There used to be 25 homes in leafy Actinotus Avenue, Caringbah South, but soon there will be about 100.
All but five of the original houses have been bought by developers, and town house projects are spreading along the street.
Sutherland Shire Council named Actinotus Avenue as an example of rapid change when it moved last month to introduce minimum lot sizes for medium density and dual occupancy development in R2 low density zones.
For long-time residents Tony Alaveras and Alex Tennie, the move has come too late and, besides, they doubt whether it will make much difference given the relaxation of other development controls in the 2015 local environmental plan (LEP).
“I can’t understand how they can allow this amount of development in one little, narrow street, with a school at one end,” Mr Alaveras said.
“I am shocked at the number of trees that are being cut down – seven or eight will go from the property next door to me.”
Axel Tennie gained concessions but failed to stop a development next door to his house when it went to the Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel (IHAP).
Mr Tennie said development in the street failed to meet R2 zone stipulations that multi dwelling housing be “at a scale and density that is compatible with the single dwelling character of the locality” and “respects neighbourhood character - retains biodiversity, green cover, canopy shade tree connectivity and amenity and - prevents infrastructure overload”.
He said the street would be parked out, and the tree replacement policy of 8:1 was farcical because there was nowhere left to plant mature trees.
“The reality is that most canopy trees are substituted with shrubs and ornamentals, creating cottage gardens,” he said.
A council spokeswoman said LEPs throughout NSW had a standard template, providing a strategic framework for development decisions focused on zones, rather than streets.
“All development in the R2 zone is controlled by a floor space ratio of 0.55:1, a landscaped area of 35 per cent and a height limit of 8.5 metres whether the proposed development is a house, dual occupancy, multiple dwelling or childcare centre,” she said.
”It is significant that Actinotus Street presents a rather unique set of circumstances because it has exceptionally large lots with many original modest homes still remaining.”
The spokeswoman said the volume and scale of trees being removed could not be offset by replanting on site but, under the Green Streets program, 2465 street trees had been planted across the shire this year.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
The full response by the council to questions put by the Leader:
Question: Residents say the council looks at each development in isolation and not at the cumulative impact. In this street, only five of the 25 houses have not yet been bought by developers. The number of homes in the street will increase from 25 to about 100. Why can't council limit the number of developments in one street?
Answer: Every Council in NSW must prepare its Local Environmental Plan in accordance with the Standard Instrument Template. The template does not have any provisions that could be used to control the number of developments in on street or locality. The LEP provides a strategic framework for development decisions that is generally focused at a zone or locality level, rather than street by street or block by block.
Question: How does the overall development of this street meet the council's policy, as set out in the R2 Fact Sheet :
- "Other housing types (ie multi dwelling housing) are required to be at a scale and density that is compatible with the single dwelling character of the locality.”
- "Sympathetic management of neighbourhood growth that: - respects neighbourhood character - retains biodiversity, green cover, canopy shade tree connectivity and amenity and - prevents infrastructure overload."
Answer: The key point here is that all development in the R2 zone must meet a common set of development standards that determine the scale and density of development. All development in the R2 zone is controlled by a floor space ratio of 0.55:1, a landscaped area of 35% and a height limit of 8.5 metres whether the proposed development is a house, dual occupancy, multiple dwelling or childcare centre.
It is significant that Actinotus Street presents are rather unique set of circumstances because it has exceptionally large lots with many original modest homes still remaining. This combination of small houses and large lots allows plenty of room for large canopy trees and green space. However, this also means that many of the existing properties were only developed to a density in the order of 0.13:1, meaning that the floor is little more than 10% of the site area. Given this very low existing density, the change is dramatic when a site is redeveloped to 0.55:1. The visual interpretation of compliance with the standards typically suggests that medium density development is more developed, but this is driven by the car parking requirements for each dwelling which are exempt form floor space calculations. Council does not set the exemptions. These are specified in the Standard Instrument.
We understand the importance of protecting its tree canopy and we’re one of the onlyCouncils in NSW with a statutory control requiring deep soil landscaping on each site. Council staff work with applicants to ensure as many trees are accommodated on site and within the street as space allows. It is often the case that medium density development allows larger trees to be retained or planted within common property areas, with outcomes being more success than those achieved for new single dwellings.
It is extremely difficult for Council to sustain a refusal on the basis of infrastructure capacity. To successfully pursue this argument, Council would need to prove that the demand created by that specific development was such that infrastructure had no capacity to accommodate it. Increasing traffic and movement of vehicles will be noticeable, and may be frustrating to existing residents, but the local road network will not fail as a result.
Question: Residents say the tree replacement policy of 8:1 is totally ineffective because there is nowhere on the developed sites to plant mature trees and council has even removed street trees to facilitate development. Developers can pay $100 for a tree replacement to elsewhere, but none has been planted in Actinotus Street?
Answer: Loss of large trees in inevitable when density is being significantly increasing on a site and major works are proposed. However, Council officers look for every opportunity to provide replacement trees in new developments and in the street reservation. However, the volume and scale of trees being removed cannot be offset by replanting on site.
Council Green Streets program has planted 2465 street trees this year. Over 7,000 street trees have been planted since 2012 when the replacement planting policy commenced. The early stages of the Green Streets program has focused on planting in areas where new canopy trees will have greatest impact. You will notice new caged trees along the Princes Highway, the Kingsway and throughout Taren Point, Miranda and Sylvania. The replanting areas need to be concentrated to allow watering and maintenance to be efficiently carried out. Council has collated data to understand where redevelopment is being concentrated and it will use this will be used to help inform the next phases of the Green Streets program.