International Chinese School

I strongly support and attach a written letter.

as attached

St Leonards 2065

24 October 2019


Assessment Officer -Major Projects
NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
GPO Box 39
SYDNEY NSW 2001


Dear Officer

State Significant Development SSD 10260: International Chinese School

Strong objection to the proposed development

I strongly object to this proposed change in use on the following grounds:

The Gore Hill Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery and one of the oldest and most significant remaining cemeteries in metropolitan Sydney. As a person with family buried in this cemetery, the location of a primary school with the noise and significant activity inherent in its operation, will diminish the significance of this cemetery and will adversely impact on it as a place of contemplation for families of those buried on this historical site, along with other existing users including the staff at Royal North Shore Hospital, where I am currently working.

This is NOT a suitable site for a school, and it is noted that this is NOT a new school as it does not deliver additional school enrolment places to the local community. It is merely the relocation of an existing school.

The site itself is far too small to accommodate a school as the school footprint cannot even cater for basic essential school facilities that a functioning school demands. I note that the site area is approximately 1500m and is effectively the equivalent of 2 house blocks. Incredibly, this change of use proposal proposes that the equivalent of 2 house blocks would cater for a capacity of 210 children plus approximately 15 adults.

The site is so small, there is no space anywhere on the proposed site where the entire school can gather for regular school life such as for daily assemblies and school activities. There is no provision for a school hall, nor is there enough outdoor space around the school building that could hold all 210 students and 15+ adults, nor on-site space for students to participate in essential PE classes. The proposed site does not even have enough toilets for its 210 students as required by school standards.

The proposed school would therefore need to permanently rely on use of the adjoining public parklands, toilets and facilities which are general public amenities. As a person who frequently takes my little grandchildren to play in this park, the school’s use of these facilities, particularly the public playground and toilets, will adversely impact on me. It will also act to prevent other local families with young toddlers from using this playground on a daily basis, the numbers of which have been growing since its completion. This is because the students would dominate the playground near the start of the school day, every day during recess, every day during lunchtime and shortly after school ends, excluding others from using it.

The traffic and parking statements in the report are highly questionable as they do take into account likely parent and driver behaviour. Additionally, I note that the proposed kiss and drop zone only caters for 10 cars. The fact is that students are not able to attend school until a teacher can supervise them. Therefore, excluding the 25 before-school places, supervision of the remaining 185 students actually begins at 8:45am with the bell going at 9am. The assumption that school drop off will take place over an hour’s duration is erroneous. As is the case with other schools, drop off will take place over about 15 minutes, hence all related traffic calculations and conclusions must be disregarded. The result will be a backlog queue of cars blocking the Pacific Highway, the T3 transitway and buses, and will impede traffic flow on a major road, already congested at this time.

This SSD must be refused in its entirety as this is a totally inappropriate site for a school. Further it is questionable that this proposal even meets the requirements for it being considered as a SSD.

Thank you for the opportunity to make this submission.

I am a regular user of the playground at Gore Hill Oval with my grand-daughter aged 2 years.
The playground is used by large numbers of families with young children at all times of the day.
I do not think that it is appropriate for a facility that has been provided for and maintained by Willoughby Council to be used as playground space for up to 210 children, many of whom will be far larger and stronger than the other playground users.
The prospect of allowing the students of the proposed school to access the playground facilities poses significant public safety risks to the intended users of the equipment.

It is a benefit to extend the language to the broader community.

SEE ATTACHMENT

Re: State Significant Development - International Chinese School SSD-10260
Major Projects,
Department of Planning, Industry and the Environment,
NSW Government,
I write to express my support for the International Chinese School proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard's.
The value of the bilingual Mandarin educational program on offer through ICS. Maintaining cultural heritage, opportunities for children's future with Australia's increasing economic ties with China, increased respect and tolerance for other cultures, especially we do have chinese back ground and prefer our daughter can speak and write Chinese fluenattelely .
211 Pacific Highway is a great site for the School to catch most areas in North shore which have big numbers of Chinese back ground families live in .
Proximity to public transport, the green and leafy setting with surrounding parklands, access to oval and parklands, service to significant local Chinese population, regional plans for educational precinct, projected urban growth.
The urgent need for ICS to relocate in 2020. The School has been searching for a suitable site for 5 years. Current premises cramped. Significant growth in student numbers next year. The future of school will be secured.

