Gregory Place Build-to-Rent

Hambledon is one of the oldest houses in Australia. It is the work of one of our first architects, Henry Kitchen, who designed it for John MacArthur. Since the 1950s the house has been the headquarters of the Parramatta Historical Society. On the other side of the creek behind the house is a factory building from the 1950s. Anything now to be built on the site should be within that envelope. What is proposed is outrageous and will destroy one of the most historic sites in Australia. Parramatta should stop destroying itself with huge buildings overpowering historic buildings.

It is inconsistent with the heritage of the area.

Privacy:
There will be privacy issues now at my parish at Our Lady of Lebanon where i regualrily go to worship and pray. I will not feel safe knowing there will be overlookers who may not be respectful to our religion and lifestyle.Especially when funerals and our regular liturgies are held.

Overshadowing:
I also love to be in the church as the sun comes through the beautiful stain-glass windows. It all is a part of reminding us how beautiful our God is when we see beauty displayed like that. There is a reason our church architecture was designed like that so taking away the sun to come through, goes directly against the intension of the design of the Architecture.

Increased Traffic:
My work, church, shops, school, gym and home is in parramatta and am well aware of the traffic issues as it is. I know this will directly make the traffic issues much worse.

Increased Noise:
An increase in traffic means and increase in noise. There is less peace and quiet for our prayer time to be had. Especially if we are wanting to pray near our statues outside. As many of us need to do when there is a lot going on in our busy world. A place for prayer and silence is most ideal at the church is most ideal.

The height of the residential apartments is considerable and will be as high as the of the statue of Our Lady at the top of the Church. The plans also show proposed roof top gardens and landscaping that overlook the parish precinct and Church. The Church is a significant place of worship and this will raise issues in relation to privacy, as the apartment will be looking into the Church, and the parish and community precinct. The current plans demonstrate shadowing which will occur from the units which will impact on the light that will enter the Church. Further, such a significant development will hamper the activities that currently occur in the Parish.

Too much traffic congestion
Too much noise
No privacy
Will affect the heritage look of the are

Your urgent attention is needed -you have a duty of care to protect the Community of our rich heritage from these over illegal developments that will have a catastrophic effect on the community

How in Gods name a Development Application – Planning proposal would even be considered.

You only need to see the property directly in from of the proposal known Hambledon Cottage Museum one of the oldest historical homes in the Parramatta -Harris Park region

In the past you have demonstrated good reasoning in other parts of NSW and Parramatta against non compliant with all the planning controls in place

The Parramatta City Council along with the Heritage Council of NSW have stated-this is an over development as it lacks sufficient infrastructure – as it only has one entry from Hassall Street into Gregory Place

Wouldn’t this be the perfect place to commence a new business in a fitted out factory creating jobs

Finally what happened to rate paying citizens that have to comply with the legislation and develop what is currently permissible under the current L.E.P.(Land Environment Plan)

We urge you to take the approiate action to stop this development

The proposed high rise site at 2 Gregory place, Harris Park cast shadowing over the OLOL church blocking sunlight and I won't get privacy to pray from the site building windows facing the church.
The proposed site will increase further the traffic to the residents in the street, to the nearby school and surrounding areas.
The parking will become ZERO when I want to visit Hambledon Cottage and the OLOL Church in special events due to no or reduce street parking.
The storm water runoff from the site will increase an cause major local flooding.
The2a Gregory place proposed site will destroy the native plants and local animals (e.g. fogs) natural habitat.
There are many issues with this high rise proposal and it does not benefit the local area or the local community.
For the health of the residents and the local community there should be not more than 3 to 4 stories in height.

The project will have a negative impact to Our Lady of Lebanon cathedral.

The project will have negative impact to Our of Lady cathedral.

it is not suited behind the church and the schools in the area. It will add to the existing traffic where the existing roads cannot even cope with the existing traffic

it will not fit in with the landscape of the area either having high rise towers in a residential area.

This project is not in keeping with the heritage of the area. It is right behind Hambleton cottage. 8 stories is too high especially considering the bulk of the development. It will overshadow nearby buildings including the park. In adding over 1000 people to the area, traffic congestion will be increased significantly articularly on Parkes st and take away the enjoyment of nearby facilities. There is hardly any setback from the main road, or bushes to buffer the building and the pavement. which will make the area.
The buildings will block the view of the cathedral behind, which is also a local landmark.
It is also in a flood zone with Clay Cliff Creek running directly behind the proposed development and will likely reduce the capacity of the land to absorb water, resulting in increased flooding for surrounding areas, potentially impacting the heritage cottage.
I strongly object to this development.

