Woolworths lodges Metro DA

Make your submission to Council now!

Woolworths has lodged a development application for a Metro supermarket, cafe, 20-space car park and truck loading area which will retain the facades but require substantial demolition of the existing properties between the Westpac building and the Mosman Club.

Proposed trading hours:

Monday to Saturday – 6am to 11pm
Sunday – 6am to 10pm

Proposed car park hours:

Monday to Saturday – 7am to 10pm
Sunday – 8am to 10pm

Proposed delivery management:

deliveries Monday to Sunday between 9am and 2pm
deliveries on public holidays
delivery trucks up to 8.8m in length, required twice daily
up to 5 additional supplier truck and van deliveries daily
via Spit Junction along Military Road to Gouldsbury Street

Proposed trolley management:

may be used on site
expect predominant basket shopping

Proposed waste management:

6 x 11000L bins (general and recycling) at rear of premises
waste collection 3 times per week using small rigid vehicles
cardboard collection 2-3 times per week

Woolworths’ development application documents can be found by clicking on the following links:

Click here for a complete list of documents, including current submissions.

We urge all residents concerned by any aspect of the proposed development to make their submissions before the end of March.

Submissions objecting to the DA can be made by:

clicking on this link to Council’s DA tracker then “Make a Submission”
emailing council@mosman.nsw.gov.au

The development application will be referred to the Mosman Local Planning Panel if a sufficient number of individual and unique submissions are made.

To assist residents with making a submission we are providing several suggested drafts. We encourage you to copy, paste, edit and adapt these drafts to appropriately express your individual concerns.

Object to DA on grounds of increased traffic and insufficient parking

Development Application Number: 008.2020.00000024.001
Applicant: Fabcot Pty Ltd

I wish to object to the DA referred to above.

My objection is based on major concerns I hold regarding the issue of safety, traffic and parking.

There are significant shortcomings and several significant omissions in the traffic analysis conducted by CBRK to support this application.

The analysis ignores RMS guidelines on issues such as:

1. road safety effects
2. annual daily traffic/seasonality/historic trends
3. amenity and environmental impacts
4. impact on pedestrians in the vicinity

The major traffic flow and pedestrian impact will be on the Military Rd/Belmont Rd intersection with two large schools in close proximity. This intersection is already congested especially at school drop off and pick up times. The CBRK study appears to have been conducted only at “weekday afternoons and Saturday midday peaks” and overlooks this fact.

The development, if approved, would have a significant impact on local roads and access to Military Rd. I do not believe the traffic analysis has taken into account the reality of customers, smaller delivery trucks and home delivery vehicles using The Crescent to gain access to Military Rd via Vista St or Cowles Rd using Art Gallery Way.

Returning to Military Rd from Gouldsbury St (currently stated to be 275-280 vehicles per hour) will be extremely difficult as many of the vehicles wish to turn right - this impact was not modelled.

Some pedestrians seeking to access the store from the eastern side of Military Rd will attempt to cross opposite Gouldsbury St. This will be a major safety issue.

Woolworths claim that 80% of customers will walk to the proposed Metro store needs to be challenged.

Mosman has a high proportion of older residents who will drive not walk. Customers from Balmoral, Clifton Gardens and the north side of Military Rd, including Beauty Point will drive to the store.

The detrimental impact on traffic throughout Mosman, and in particular on the roads and streets in the vicinity of the development, will be greater than stated in Woolworths' application.

If substantially more customers drive to the proposed store than modelled by CBRK, parking will be a major issue, not only in the immediate vicinity of the store but also on all nearby Council car parks.

The CBRK analysis ignores both the Council DCP requirement of 56 spaces the RMS guideline of 35 and claims 20 car spaces will be adequate.

The justification for this assertion is the use of parking facilities at Newtown and Rozelle. There is a substantial difference in population density and demographics between these suburbs and Mosman. These are unrealistic comparisons.

The likelihood of loading zones being required on Military Rd (notwithstanding the loading dock) in front of the store, as already exists in the area between the Post Office and Raglan St, is high.

Even without this potential change parking for customers of neighbouring shops will become extremely difficult.

I believe that unless these issues can be addressed by Woolworths the development application for a Metro store should not be approved.

