Loreto Normanhurst School Redevelopment (Concept Proposal and Stage 1)

I write in Objection to the proposal.
The reasons I object the current proposal are:
1. The traffic currently generated and assessed on the Report was only looked at on weekdays. There is currently significant traffic and parking issues on Saturdays during term time. This is due to school sport. I believe they need to update the traffic report to incorporate a report generated about Saturday Term/sport Time. I cannot park on my street currently at this time and cannot imagine what it would be like if the numbers of sport teams were increased due to the increased numbers. Is there significant car parking spaces allocated to weekend sport visitors?
2. I would like to see the plan for the parking and drop off zone updated to suffice the immense increase in students and staff proposed. An extra 850 students is huge and will generate lots more cars, considering the amount that use drop off and staff parking facilities at the moment. The traffic report says that the design for the carpark has not been completed, but I believe this is essential. I think all cars of staff, students, drop off and pickup and Saturday Sport should be able to fit (majority) in the parking proposed and I cannot see how this will happen at this stage.
3. One way to limit the time spent wasted for residents and school users on Osborn Road/Pennant Hills Road intersection at peak times and Saturday is to put a right hand turn bay with a right hand turn traffic light. Currently, there are schools on Normanhurst Road and Loreto that both generate large amounts of traffic at school times and to turn right at this intersection is not clear. This is because it is an honesty system to judge who arrives first. This is very unsafe and I believe they could incorporate an extra lane if the road was widened into the school, for example. I believe this intersection and whether the lights can meet the needs of an increased number of traffic needs a closer investigation than what is provided in the current traffic report. They must look at the traffic light types and what can be done to upgrade them.

I am open to seeing designs for carparks and turning bays, particularly in a drop off situation or in case of carpark overflow. It is one thing to propose a large increase in student numbers and improvement in facilities, but the infrastructure and surrounding local roads must be ready to cope with such changes

I object to this proposal. (in its current state)

I am a local resident living in Nepean Ave, Normanhurst.

My concern and objection over the above development is in regards to local traffic flow and parking.

Currently on school sports days and big event days and now a proposed bigger school, parents and guests park in Carrawong Ave, a small in width street were only 2 cars can pass at a time.

Parents and guests sometimes do not follow the signs posted and park each side of the street allowing for only 1 car to get through and it is very tight.

I struggle for my larger car (I have to close my external mirrors) to get through and it banks traffic up at both ends. An Ambulance (possibly may get through) or a

Fire Engine (definitely would not get through). As well as deliveries, vans and trucks etc.

I have informed Loreto of this twice. They have ample room to open the oval up on the Mt Pleasant side away from the school and allow parents and guests to park for those events. Loreto have in the past opened the oval up for parking but not often enough to correspond with big events. Loreto’s argument is it’s the parents parking illegally rather than them, which may be true BUT they are only parking there because of a Loreto event.

Enlarging the school will not help this. If Loreto want to build the school up they need to work better with local residents and Traffic control before a major incident happens.

I, probably like most local residents see part of a large oval with a solution to this problem (and future problems) that is not being utilised.
OR make it residents only parking on the surrounding streets.


The other issue where a better traffic flow would help is if a right turn arrow is added to getting back onto Pennant Hills Road from Osborn Road. Waiting up to 4 sets of lights in the morning to turn right only creates anger towards the school. More students equals more parents dropping off and only one set (and ever only one set) of poorly timed traffic lights.

We wish to advise that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no objection to this proposal, upon condition that the following issues are adequately addressed:
1. Preparation and community consultation of a suitable traffic management plan to address the intensified use of the site and the inevitable increase of traffic along Pennant Hills Road.
2. Assurance should be given to the Church that its property, specifically its car park at 92-94 Pennant Hills Road, will not be used for pick-up’s and drop-off’s of students. The Church currently experiences a significant amount of traffic across it’s property from parents of children attending to the Normanhurst Public School. This has resulted in substantial wear on the asphalt surface, necessitating its earlier than expected replacement.