Re: 2A Gregory Place
We believe that the current proposal of developing 483 apartments and multiple buildings some towering over 8 levels would be greatly unsympathetic to the area as it will be constructed only within a few metres from the historically significant Hambleton Cottage that was built in 1821. There are many issues of concern here. They include the following;

- Gregory place is a cul de sac street- this development of 483 apartments will create unimaginable traffic issues for this dead end street and its current residents.

- The height of the buildings will be above the church balconies. The distance between the balconies of the church and the verandas of the proposed development are very close. The opposing church is the largest in the southern hemisphere. This may cause many grievances between residents and the church. The church has many community events not to mention a congregation of more than 10,000 Parishioners on a weekly basis (funerals; weddings; masses; youth Activities and in near future aged care services). This already creates congestion and traffic in the area.

-The proposed development is totally unsympathetic to the area. Marketing publicly this development as a "Build to rent" for the purpose to allowing the build to occur is “virtue signalling” and the main motive here is making millions of dollars for the developers and as a consequence destroying this beautiful area and heritage space.

We urge the department of planning and environment to reject this proposal and see it for what it really is. it's purely a profit-making for the developers and a total disregard for the area and its heritage significance.

Sincerely Yours

Dear Sir/Madam,
i live one street away from the proposed development. i have never objected to a development or signed a petition but this one is different. the proposed construction will have a material impact and be detrimental not only to the character of the area but to the functions of the cathedral which are a centrepoint of the suburb. below are the concerns listed in the change.org petition which I put forward wholeheartedly and request your consideration to the objections noted therein:

1. Inconsistent with the heritage of the area

Presently Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral is a significant landmark in the Western Sydney and in particular the Parramatta area. The statue of Our Lady is widely recognised and is significant to many of the Catholic and other Christian faithful in the area. Further, the parish is situated in a conservation precinct which includes Elizabeth Farm and the area has significant cultural history. The area is an excellent example of the stages of indigenous history, colonial history and the waves of migration that have occurred in the area. The proposed series of buildings is substantial and overpowering. It will limit the visibility of the Parish and the Church building. More importantly the development is inconsistent with current natural and building landscapes around the Parish and of the overall area in general. It is out of place in terms of the history which is so significant around it. That includes the heritage conservation area of Elizabeth Farm surrounding the parish and Hambeldon Cottage Museum which will be in front of the proposed development.

2. Privacy and Shadowing

The height of the residential apartments is considerable and will be as high as the of the statue of Our Lady at the top of the Church. The plans also show proposed roof top gardens and landscaping that overlook the parish precinct and Church. The Church is a significant place of worship and this will raise issues in relation to privacy, as the apartment will be looking into the Church, and the parish and community precinct. The current plans demonstrate shadowing which will occur from the units which will impact on the light that will enter the Church. Further, such a significant development will hamper the activities that currently occur in the Parish.

3. Increased traffic and noise impacts

The development is considerable and will have traffic and noise impacts on the Parish and the surrounding Parramatta area in general. The development will exacerbate the current traffic issues facing Parramatta at present. Hassell Street and the surrounding streets leading in and out of Parramatta already have major traffic issues which have not been addressed. The will be further exacerbated by a development of this size. Presently, the lots contain industrial factories and the activities of the Parish do not impact on the area. Having residential apartments located so closely to the Parish and school precinct will significantly reduce the ability to function as a worship community in the area.

There are various reasons to object to the project due to the local community church and schools that are in that area.
I am a parishioner at Our Lady of Lebanon and my daughter will start Kindergarten there next year.
The proposed heights of the buildings will cause the following:
* Lack of sunlight into the grounds of the schools, day care and the church grounds when family events are being held which ultimately affects children growing up in the community?
* When we are at church, the grounds are beautiful when the sun hits
* Why does it need to be so high, why can't they be lower in order to preserve the residential houses, the church and the school communities in the area?
The quantity of units is quite excessive for the area. There is already a lot of congestion around the school for pick up and drop off times and being a working mother paying taxes, I do believe we need to alleviate the amount of units being built.
I understand we are about building cities and housing however we also need to preserve community, families and reduce some congestion to the already over congested areas.
When we attend a function at church, the area does have limited parking as it is quite a large community overall that values family, faith and community.
I respectfully ask that you do not allow it to be higher than the Mary on top of the Church as there are a lot of varying factors and impact it will have.
Not everything needs to be about profitability and money - please preserve community, faith and nature.