Object to DA on grounds of proposed trading hours

Development Application Number: 008.2020.00000024.001
Applicant: Fabcot Pty Ltd

I object to the above development based on the proposed trading hours of: 

• Monday to Saturday – 6am to 11pm 
• Sunday – 6am to 10pm 

My objections are:

1. If approved, this will create a precedent for any future large scale developments by Woolworths.

2. The trading hours sought will put more pressure on smaller local businesses and threaten their viability. There is evidence of local store closures in the proximity of established Metros such as Potts Point and Kirribilli.

3. The peace and quiet of the neighbourhood will be severely disrupted if these hours are approved.

Trading hours should be limited to 7am to 9pm on all days of the week.

Object to DA on grounds of public interest and impact on local retailers

Development Application Number: 008.2020.00000024.001
Applicant: Fabcot Pty Ltd

I value the range and mix of small retail shops in Mosman. I believe it serves the needs of the local community very well and that a new Woolworths store will significantly undermine the viability of this highly desirable retailing shopping strip. As such I believe the construction of a Woolworths Metro in the proposed location is not in the public interest.
 
The proposed development of a Woolworths at Mosman Junction will undermine the mixed use nature of shopping in the area.

Mosman is currently serviced by a range of small good providers, grocery stores, and bakeries which will be directly impacted by the Woolworths development. The community of Mosman has supported and valued these businesses for many years. The Woolworths Metro will inevitably see some if not most of these stores buckle under, unable to compete with an international competitor with the capacity and the desire to corner the market.

The public interest is not served by this outcome. The public interest is served by a range of retail offerings in a local neighbourhood strip shopping environment. The establish nature of this mix and the planning outcomes, plus the public infrastructure that has evolved around this mix is a vital element reinforcing the community nature of the shopping strip. 

The position of Woolworths away from the core Mosman Junction retailing strip is significant. This core retail strip is primarily focused on the eastern side of Military Rd from the Belmont St intersection to the corner of Raglan St. This area, with the Post Office, bakers, chemists, butcher, shoe repairs, clothing, and cafes is well serviced with direct access to the Raglan St East carpark.
 
The proposed location of the Woolworths Metro on the western side of Military Rd near the corner of Belmont Rd will change pedestrian and traffic movements in a detrimental way. Shifting the focus away from the established strip to an area with a large number of potential conflicts related to the location of the two public schools (Mosman High and Mosman Public) and the Civic Square, Council Chambers and Library areas serviced by the Crescent public carpark.

Object to DA on grounds of impact on neighbouring residents

Development Application Number: 008.2020.00000024.001
Applicant: Fabcot Pty Ltd

I/We wish to object strongly to the proposed Woolworths Metro development at 731-741 Military Rd Mosman.

I/We live at (INSERT ADDRESS), Mosman.

I/We will be severely impacted by the proposed development.

I/We will be affected by ambient noise emanating from the store's operation, increased traffic and car park lighting.

I/We am/are also concerned at the prospect of losing 8 mature trees from our nearby environment.

Noise pollution caused by car and truck traffic is particularly concerning.

The DA's Plan of Management (page 7) under ‘Direct Deliveries’ suggests the Store Manager will have considerable discretion relating to delivery management.

If the application is approved I/we request that Council impose the following conditions:

1. that delivery times apply to all vehicles including smaller trucks, collection and deliveries to homes for store shoppers

2. that Council monitor and enforce compliance with proposed delivery times for all vehicles

In the Plan of Management (3.3) a set of steps are outlined should there be noise complaints. It is proposed that the Store Manager will have responsibility to investigate and take “appropriate action”. I/We do not believe this is sufficient to ensure fair and equitable outcomes for neighbouring residents.

The proposed opening hours of the car park are 7am to 10pm. If the application is approved I/we believe the car park should be closed no later than 8pm, as noise is amplified in the evenings and extended car park lighting will adversely impact neighbouring properties.

I/We believe the likely volume of walk-up trade will be far greater than the documents supporting the DA suggest. The DA states 80% of trade is anticipated to be walk-up and this seems to be based upon comparisons with other Metro locations such as Newtown and Rozelle. These locations are not comparable with Mosman.

Increased car and truck movements will have a major detrimental impact on our quality of life.

I/We object to proposed development unless the issues raised above can be fully addressed.