Read FOKE-News, 27 May 2026 HERE or read BELOW:

Dear Members and Friends

FOKE continues to face a deluge of State Significant Development (SSD) ‘rezonings for 8-10 storeys in neighbourhoods across Ku-ring-gai. Submissions are now urgently needed to oppose the:

• SSD for 25-27 Rosedale Rd and 1 & 1A Edward St.  
  Submissions close on Wednesday 3 June 2026.  
  Visit  NSW Government Planning Portal HERE
• NSW Government’s proposed Community Participation Plan — which REDUCES public participation in planning decisions.
  See FOKE submission guideline HEREand submit your submission HERE

Congratulations to the residents of East Gordon who turned out in the rain to protest the proposed demolition of one of the most historic homes in East Gordon, at 6 Glenview Street, Gordon.

We also look forward to seeing members at our AGM THIS Thursday 28 May 2026 at 7.30pm at Roseville Uniting Church.

One last ask: please share and sign the NSW Legislative Assembly petition Save Genuinely Affordable Housing from New Planning Rule Exploitation with your email lists.

Best FOKE wishes
Kathy Cowley
President
Friends of Ku-ring-gai Environment
info@foke.org.au

Submissions opposing the State Significant Development (SSD) SSD-85549710 proposal for 25–27 Rosedale Road and 1 & 1A Edward Street, Gordon.

Submissions close on Wednesday 3 June 2026.

This proposal seeks approval for two 8-9 storey apartment blocks (119 apartments including 24 affordable units and basement car park) in a neighbourhood that is currently characterised by lower-scale housing and established tree canopy.

FOKE is concerned about the scale and density of the proposal, its impact on local character, traffic, overshadowing, infrastructure pressures, and the negative impact on Ku-ring-gai’s unique garden suburb and bushland heritage.

We encourage all residents and supporters to make a submission to the NSW Government Planning Portal before the deadline. Even short submissions are important and help demonstrate the strength of community concern.

To lodge your submission, select “Make a submission“. Log in or create an account and continue from there.

You’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one with the Major Projects website. Submissions close at 5pm on Wednesday 3 June 2026.

You don’t need to be an expert – write in your own words and focus on what matters most to you about why this SSD should be rejected. Thoughtful, individual submissions make a difference.

This is a critical moment. Please take the time to have your say by on the NSW Government Major Projects website. Submissions close at 5pm on Wednesday 3 June 2026.

Issues include:

• devasting threats to Ku-ring-gai’s Flying-Fox Reserve –  a core habitat for the Grey-headed flying foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) that is listed as Vulnerable on NSW and Commonwealth Conservation legislation. The Ku-ring-gai Flying-fox Reserve, that borders Edward Street, is recognised as nationally significant for the survival of this threatened species.
• increased traffic – making ambulance evacuations from Anglicare’s Gordon Quarter and Roden Cutler Lodge, 20 Edward Street, Gordon, near impossible.
• Outside the Ku-ring-gai Council’s gazetted Transport Oriented Development (TOD)
• Negative impact on Gordon’s heritage
  
  
  
  

Submissions opposing the NSW Government’s proposed changes to Draft Statewide Community Participation Plans close on Wednesday 3 June 2026.

Despite being presented as reforms to “streamline” planning processes, these changes risk significantly reducing opportunities for genuine community input into planning decisions that directly affect local neighbourhoods.

FOKE is concerned that the proposed changes could allow:

• Removal of Notification for Local Developments: The plan exempts many compliant medium-density projects (like residential flat buildings and shop-top housing) from public exhibition, shutting neighbours out of the feedback process entirely.
• Reduced Exhibition Timeframes: Mandatory exhibition periods for certain State Significant Developments (SSD) and Transport Oriented Developments (TOD) are restricted to just 14 days, which is often too short for communities to review complex documents.
• Loss of Local Discretion: By forcing all councils into a rigid statewide baseline, the plan limits local governments from tailoring their own consultation strategies to address specific neighbourhood character or unique environmental concerns.
• Reduced Community Trust: Mayors and community groups argue that removing these requirements gives the perception that the reforms are designed to fast-track housing targets rather than achieve genuine, meaningful public input.
  

Community participation is a cornerstone of good planning. Residents deserve adequate time, access to information, and genuine opportunities to have their voices heard before decisions are made that will permanently reshape their suburbs.

We encourage all members and supporters to lodge a submission opposing these changes before the deadline on Wednesday 3 June 2026.

See FOKE submission guideline HERE and submit your submission HERE

Thank you to the many residents who turned out to protest the demolition of 6 Glenview Street, Gordon on Saturday 23 May 2026. It was one of the most historic properties in East Gordon, with links to Gordon’s Killarney Castle.  It even had an 1800s stone cottage on the site that was also demolished.

We will be updating you shorty on the next steps that need to happen.

Meanwhile, it is important to make your voice be heard on the need to strengthen transparency and accountability in planning decisions – especially the demolition of houses that may have heritage significance.

Again – please make a submission on the Draft Statewide Community Participation Plans due on Wednesday 3 June 2026.

See FOKE submission guideline HERE and aubmit your submission HERE

FOKE Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Date: THURSDAY 28 May 2026

Time: 7.30pm – join us for supper following the meeting

Venue: Roseville Uniting Church, 7a Lord Street, Roseville

Please remember FOKE memberships are now due.