As a local resident of the Normanhurst community since 1977, I now find that this formerly very quiet area has been transformed into a more of an urban sprawl zone now with too much congestion and high density living which has created more problems for all local residents here and in which they have lost their voices in a democratic society of today!

I wish to very strongly object for the Loreto expansion project whereby the student capacity to be increased to 2,000 more students, and thus creating unsafe conditions for all who reside in Osborn road and associated roads in our streets!!! This will cause endless traffic chaos , pedestrian peril and more frictions between the community, the council and the school. This is not acceptable nor fair to the local residents of this community. It only goes to show the low regard that they hold for this neighborhood and even more contributes to the detriment of climate change as well. This expansion project will cause more problems and damage to this community and only deteriorate the living conditions in this area.

This use to be a quiet, safe and very enjoyable place to reside! Now it is becoming another victim of so called progress!!! Where is the social conscience now? Where is the civic responsibility to respect those who have always held a great community spirit to do right by others? GONE!!!!!

Please reconsider this application?

Thank you for your time and attention regarding this very important matter!!

I am a resident of Nepean Avenue, Normanhurst NSW and have been living in this address for the past 20 years.
I came to know that Loreto School on Osborn road, Normanhurst is planning to increase their student intake from 1250 to 2000 students (an increase of 60%).

This is going to result in traffic chaos, longer queues and waiting times to enter and exit Osborn road and increased danger to pedestrians and especially the children and the elderly for all the local residents on the Osborn road, Currawong Avenue, Nepean Avenue, Rivertop close, Wendy Avenue, Dunbar close. These are all no-through roads and the residents on these streets have enjoyed quiet neighbourhood all these years.

I strongly object to this expansion proposal from Loreto school Normanhurst as it will certainly cause worse traffic conditions and request the planning department to reject this proposal.

I do not support the majority of this proposal as it shows a huge increase in student enrolment and of course will result in an unacceptable increase in traffic in Osborn Road, before and after school.
Osborn Road is only three lanes wide and local residents are allowed to park outside their residences at any time of the day or night.
I have seen the stopping of traffic in the left lane off a very busy Pennant Hills Road, owing to the number of cars blocking Osborn Road, morning and afternoon, as parents prepare to drop of students, which is a danger on a major 70 Km Road.
Also I can accept a three storey building, but six stories is completely out of character for this low density zoned area.
I would also hate to see anymore trees removed, particularly natives, as they absorb Co2 and create oxygen for everyone.
A large underground car park would certainly be a very good idea.

As a Neighbour to Loreto school I am writing to object to the substantial building projects to increase student intake by 60%.

Already traffic waiting times for us leaving Osborn Avenue and the frightening winding between Saturday-sport parked cars in Currawong Ave is difficult for us local residents. I am concerned about the extra cars that will be entering our child-safe local streets is going to have on our neighborhood and will be disappointed that it’s not the quiet area we all bought into, potentially affecting our house prices in the future. The student, teacher and parent cars that line our local area already causes us residents concern as we often have nowhere for our own visitors to park and the way many parents exit the kiss and drop line is dangerous. Increasing the volume of cars into Osborn and subsequent roads is a serious concern for us.

Thank you for considering local residents issues as this extensive building project is going to dramatically affect our neighborhood. It will add enormous amounts of time to our own car trips, lessen our own visitor spots and will limit the wonderful ability for our children to ride bikes and play on our no-through roads.

I am a resident of xxx Rd. Normanhurst 2076.
I wish to submit my objection to Loreto aiming to increase student intake by 60% from 1250 to 2000. This will cause more traffic chaos, longer queues and waiting times to exit Osborn Road, and increased danger to pedestrians and especially the elderly and children.