I am urging the speedy approval of 211 Pacific Highway as a school site for use by ICS in time for the 2020 academic year.
Yours Sincerely
Min Chen
28 De villiers ave, Chatswood , NSW, 2067

I have a 7 year old son , named Charlie. who benefit from this school a lot. As parents, we support new school, bigger school, means more kids can join this lovely school.
Charlie' Story.
Charlie used to study in a public school for kindergarten. He can got get into the kids group and isolated from others. Because he has some speech issue, which affect his learning but serious hurt his confidence. He was not happy in that one year because no one play with him. Some kids take this advantage to bully him and teachers do not care. As parents, we feel quite sad and guilty during that period.
Thanks to God, the miracle happen.We accidentally found this international school as a new chance for charlie. After he attend the new school, he becomes very happy to learn, to speak, to play with other kids. We told the principle and teachers about charlie' s story. They are very helpful and try their best to help charlie in learning and building his confidence. We can see huge improvement of charlie from each aspect. Most importantly, Charlie is a happy boy now like other 7 years. He is more involved into the group, work with kids. He become more respect and caring . He likes his mates, teachers, and principle.
Thanks to all the staff and principle for their excellent work, warm and kind to all the parents and kids.

I object to the project on the following grounds:
1. The increased traffic, congestion along Pacific Highway which is already gridlock in peak hours, and will increase
exponentially with the residential towers under construction at St Leonards.
2. Introducing another 40kph school zone along a main arterial role would exacerbate the problem.
3.Gore Oval is a public amenity and should not be monopolised by a private institution.

Please see the comments in the attachment.

Dear Minister and Planning Department

I ask that the SSD 10260 for the International Chinese School is rejected.

I am a senior citizen and this development will affect me and my views have not been considered.

As a senior citizen I find this development unreasonable as it takes away amenities and facilities that I rely upon. This development will make living in St Leonards more challenging.

We already have enough high density in this part of the St Leonards which even affects the Greenwich area and many other streets. More high rise developments will result in more pressure on facilities. Amenities will be greatly reduced and when amenities are lost they are lost forever.

Public transport such as trains and buses do not serve the area well and are full at peak times. The new Metro in Crows Nest is insufficient to cope with the increase in the high density already planned as it is farther away for us and it can hardly manage to deal with the current overcrowding. The State government will not be able to resolve all these issues and the residents (especially the elderly residents) will be severely disadvantaged. So we will have to endure reduced services for a long time.

The process of consultation is invalid and we have the right to make further submissions. The development plans presented still have a number of issues and do not address the underlying problems that the community is facing.

I currently live in a community where I walk around I hear the residents expressing outcry over this development.

As a senior citizen I find this plan is ridiculous as it takes away amenities and facilities that I rely upon. There are narrow sidewalks, unsafe and hazardous streets with traffic and cars. This plan will not improve this but make it worst.

Every day I have to cautiously manoeuvre the peak morning traffic of cars and pedestrians with narrow badly surfaced sidewalks.

We already have enough high density in the St Leonards area which even affects Greenwich area. Our streets cannot support the additional traffic. Just try to drive on Berry Road or Pacific Highway in the morning. It is a line of parked cars!

There are no other real outlets from Berry Road and the streets surrounding are always not easy to walk along.

The streets and the Pacific Highway are heavily congested at times daily under the best of circumstances. The traffic is always bad. All the people in my street and the people I know have 2 cars in their house. This will make traffic even worst. There is no good solution offered to resolve these issues in this plan.

The fire department could be blocked and emergency response to the area delayed due to additional traffic and more cars. Also delays in emergency response to the schools and other neighbour hoods.

Trains and buses do not serve the area well and are full at peak times. The State government will not likely be able to resolve all these issues, as you claim.

The Gore Hill memorial Cemetery was established since 1868 is one of the oldest and largest remaining cemeteries in metropolitan Sydney a National Heritage Site. We should be working on the preservation of the spiritual, historical and social significance of the cemetery not building a school on top of it. The school will affect the importance and standing of the heritage status in the community.

There are other concerns and some of these are:

1) increasing congestion at a bottleneck as all streets have limited access routes
2) increasing parking congestion in the area including the very real possibility of blocking entrances of on a daily basis
3) given that the additional traffic will increase the likelihood of an accident involving a child on one of the safe routes to school
4) More noise, odour and dust form the additional vehicles and buses to cater for the extra density
5) more and more people use cars and car companies studies is proof of this
6) amenities will be greatly reduced and when amenities are lost they are lost forever
7) there are not enough parks and play grounds in the area
8) open space is decreasing

There will be more cars from the School especially service and utility cars as well as visitors and this plan does not consider the impact of more people.

