Response to publicly circulated misinformation
The shops and the public space
- The location of the community/public open space on Edinburgh Road is the result of community and Council advice which was not to replicate the internal courtyard of the existing Quadrangle. The decision was reaffirmed by Council on behalf of the community through the approval of the Planning Proposal which preceded the current Development Application.
- 1,150sqm of publicly accessible open space was part of the approved Planning Proposal and this is delivered in the Development Application currently before Council.
- We have been guided by Council’s views on the proposed piazza on Edinburgh Road. Council’s urban designer and planners want it as a marketplace/open space for community events and use.
- Outdoor dining/cafe areas are shown on the plans. The number of outdoor seats is the same as was the case when the centre was fully operational.
- The extent of outdoor public seating has been guided by Council planners who need to balance public access to the bus stop, traffic and pedestrian considerations.
- Public toilets serving the retail areas are on the basement level, easily and conveniently accessible by lift. Preference for usable retail space on the ground floor has been required by Council’s planning controls requiring a minimum retail component at Edinburgh Road level.
- Street front activation, required by Council planning controls, is created by the extensive front facing glass lines and the multiple entry points to retail and residential uses.
Parking and traffic
- Parking numbers are compliant with Council controls. For Castlecrag, Council has not pushed ahead with possible restrictions on parking contemplated for other centres in Willoughby.
- 163 parking spaces are provided, 100 for the retail uses, 55 for residents and 8 replacing those removed from the street nearby to allow expansion of a small park.
- All parking spaces are compliant with Australian Standards with regard to design and geometry. Some 23 parking spaces make provision for disabled access.
- The design of the centre’s vehicle entry and exit meet the requirements for 99 percentile cars and heavy rigid vehicle swept paths as required by Australian Standards and Council planning controls.
- Bicycle and motor cycle parking to meet Council controls is also provided.
- Traffic generation in the AM peak, the larger of the two daily peaks, is almost entirely due to the retail uses. Traffic generation is based on GFA (floorspace). The retail floor space is 1,877sqm, marginally above the 1,860 required under the terms of the Planning Proposal and less than the current centre when it was fully operational. In traffic generation terms, the increase of the proposal over that which existed before the centre started its decline and closures is minor.
- In the morning peak hour, there will be vehicle queuing back past the site entry/exit as a consequence of the degree of saturation of the intersection of Eastern Valley Way and Edinburgh Road. Safety improvements made to the intersection about 18 months ago have resulted in increased queuing. With the centre largely closed for over a year, the normal traffic from retail operations has been absent leading to a temporary reduction in intersection queuing.
Trees
- The number to be removed has been reduced to eight by changes to the building in this latest design. A peer review, including tree root zone mapping, of the arborist’s report, has resulted in 32 trees, including all street trees, being able to be retained.
Development Application lodged late December 2023.
Notification period now concluded.
421 submissions received in total including:
- 121 in support.
- 98 support though have some concerns.
- 96 raise issues but do not oppose.