritage AS zoning in adjoining and subject residential areas have not been respected
8. Indicative parking options are not well defined; multilevel at Wongala Crescent car-park should be addressed
9. The published DCP format is reader-unfriendly for residents who are not versed in town planning.