As a result of the Public Exhibition held over December 2024 into the five scenarios to meet the TOD imposed dwellings, one scenario was the clear preference based on community responses.

As a result of submissions, workshops and surveys during the Exhibition period, the alternate TOD Scenario 3b (Preserve, Intensify and Expand) became the most preferred. The overall preference for Scenario 3b is consistent with the survey results showing the community’s top three outcomes to support more housing: managing transition impacts, avoid environmentally sensitive areas and minimising impacts on tree canopy – all of which Scenario 3b manages appropriately.

Moreover, Scenario 3b meets all Council’s seven planning principles: avoids environmentally sensitive areas, minimises heritage item impact, preserves heritage conservation areas, minimises tree canopy impacts, manages transition impacts, ensures appropriate building heights, and supports local centre revitalisation.

However, this community preferred Scenario 3b, is not the one now being recommended by Council, but another Scenario, their ‘preferred scenario’, which was endorsed by Council at the Extraordinary meeting held on 31^st March 2025.

Despite the public exhibition of the five alternate scenarios and the clear preference for Scenario 3b and over 60 written emails to Councillors, with the great majority of the 50 speakers at the Extraordinary Council Meeting rejecting the ‘preferred scenario’, Councillors voted unanimously to support the new ‘preferred scenario’.  Council Officers had developed the ‘preferred scenario’ with the assistance of consultants SJB Urban and in consultation with the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure over January / February 2025.

The ‘preferred scenario’ is worse than Scenario 3b on all the seven principles stated by Council for the selection of a Scenario:

1. It protects only 80% of Heritage Conservation Areas not 100% (Scenario 3b);
2. it supports building heights for 5-28 storeys not 5-20 storeys (Scenario 3b);
3. it targets Lindfield with greater dwelling numbers than Gordon, and the greatest loss of Heritage Conservation Areas, that Scenario 3b did not.

Residents completely rejected the new building heights of 18 storeys for Lindfield and 28 storeys for Gordon.

It is clear from the number of public submissions received by Ku-ring-gai Council, that TOD residents support the Alternate Scenario 3b and not the Council’s adopted compromised ‘preferred scenario’.  Council’s ‘preferred scenario’ should be rejected and replaced with Alternate Scenario 3b which complies with all seven planning principles and was the favoured scenario resulting from community consultation.

Alternate Scenario 3b meets the 23,200 dwellings required by the TOD SEPP. Council’s ‘preferred scenario’ is offering additional dwellings amounting to 24,562 dwellings.

Council has organised a drop in session on 14 April from 4.30 pm – 7.30 pm, Level 3 Ku-ring-gai Council Chambers 818 Pacific Highway Gordon.

The public exhibition of the TOD ‘preferred scenario’ closes on the 22 April at 5.00 pm.

It is critical that as many residents as possible send individual written submissions to ‘TOD preferred scenario Public Exhibition’  

Email:

• krg@krg.nsw.gov.au copied to
• councillors@krg.nsw.gov.au
• davidson@parliament.nsw.gov.au
•  wahroonga@parliament.nsw.gov.au 

Council is encouraging residents to only fill out the survey not written submissions.  DO BOTH.

Please find:

• Live stream, Extraordinary meeting of Council, Monday 31 March 2025 HERE
• Live stream, Extraordinary Public Forum Monday 31 March HERE
• Ku-ring-gai Council’s ‘Preferred housing scenario between Roseville and Gordon’ HERE
• Ku-ring-gai Council ‘s Extraordinary Meeting Agenda & Minutes HERE
• Ku-ring-gai Council documents relating to the TOD HERE
• Ku-ring-gai Council’s report on Scenario 3b HERE
• FOKE Submission’s on TOD Alternative Scenario, Dec 2024 HERE