There are not enough large open parks and places for recreation in our area. Every morning mothers with small children walking children in strollers in the street, as well as dog owners walking their dogs and many children on Bicycles compete with many cars for the space. Now multiply this with more cars and people due to more high density.

I think it is time for the Minister to think of the long term effects on the residents

Therefore please reject this development.

Please confirm that my objection was included in the SSD.

Yours faithfully

Afaf Audi
Senior Citizen
Portview Road, Greenwich
[email protected]

STATE SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION 10260 (SSD-10260) - International Chinese School at 211 Pacific Highway, St. Leonards.

1. I object to the proposal.

2. This is an unsuitable site for a school. This site is still designated as a cemetery and is of Heritage importance. The Avenue will be destroyed and the lovely heritage brick wall and gate (although now dangerously leaning) will be destroyed in the building of a new 2m+high metal fence. If this brick wall is taken down the bricks should be used in the driveway instead of modern pavers, or sold to the Brick Pit.- the same applies to the heavy iron gate (in the north facing brick wall) which should be kept and used in a public place - not souvenired by a contractor or passing pedestrian.

3. This is a PRIVATE school and is NOT A NEW SCHOOL, but one that is transferring from Chatswood. The community has long argued the need for 1 or 2 new PUBLIC schools in the area to cater for the increased residential population. The Dept. of Planning has told us that a NEW school requires 2HA. As St. Leonards and surrounds have become so crowded the community groups have been requesting more open space be provided with this huge push for development. In the Lane Cove, Willoughby and North Sydney Council area the developers seem to use Gore Hill Oval in their calculations as open space for all of their developments. The Community wants meaningful green open space and thought that Willoughby Council had achieved this with Gore Hill Oval . It is not clear how much this school development would disadvantage the local community.

4. The SITE IS TOO SMALL to house 210 children + staff. Will the school have to pay a fair and reasonable rent to the Landlord? who is paying for the building - the government, Council or the school?

5. Although the Headmaster says that there are other schools situated on the Pacific Highway I do not believe that any other school is as close as this proposed school to the Pacific Highway and the NOISE EXPERIENCED will be great as the many buses, construction trucks, delivery trucks thunder past.

6. The application does not really say how much they will use the public oval and play area but state that they will be off the oval by 12pm. I have twice been over to the oval between 10am and 11.30am and at these times the carpark has been close to full and on the first visit there were about 20 young women with children and on the 2nd time there were about 12 adults plus children in the playground and the netball court area. There were several people on the basketball court and moving around the oval. I should imagine that the mothers would by 12pm leave the area to take their young children home for lunch and a sleep. Will these young parents be unable to use the park facilities before 12pm? They need to park as they told me that they come quite a distance to meet at the park. This is the time that fits in with the children's sleeping schedule.
I have observed from my apartment that a lot of people come from the hospital and use the oval, hard surface and playground and it is used as a short cut to Westbourne Avenue from the station. Will all of these people be unable to use the area?

7. If there is intention for the school children to use the oval/playground from 11am to 12pm would this necessitate the use of the public toilets by the children? Who pays for this usage - we the ratepayers? Who supervises the children? Will their be need for another high fence around the area used by the school? If a child is hurt on the play equipment or the hard surface area who is responsible - Council or school?

8. The application states that the children will spend recess on the small area between the building and the Avenue. This area is dominated by what I think is a magnificent Morton Bay Fig which is looking decidely "sick" as the moment. The area of the tree has been fenced but something is causing this tree to be stressed. I don't think that the landscape plan for this play area has noted this tree and wonder whether it has been marked for destruction. There does not appear to be any seating in the area which is possibly good as the children should be playing - but I doubt whether there is sufficient space in this area for 210 children + supervisors.

9. Public transport in the area will be plentiful for their needs, but as previously discussed I should imagine that most students will come from out of the area and will need to be driven to school.

10.I do NOT believe that the parents will have SAFE, EFFICIENT ACCESS to the Council carpark.
There is a proposed shared bike path/pedestrian path to be built on the northern Pacific Highway pavement just outside the school.
The traffic starts to build up from 6.30am with the transit lane crowded with buses and cars. As the bus stop before the Council carpark is at Westbourne Street it gives the buses a chance to move quickly down the Highway and if they proceed through the Greenwich Road lights without stopping they can gather quite a bit of speed. Cars slowing to enter the carpark will need to indicate their turn very early as the buses will bear down on them quickly and drivers will also need to be mindful of speeding bike riders.
Exiting the carpark will be more dangerous as the cars will need to move across the pavement, bike path and be mindful of buses and cars in the transit lane. The exit is also close to a blind corner.

