The Mosman Local Planning Panel (MLPP) will determine Woolworths’ development application at a public meeting scheduled for 12pm, Wednesday, 18 November 2020.
Despite numerous significant issues raised by local residents and businesses in over 500 submissions to Council earlier this year, Council’s Director Environment and Planning (E&P) has recommended approval of the application.
In response, members of the community with expertise in traffic and planning intend to address the MLPP to challenge the recommendation, particularly with respect to issues of traffic, parking and public interest.
You can apply to address the MLPP regarding the Woolworths proposal by clicking here. Applications must be submitted before 2pm, Thursday, 12 November. Addresses to the MLPP are limited to 3 minutes duration.
To access Council’s Assessment Report in full click here.
Since the report is 223 pages in length, we have provided notable excerpts below (in italics). Emphasis has been added in bold.
REPORT’S EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The application is referred to the Mosman Local Planning Panel as there have been 10 or more unique objections.
The main issues in the assessment of this application are:
- traffic and parking impacts;
- economic and social impacts;
- amenity impacts on surrounding properties;
- and impact on the character of the area and village atmosphere.
The proposal is assessed as satisfactory and is recommended for approval subject to conditions.
TRAFFIC
In consultation with [consultants] Cardno, Council’s traffic engineers have reviewed the applicant’s response to the items raised in the peer review. Based on this review, it was determined that the Applicant’s traffic impact assessment and supplementary response materials satisfactorily addresses the traffic and parking items raised during this process, subject to the adoption of certain conditions of consent.
SOCIAL & ECONOMIC WELFARE AND ENVIRONMENT
The proposal provides for the continuation of retail uses on the site. Subject to the recommended conditions of consent, the proposal will not have any unreasonable economic or social impacts on the locality or negative impacts on the natural environment that would warrant refusal of the application.
DESIGN & AMENITY OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The proposal is sympathetic to the heritage streetscape of Military Road and will result in good design and amenity of the built environment.
SEPP – IMPACT ON MILITARY ROAD
Having regard to the recommendations of the traffic engineer, the safety, efficiency and ongoing operation of Military Road will not be adversely affected by the development as a result of the design of the vehicular access to the land or the nature, volume or frequency of vehicles using the classified road to gain access to the land
MLEP – HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES
No residential use is proposed. The site is zoned B2 Local Centre and the use proposed is consistent with the permissible land uses in that zone. Conditions of consent are included in the recommendation to ensure the proposal does not have any unreasonable adverse impact on residential amenity.
MLEP – BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES & EMPLOYMENT
The proposal provides a retail use that will provide a variety of goods and services to service the needs of those who live, work and visit the local area. The proposed use will provide on going employment opportunities. Having regard to the advice provided by Leyshon Consulting, the proposal will not result in unreasonable economic impacts in the locality that would warrant refusal of the application.
MLEP – LIMIT POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC…
The proposal supports public transport, cycling and walking in that:
- The site is located in a highly accessible location being within close proximity to a number of bus stops that provide services to the local area, the city and other centres including North Sydney and Chatswood;
- It provides improved pedestrian linkages within the locality with the provision of a pedestrian through site link. Conditions of consent are recommended requiring the provision of a pedestrian link within Lennon Lane; and
- It provides bicycle parking facilities which will encourage customers and staff to ride to and from the supermarket. A condition of consent is recommended requiring the provision of end of trip facilities that will further encourage staff to cycle to work.
The assessment has found that subject to the recommended conditions of consent, the proposal will not result in unreasonable additional traffic on the road system.
MLEP – ENHANCE VIABILITY, VITALITY & AMENITY OF LOCAL CENTRE
The proposed supermarket and cafe use is permissible in the B2 zone and provides for the continuation of these uses within the local centre.
The proposal is consistent with the existing and desired future character of the Mosman Junction Business Centre as outlined in the BCDCP. The proposal will maintain the Military Road heritage streetscape through the retention of the facades of a row of traditional two storey shopfront buildings, four of which are identified as having contributory status within the Military Road Heritage Conservation Area. The addition to the rear, whilst contemporary is modest in scale and will not detract from the Military Road streetscape.
The vitality of the centre will be enhanced through the provision of an active frontage to Military Road and additional activity within the centre that the use will attract. The proposed trading hours extend into the evening period which will support the local night time economy providing enhanced vitality in the evening whilst maintaining appropriate residential amenity.
The proposal satisfies this objective.
PARKING
The BCDCP requires the provision of 1 space per 16m2 of Gross Floor Area. It notes that a Traffic and Parking Impact Study is required for developments with over 500m2 of Gross Floor Area. This is not specific to a type of development. The RMS Guide to Traffic Generating Developments provided a car parking rate for supermarkets of 4.2 spaces per 100m2.
The Traffic Report (February 2020) prepared by CBRK finds that the BCDCP would require 56 spaces and the RMS Guide would require 37 spaces.
The proposal provides 18 spaces. This includes 2 mobility spaces and a staff allocated space. Two additional spaces are provided within the public laneway. The applicant has not applied for any credit as is normally the case with these types of developments.