I have recently moved to live with my sister xxxx who has moved to xxxx Rd. Normanhurst to live several months ago.
I wish to submit my objection re Loreto aiming to increase student intake by 60% from1250 to 2000！This will cause more trafic chaos, longer queues and waiting time to exit Osborn Rd. and increased danger to pedestrians and especially the elderly and children like me. (I am xx year old).
Thank you very much

I would like to register my objection to the proposed increase of student numbers at Loreto Normanhurst.

We object to Loreto's SSD proposal to increase student intake by 60% as it will exacerbate problems that have been developing over the years. We have been residents at xxxxxxx, Normanhurst for many years and have had concerns about traffic congestion in Osborn Road as the Loreto School increases its student population.
The closure of the Nepean Avenue exit onto Pennant Hills Road has meant that all traffic from Currawong Avenue, Rivertop Close, Nepean Avenue, Wendy Close and Dunbar Close now exits via the narrow Osborn Road, which for half its length has barely space for two passing cars. Presently at School starting and finishing times it can be chaotic with queues of cars competing with buses and Normanhurst Public school children trying to cross at the traffic lights. The current situation is already dangerous and would be particularly so if there should be a fire emergency. In addition, Loreto students, parents and staff park in Osborn Road sometimes partially blocking our driveway, making it very dangerous for us to exit our property. There is particularly extreme congestion on Saturdays and during other School events.

My objections to the above Proposal are detailed below:

I have lived in xxx for the past 5 years and whilst I knew I bought into a street with a school and progress is inevitable I do oppose that the design plans do not align to the street scape and setting. In addition the school has convinced council that they have enough parking however from school contacts and observations I believe this to be untrue. The school should implement an on-site parking area sufficient for ALL staff and students including a kiss and drop off area. - not just a partial underground one.

The proposed buildings do not demonstrate that they fit into the context of the site or the surroundings and are not considered for low-density residential environment. - construction of a 3-6 storey will undoubtably be 6 storey’s This will be an eyesore and not with in keeping with the street scape.

With an 80 spot child care centre and 80 additional students (approved) will impact on residents due to extended hours of the childcare centre and the cars accessing the centre in the morning prior to school and in the evening picking children up. The increased traffic caused by this will be an inconvenience to residents in regards to the increased time to enter and depart the street, add an additional 850 students some being Year 12 drivers and then parents for all the occasions that will attend school functions will only add to the inconvenience.

An additional development was proposed of a no right into and out of the street in which I strenuously object to. This will not only add additional mayhem to the surrounding streets including Osborn Rd it is inconvenient and unreasonable for a street with no other access road to use, all because a school wants additional paying customers.

Car parking and drop-off / pick-up was listed for the childcare centre however whilst in Osborn Road there is nowhere near enough spaces to accommodate additional cars,

I find it unbelievable that a parent will park their car in Osborn road to walk to a childcare centre on the other side of the block especially when parents are rushed to drop off pick up their children after a busy day or if it is raining.
Parents will undoubtedly park and drop off their children in Mt Pleasant Ave just like the year 12 students do even though both have allocated parking spots within the school.

Mt Pleasant Ave during school days is already blocked by cars on both sides of the road allowing only one car to pass at a time - this was raised at the council meeting but it was implied by ason group that residents were over reacting! You may note the determination by the North Sydney Planning Panel on the child care centre in Mt Pleasant Avenue. There were 65 comments the first time we were asked and 48 the second time and it seems most talked about the traffic impact but still they decided to be guided by the “experts” rather than the people with the lived experience.

With the increase in student numbers to 2000, thats 850 new students that will be impacting our street

A friend of mine who works at the school has stated to me that there is not enough parking for their current staff and is concerned that additional places will only make this worse by parking in the adjacent streets which they currently already do.