11. Whether the cars leaving the school return home or continue on to work via Reserve Road, Berry Street or Herbert Street it will add extra pressure to already busy streets, which will only become busier with the new tower developments being built and already approved in St. Leonards. The new Dept. of Health building in Reserve Road will bring many more cars to that street and if the Willoughby Council proceeds with a new sporting venue on the corner of Reserve Road and the Pacific Highway it will, at times, make it a very busy road.
Berry Street is busy Monday to Friday with people bringing elderly patients for diagnostic imaging and medical appointments at the 2 hospitals or the Medical Centre. This area has limited access and egress and there is a proposal for increased height and density. The roundabout necessary to make the turning is very small.
Herbert Street has ongoing problems in the morning with traffic as the pedestrian crossing to the hospital slows the traffic, to the point of stopping the flow.

12. I do not believe that the applicant has stated what use will be made of the area out of hours or the weekend and where the parking for any function will be.

13. It doesn't state why this school was not teamed with the Lindfield School - one would think that it would have been a better option.

14. Is there a canteen or even a kitchen in the design?

15. The school will require permanent lighting and airconditioning on the ground floor of the building. The windows will need to be closed against the noise and pollution of the Pacific Highway and therefore there will be no cross ventilation. The ground floor is, at present, very dark and with the addition of partitions will become darker - therefore requiring permanent lighting.
There is no separate hall or library in the building - I suppose that walls will concertina, but will this happen. I would have thought this type of private school would offer music as a subject, but there does not appear to be a music room.
There is no future flexibility as this site will be more than 100% used.

16. There does not appear to be any plan for deliveries. Where would these deliveries be made to. Would the trucks be traversing the carpark? What time would deliveries be made.

17. If a public address system and school bells are permitted to be relayed to outside it could be very annoying to the residents of the surrounding high rise buildings. These are sounds that carry through the area.

18. The proposal was originally put in for an office, with which the community was happy, however it is a big jump from an office to a school and the application is opaque.

For all the above reasons I object to State Significant Development Application 10260 (SSD-10260) - International Chinese School at 211 Pacific Highway, St. Leonards.

I have not made any reportable political donations in the previous two years.

Helen Pearson
3403/1 Sergeants Lane,
St. Leonards . 2065.
Monday 28th October, 2019 . (Extension of time given by Dimitri Gotsis,Senior Planner, Social and Other Infrastructure Assessments - Priority Projects. to 29th October, 2019)

Please see attached Roads and Maritime response

Dear Mr Gotsis,

My mother and I, like many of our neighbours, are extremely concerned about the proposed upgrade to Moriah College and we strongly object to it.

Our concerns are very real.

- The traffic congestion is already very bad, which gets backed up during the schools drop-off’s and pick-up’s. There’s an almost continuous flow of traffic and during these times our local streets get blocked off by these drop-off’s and pick-up’s. Our local streets are narrow and they’re not conducive to the large amount of traffic that flows through them, and at times can become quite dangerous, our streets have become ‘traffic sewers’.

- From what we have experienced, Moriah College has failed to manage to keep this under control with their existing school, let alone with the proposed upgrade. We have been dealing with this for quite some time now...students, parents and staff parking daily in our local streets making it very hard for us to find parking near our homes, in particularly for the elderly and disabled.

- The night time events are also concerning because they attract a lot of people which brings us back to the same issue... the local residents (the rate payers) find it very hard to park, and even at times are unable to park in their garages due to the overcrowding of cars blocking drive ways. This will only become worse if the school is allowed to upgrade as proposed.

- The noise and air pollution in our local streets will increase and due to more traffic and people, our air quality will reduce, which is not good for anyone. Our community will be greatly impacted by these increases.

- We also need more time to review the proposed upgrade due to the size of the document – nearly 1600 pages of complex text and diagrams... 3 weeks is not enough time.

- Queens Parks residents would like Waverley Council to conduct their own independent and public traffic survey so that all stakeholders can better understand the impact and that the ripple effect of this proposed upgrade be shared to the wider community.


Mr Gotsis, we truly hope that you take the time and listen to our sincere concerns towards the proposed upgrade and it’s true impact it will have on our community, the Queens Park residents.


One last thing... a few years ago I had to call an ambulance for my elderly mother. However, the ambulance wasn’t able to park close to our home because the street was congested with parked cars, fortunately we have a rear lane, but this is not the case for all our neighbours. In a situation like this...time is of the essence. The whole ordeal was frightening for my elderly mother.


Kind regards,
Mrs A. Pennisi and Miss S. Pennisi
Queens Park

Submission already provided.