Hi, I would just like to comment on the buildings in the proposal. I think there are to many and that they are too tall. I am a parishioner at Our Lady of Lebanon, the church is an Icon and Beacon of hope for more than just the Maronite community. I fear the proposed buildings will block the view and change the dynamics of what our parish has to offer, more importantly the influx of more residents to an area that is barely coping with traffic will only add more strain and stress to the locals who are struggling with the heavy demands that are placed on our roads. I feel the money could be better spent on road infrastructure, the further revision of tolls to lesson the load on the locals as many commuters who live in the greater west are avoiding the tolls and placing a huge burden on our roads in and around the Parramatta area. Vehicle idle time on our roads is increasing at a rapid rate with no sign of relief in the near future, I fear this development will only add more strain on our already suffering road system.

I object this project for so many reasons that will affect the community, parishioners, and environment. The surrounding of the Cathedral should be left empty, because it will block the view and make us feel like we are in a city prison, especially when those buildings are going to be higher than the Cathedral itself. The building noise and the physical damage history that occurred and still occurring to the Cathedral copped from surrounding neighbours and hatred individuals toward our faith, still having effect till today on the Cathedral building and parishioners. we don't need more buildings around and more apartments around. this space should be left empty and lower than the Cathedral. The Cathedral is a place of worship, prayer and meditation. it will block the sunlight to the Cathedral, space around the Cathedral should be left empty or turned into a park for families and relaxation.

To whom this may concern,

Re: 2A Gregory Place

We believe that the current proposal of developing 483 apartments and multiple buildings some towering over 8 levels would be greatly unsympathetic to the area as it will be constructed only within a few metres from the historically significant Hambleton Cottage (1821). There are many issues of concern here. They include the following;

- Gregory place is a cul de sac street- this development of 483 apartments will create unimaginable traffic issues for this dead end street and its current residents.

- The height of the buildings will be above the church balconies. The distance between the balconies of the church and the verandas of the proposed development are very close. The opposing church is the largest in the southern hemisphere. This may cause many grievances between residents and the church. The church has many community events not to mention a congregation of up to 10,000 Parishioners on a weekly basis. This already creates congestion and traffic in the area.

-The proposed development is totally unsympathetic to the area. Disguising this development as a "Build to rent" for the purpose to allowing the build to occur is “virtue signalling” and the main motive here is making millions of dollars for the developers and as a consequence destroying this beautiful area and heritage space.

We urge the department of planning and environment to reject this proposal and see it for what it really is. A money grab for the developers and a total disregard for the area and its heritage significance.

Regards.
PK

Hi,

As a parishioner of Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral, I object to this project as this will block out natural lighting to the church and cause the view of the church be blocked. It could also cause hate crimes with people throwing rubbish and objects at our church or the cars parked in the parking lot.

The proposed project will have a massive negative material impact on our community blocking the view of our Cathedral and spiritual hub. It will have a negative impact on the shading, the proposed building will be much higher than our Cathedral, blocking the beautiful view of the surroundings, blocking the sun. to be honest it would devastating to see this project going through. Already the Cathedral stained glass windows are being damaged from surrounding units tenants throwing rocks at them, and cannot find people to fix them.

For me it is my spiritual home where i find tranquillity to pray and meditate, and having the clear view from the side of the proposed project, brings me relaxing feeling.

By approving this project thousands of parishioners would be devastated, this Cathedral is a home for 10s of thousands of parishioners. the noise, the visible signs put in the past against what we believe in from surrounding units, plus the damage from throwing rocks is more than annoying and enough reason not to approve new close by buildings projects. More surrounding new tall building would definitely increase the tension between citizens and we don't want that to happen.

By approving this project, coming to the Cathedral that is surrounded by 3 tall buildings higher than the Cathedral, would feel like coming to a prison. Instead of coming to a place of worship and tranquillity and peace. A place of worship and especially such a Cathedral should have a lot of space around it, and not buildings surrounding it that it would make you feel like you are getting suffocated by tall buildings around blocking the view.

I would urge you to respect the opinion of our community that are massive part of this area and the LGA, and especially of Our Lady Of Lebanon Cathedral, and not to go ahead with this project as we strongly disagree and object the approval of this project.

I object and do not support the project as it will affect and disrespects my Maronite Church and community.

Adverse impact to the traffic in the area , parking problems, overshadowing onto OLOL church . Potential 483 units which will be too close to the church and most likely will request the church to be shut down once tenants move into their units