Loreto Normanhurst School Redevelopment - Modification 1

I object to the removal of the free "left-hand turn" from Osborn Rd into Pennant Hills Rd that has been proposed. This turn not only services the local residents in allowing them to join traffic heading west towards Thornleigh and the city, it also helps prevent additional traffic build up for vehicles turning right across oncoming traffic at the intersection. Removal of this left hand turn in conjunction with increasing numbers of road users due in large part to school drop off's will place huge burden on a single set of traffic lights to accommodate hundreds of residents and thousands of school goers making commute times which are already too high almost impossible.

I oppose to the removal of free left hand turn FROM Osborn road into Pennant Hills road.
The free left hand turn reduces the traffic jam during morning and evening peaks( school pickup and drop-offs)
By stopping free left hand turns, it will cause inconvenience to all resident of the area, such as noise, traffic jams.
TfNSW needs to justify what safety concerns could be addressed by NOT allowing free left-hand turns.

We strongly object to the removal of the free left-hand turn from Osborn Road into Pennant Hills Road. It is very safe to turn there as everyone looks and waits for there to be no traffic heading south before turning. There are more than 150 homes in Osborn, Currawong, Rivertop, Nepean, Wendy and Dunbar whose only exit point is via Osborn Road. By stopping free left hand turns it will add to the queue of traffic exiting Osborn Rd during pick up and drop off times.
During peak times from 7.50-8.30 am and 3-3.45pm the Loreto traffic is queued up on Osborn Rd, Normanhurst Rd and Pennant Hills Rd. Loreto parents and buses drop off in the morning then come out another driveway onto Osborn Rd. At 8 am it takes me 30 minutes to drive to Westleigh! 20 minutes of that is spent sitting in Osborn Rd until finally I can get into left hand lane and turn if traffic is clear. After school hundreds of Loreto parents' cars block both sides of Osborn Rd, even forming queues north and south on Pennant Hills Rd. The whole area is in chaos.
Residents in these 6 streets feel trapped.
I'm often writing to Loreto re these problems, never receive replies.
Residents in these streets often need to get out quickly, uni students, old people with appointments, workers etc. and quite frankly we're sick and tired of the impact Loreto has on our lifestyles. We have lived here for 41 years. I'm a teacher and need to get out of here at certain times.

The traffic study does not address the concerns of the Mount Pleasant Ave residents expressed in earlier submissions.
Namely:
1) Increase traffic flow and delays at the intersection with Pennant Hills road.
2) Increased parking in Mount Pleasant Ave from students and staff - depite existing school rules.
3) With parking on both sides of Mount Pleasant Ave, the road becomes a single lane road,making it impossible for two cars to pass in oposite directions.
4) The problems of getting construction traffic through the effectively single lane road is not considered.
5) The danger to pedestrian traffic crossing Mount Pleasant Ave at the intersection with Pennant Hills Rd is not considered.
6) The proposed closure of the right turn from Mount Pleasant Ave to Pennant Hills Rd, ignores the increase of traffic in already school time conjested streets. It ignores the vehicle & pedestrian traffic generated by Normanhurst Public and Normanhurst Boys High.
I get the impression that these points are being considered outside the scope of this development and as a consequence are being ignored - that is they are no-ones responsibility.

Along with the reduction of the footprint of the Boarding House, the primary carport is to be extended along Mt Pleasant Ave. there is no landscaping or screening from the road that I can see. I am concerned this will look like an oversized parking lot from neighbours’ perspectives and take away our enjoyment of our environment. At the very least please make screening mandatory.
This entrance/exit is dangerous being at the crest of the hill where sight lines are poor. Also traffic congestion is already poor with cars being parked on both sides of the road. Only this morning I had to stop, wait and give way to two passenger cars travelling from Pennant Hills Road down Mt Pleasant Avenue as they weaved their way through parked cars. This is a frequent occurrence.

construction vehicle: it appearsthat the construction vehicles will enter and exit the site at two points in MPA – one at the top end of the Boarding House and the other at the bottom end.

How can construction vehicles pass one another in opposite directions in MPA? This seems impossible as already passenger cars cannot pass each other.
Would it not be possible for construction vehicles to enter via Mt Pleasant Av and exit via Osborn Rd. as has been done in a previous construction project?

Traffic : no further traffic studies have been undertaken despite the residents pointing out that the current analysis underestimates the number of vehicles.
I understand that HSC has not undertaken the study about closing the Right Hand Turn into PHR and therefore the impact on Normanhurst Rd, Fraser Rd and Osborn Road.

Development in MPA: Loreto has recently sold off four blocks of their land at their southern boundary. Development of these blocks will mean further increased construction traffic over a long period as well as adding to general traffic thereafter.

Mt Pleasant avenue already is home to the Adventist Retirement Village/ Aged Care complex and a group home for disabled. Staff, ancillary medical staff, visitors and deliveries to these businesses are in addition to the huge traffic generated by Loreto, a growing day and boarding school and early learning centre.

