State formula too bulky

Now that Waverley Council has had a chance to closely examine State Government conditions, it has baulked at the scale of development recommended for commercial properties in Bondi Junction.

A staff report on the Department of Planning changes to Waverley Council’s draft Bondi Junction Centre LEP 2007 has the council questioning the design impact on the area.

Mayor Sally Betts said the council was concerned by the Department’s decision to increase the footprint of the commercial core of Bondi Junction and the incentive for increased floor space ratios (FSR) for commercial development in both the commercial and mixed use zones.

“The consensus is that the increased FSR provisions are excessive and could result in poor urban design if achieved within the building height restrictions,” Councillor Betts said.

“Our staff modelled some buildings on the criteria we set and then on the criteria the Department have set. These models confirm council’s concern that the buildings would be too big and too bulky.”

Mayor Betts reconfirmed the council’s commitment to meeting the Metropolitan Strategy job targets and has asked council officers to contact the Department for clarification of the formulas used to arrive at the additional FSR incentive.

“The Department of Planning needs to provide more evidence to support their changes. This will allow us to consider these changes properly before placing the draft Bondi Junction LEP on public exhibition,” Cr Betts said.

“It would be unfortunate if these late changes resulted in a delay in exhibiting the draft document with the roll-on delay of any development in Bondi Junction.”

Council officers have been meeting with Department representatives “to get them to adjust down their criteria” before the matter comes back to council on Saturday March 7.

“Hopefully by then we will have a letter of understanding from the Department. We are anxious to move forward so we can start processing applications and looking at the development of Bondi Junction so we can encourage more jobs in the area,” the mayor said.

The council has asked former Waverley mayor and current Coogee MP, Paul Pearce, to intercede on its behalf, and Mr Pearce said he would be raising the issue with Planning Minister Kristina Kenneally.

“The extraordinary 10:1 [FSR] proposal is absolutely insane. You’ll end up with incredibly ugly blocks. It could not be achieved without the consolidation of six to 10 sites and it would destroy the town centre. It’s a stupid proposal,” he said.

Mr Pearce said he was also extremely concerned by the proposed expansion of the commercial retail area – saying it would bring business activity closer to residential zones and remove the existing buffer – and by the proposal to remove the affordable housing provision from the Bondi Junction LEP.