To vary Council’s DCP on parking controls and traffic generation rates, the most appropriate mechanism is the use of comparative surveys. The applicant has provided a detailed comparison to 3 different Woolworths stores in Sydney their Traffic Report. They have provided information to support a parking demand of 1 space per 49.4m2 of Gross Floor Area which results in a need for 18 spaces. Council’s Traffic Engineers and Cardno have reviewed this information and consider it acceptable.
Conditions of consent have been recommended to ensure:
- There is no more than 1 reserved staff parking space;
- There are adequate accessible spaces; and
- There are bicycle and motorcycle spaces.
CARPARK MANAGEMENT
Conditions of consent have been recommended in order to manage the direction of traffic in the carpark and for the applicant to provide at their cost signage and electronic monitoring of the occupancy of spaces. This will be linked to Council’s existing electronic parking management system. Conditions of consent have also been recommended reducing the proposed operating hours of the site which will reduce the impact of the carpark.
PEDESTRIAN SAFETY & CONNECTIVITY
Conditions of consent have been recommended for the applicant at their cost to install a pedestrian link connecting Gouldsbury Street to the site through the laneway. There is also a condition of consent recommended to include a public right of way through the site to Military Road.
LOADING & DOCK MANAGEMENT
Click and Collect is no longer part of the proposal and this will be reinforced via a condition of consent. A condition of consent has also been imposed for the applicant to lodge a Loading Dock Management Plan covering the following:
- Details for safe ingress and egress
- Movements in peak periods
- Management of incidents
- Management of any conflicts with vehicles and pedestrians.
PUBLIC INTEREST
The proposal is consistent with the existing and desired future character of the Mosman Junction Business Centre as outlined in the BCDCP. The proposal will maintain the Military Road heritage streetscape through the retention and restoration of the significant fabric of a row of traditional two storey shopfront buildings, four of which are identified as having contributory status within the Military Road Heritage Conservation Area. The addition to the rear, whilst contemporary in design is modest in scale and will not detract from the Military Road streetscape.
The proposal provides for the continuation of a retail use on the site with a supermarket and cafe proposed. The site is in a highly accessible location which will encourage alternative modes of transport.
The proposal incorporates the principles of ecologically sustainable development through various mechanisms, including the adaptive reuse of a row of buildings of heritage value with the retention of part of these buildings. The proposal can be carried out in a manner that is consistent with the principles of ecologically sustainable development.
The impacts of the proposal on residential amenity will be acceptable subject to the recommended conditions of consent, as the proposed land use is consistent with the zoning of the site, and impacts are commensurate with what could be reasonably expected for a development of the nature proposed.
The most common issue raised in the submissions received was the lack of parking and ongoing traffic impacts of the proposal. Having regard to the advice provided by Cardno, the proposal will not result in unreasonable additional traffic on the road system and the provision of on site parking is reasonable. The conditions recommend by Cardno to ameliorate impacts associated with the development are included in the recommendation.
Another common issue raised in the submissions received was that the proposal would damage the village atmosphere and character of the shopping strip. A number of submissions raised concern with impact on existing shops and the personal impact of the potential loss of existing fresh food retailers in the shopping strip as a result of competition from Woolworths. Submissions raised concern with the proposal resulting in diminished choice, by driving out smaller businesses that offer a delicious and wider variety than the already extensive supermarket options in the area. Having regard to the advice provided by Leyshon Consulting, the proposal will not result in unreasonable economic impacts in the locality. The proposal provides a cafe and supermarket use that will provide a variety of goods and services to service the needs of those who live, work and visit the local area. The applicant has advised that Woolworths Metro supermarkets are designed with the intent of meeting the everyday needs of a customer and given the smaller format the Metro stores and their product range, are specifically curated to the needs of the local community.
The proposal will not adversely alter the built environment or character of the overall Mosman shopping strip and will be required to maintain an active frontage to Military Road. The design incorporates a high level of materiality and demonstrates a fine grain active frontage with the buildings architecture and combined with the public domain improvements and ground level retail and café use, will activate the Military Road street frontage. The majority of shops in the shopping strip will remain as small individual shopfronts. Leyshon Consulting have found that given Mosman is not a price sensitive market it is possible that local residents will continue to patronise the existing fresh food retailers in the shopping strip and therefore will likely maintain the relationships formed with those retailers.
The proposal provides an employment generating use in an accessible location. The Economic Needs Assessment identifies that the Woolworths Metro is projected to employ 42 people an ongoing basis. The development would also create employment during the construction phase.
The proposal will deliver public benefits including a new through site link, the widening of Lennon Lane and public domain improvements within both Military Road (including the removal of a redundant driveway crossing) and Lennon Lane.
On balance this assessment finds that proposal [sic] is in the public interest.
ACRONYMS
- SEPP – State Environmental Planning Policy
- MLEP – Mosman Local Environmental Plan
- DCP – Development Control Plan
- BCDCP – Business Centre Development Control Plan