Members of a residents group opposing a 56 unit development straddling Brighton Avenue to Excelsior Parade were told they “better get use to it (medium density zoning)” in a recent meeting they had with the developers and real estate agents.
The Toronto Brighton-Excelsior Action Group has reformed and are opposing a six and four storey high density application on the grounds that it is not in keeping with the existing character of the area, goes against the intent of LMCC’s Lifestyle 2020 and sets a disastrous precedent for future development.
“The developers told us that they were within the Council’s development guidelines but we have identified numerous breaches of the development Control Plans and associated guidelines,” Greg Tate residents’ spokesperson said.
“The medium density zoning is aimed at encouraging people to walk to town and yet there is nowhere to walk safely, the footpaths are unformed, the road is so narrow that if there are parked cars the traffic is forced over the centre lines, and if you’ve got a pram or ride a bike it’s a major risk going over the hills.”
“ This development is in an area which Council has classified as a Scenic Management zone where buildings should not extend above the physical ridge line and are limited to three storeys. This application would be highly visible from across the Lake and as far away as Warners Bay and once and for all break the ridgeline corridor,” Greg said.
“The developers told us that this is the first of this ‘new’ style of development allowed under the LEP and they couldn’t see why we were upset. The ridge from Toronto to Carey Bay has now become a developer’s goldmine and if this application is approved it will be the start of high density, high rise buildings stretching from Toronto to Carey Bay.”
“This is not why we have chosen to live in this area. Over 60 people attended our community meeting and over a hundred objections have been lodged at Council, which is not bad considering we only found out about the application the week after Christmas and had three weeks to comment. It wasn’t a very good way to start the year.”
“The State Government’s Lower Hunter Regional Strategy is planning for 117,000 new dwellings in the region in the next 25 years, a lot of them in Lake Macquarie yet the infrastructure isn’t here or even in the plan. This is well and truly putting the cart before the horse”
“We’re not opposed to development, but we are against inappropriate development and we’re fighting for everyone in the area to keep the values and character of the area intact.”
“It looks like we are going to have to fight the same battle over and over again unless LMCC can make it clear that developers must respect the rules and guidelines which were formulated in consultation with the community,” Greg said.
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