Recently I received a letter stating a substation is being installed on Loreto’s property it appears to me that as Loreto grows so does it’s need for more power. Is this a fait accompli?
In fact I question why I am even taking the time and effort at Christmas to write an objection letter when everything Loreto puts through is passed. For example when the pool was built they said it would not be open to the public however they have a swimming school and water aerobics open to the public. Why doesn’t authorities take rate payers objections seriously?

I feel like we are not being heard. I also believe that council or the RMS need to realistically reassess the traffic situation of the street. It is possible the people making these decisions, are using outdated data. The decision makers are made by people who don’t live on or near the affected streets. When the decision is made the school employ, council and authorities will not have another care. It is the residents that will be left with the turmoil and inconvenience.

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to object

Please find attached a submission objecting to SSD 8996, namely the proposal by Loreto Normanhurst to redevelop its premises, including increasing its student number cap by 60% or 850 students, constructing an up-to-6 storey boarding house, and the various associated expansion works set out in SSD 8996.

The original submission has today been posted to you.

Please find attached submission objecting to the above proposal.

I object to the Proposal

I object to the proposal on the grounds that the traffic currently generated by the school has many unresolved issues on surrounding streets caused by the changing demographic and other circumstances in the area. I also argue that the traffic report which has been publicly available for the residents shows obvious flaws.

• The traffic report obtained by the school for its proposed ELC was conducted in the closing days of term 3 2019 including one day (27th September) when the only students at the school were boarders. Yet, a photograph used in the report was taken on that day to illustrate the lack of traffic between the hours of 8.15am and 8.45am and to claim that the concerns of residents were exaggerated. Obviously, no boarders were being dropped off at that time.
• I have attached pictures taken on two normal school days in term 4 - albeit this is without the presence of the year 12 contingent. Please note that my driveway is approximately 20-25 metres from the intersection with Pennant Hills Rd. I have taken most of these pictures from the entrance to my driveway. This means that traffic backed up to my driveway is backed up for 20-25 metres.
• Osborn Rd is a feeder road to Pennant Hills Rd for five other streets. At least one of these streets, Nepean Avenue. was closed off from Pennant Hills Rd in the past thirty years i.e. since the construction of the school and that means there is an increase in the use of Osborn Rd that the school needs to recognize.
• The number of households on Osborn Rd itself have gradually increased in household size due to the growth of battleaxe blocks which means that there is an increase in vehicular activity from the residents. This evidence would be available through council rates notices or electoral records.
• The size of the households in Osborn Rd has increased in the past generation due to the prevalence of adult children remaining in the family home. These children have cars and need to use the street. The evidence for this may be available on the electoral roll although as it appears from the Press to be a general trend.
• I have also attached a still taken from a video on a Friday afternoon showing the size of the buses used by the school in relation to the street. At the moment, I have counted a maximum of five buses in the afternoon. An increase in school size will mean a further increase in the numbers of these buses.The bus seen in the distance is opposite the driveway of number 16.
• The school itself, has acknowledged in writing to the neighbourhood and in notes to parents that parking in Osborn Rd is not viable as the street is too small. Visitors to the school, however, continue to try to park in this street including in 'no parking zones'.
• On one Saturday morning in November, I twice had to request visitors to the school for Saturday sport move their cars away from my driveway which has a no stopping zone on either side of it. One visitor was a young woman from Abbotsleigh School who moved at my request and another was a parent who at first ignored my request to move her car from the 'no stopping' zone. She only responded when I stated that I would photograph the vehicle and send the photograph to Council. Basically, no matter how many notes that the school sends, people park where they like. I can only see that this problem will increase with the school size.
• The issue with traffic impacts on residents or their visitors needing to enter or leave the street at certain times of the day.
• The issue with parking is an all day issue during the week and an issue on Saturdays until approximately 2pm. This affects even the tradesmen who need to visit premises as they need to park near the homes they are servicing.

Loreto School appears to wish to take advantage of the increasing population of Sydney without any recognition that the population surrounding the school has increased and that its needs must be met. Any plan they propose must address the issues of traffic and parking.