My family have been living on Osborn road since the school was built, it's bad enough that we deal with the traffic coming into Osborn road then to top it off not able to turn right into my driveway due to the heavy traffic from the school buses and vehicles from the school. Turning left while stopping has been the advantage to move traffic along
Then ofcouse when it's off peak traffic being able to stop and turn left is very effective way to minimise traffic on a one way entry and exit street.
I hope your team Take into consideration My comments on this decision as it would heavily Impact my commute and my surrounding family members and friends who live off Osborn road To effectively and Swiftly on Turning left before stopping

Osborn Rd traffic is already negatively affected by the extensions at Loreto - removing the left turn on red will increase the amount of traffic on the street waiting for the traffic light phasing. Osborn Rd is already a narrow 2 lanes and and adding to the congestion by removing the left turn is a terrible decision.

I have lived off Osborne road for 33 years. Over 33 years the traffic and parking situation due solely to Loretto has gotten progressively worse, sometimes making it almost impossible to get in and out of my street without having a accident due to the heaviness of the traffic and terrible illegal parking in such a narrow, residential street.

The proposal to remove the left hand turn on red at the lights from Osborne road turning onto pennant hills road is one of the most horrible suggestions I have heard in a very long time. Not only is the traffic and parking disgusting now , Loretto is proposing to extend the school therefore causing a significant amount more traffic.

Not to mention that Osborne is already the street for busses to enter and exit the school (which is terrible as the street is so narrow and causes so much traffic, lucky if one bus gets through a light change already as it is!!!!)

With Osborne and surrounding streets being narrow and already unable to accomodate for the amount of cars and busses that visit Loretto, removing the left hand turn on red will cause even more of a traffic back-up and make it almost impossible for anyone to be able to leave the street when school is starting, finishing, has events or sporting events (which are almost every weekend)

It is the biggest hazard and accident waiting to happen. It will stop any flow of traffic that happens whilst school traffic is around Loretto and will cause a lot of distress for surrounding residents who are just going to be trying to leave and come home.

There is NO other entry and exit point for the residents of Osborne and surrounding streets. We have tolerated the horrible traffic and terrible parking, almost having accidents every weekend due to irresponsible visitors parking down both sides of the road making it impossible for even one car to get down let alone two. We have tolerated the illegal parking which still occurs when the signs are ignored, almost making it impossible to turn a corner without a head on collusion.
The left turn on red has been the ONLY saviour in all of this as it has provided 20m of road where traffic can flow (if there are cars parked) and has managed to make the wait a little less.
The lights are already horrible for anyone turning onto either sides of pennant hills road or going straight to normanhurst road.
The light lasts about 10 seconds and with oncoming traffic sometimes only a few cars will be able to get through at a time. It is already a hazardous intersection and causing more traffic is going to do absolutely nothing but cause a bigger hazard.
I strongly object to this proposal.
Loretto has already disrupted the traffic flow and parking situation in our streets and with the proposed extension of the school is just going to make things a million times worse.
Why are you proposing to remove a left hand turn on red which can be done safely? There are no obstructions to visibility and it does not cause traffic.
It’s time to put the happiness and safety of the residents over profit that a school will make.

I am writing to object to the SSD- 8996 Mod 1 which involves changes to the boarding house footprint and size and the extension of the Barry Wing carpark.
I live adjacent to the proposed Boarding house.
Boarding House
I appreciate that the building envelope has been reduced but I am concerned about the impact on our amenity. Many trees are to be removed and while they are being replaced, they are not of the same size and substance. The visual street design shows little street coverage of the building. We would like further planting on the streetscape to reduce the visual site of the building and to absorb some of the heat that will now be generated. Higher plantings will also afford more privacy for the boarding house as well as the houses opposite. We have been growing a hedge since before COVID to improve our amenity and it is still not above 6 feet so any plantings for the streetscape or site need to be mature to ensure coverage immediately.
Extension to Barry Wing Carpark
Whilst it is good that the school is increasing overall cars parked on-site the Barry Wing Carpark is a challenge in our street currently and increasing use will exacerbate that issue. It is situated on a blind hill and cars park on one side of the road and whilst there is no parking on the carpark side visibility is very limited. The extension to the car park will also be an eye sore to the streetscape and it is requested that a high hedge be considered on the street side to mask the car park behind. Again, a mature high hedge is needed.
Construction
I had to giggle when I read that construction trucks were going to ingress and egress the street. Good luck I say as on a school day when Loreto students and teachers have parked on both sides of the road the Woolworths home delivery truck can hardly fit. Larger trucks will get stuck and cause traffic chaos. There are little to no bays to pull over. I know it's Loreto staff and students as on Sundays and school holidays two cars can pass in the street. The entrance into the street is often blocked with cars leaving Loreto in peak times and cars trying to enter the street. A truck will not fit. Finally, I notice that Construction will occur on Saturdays and when we add in Saturday sports with families from other schools there is no hope for the trucks to enter. The school may need to consider no Saturday sports during the development or another plan.

Thank you

In reference to the changes proposed for Osborn Rd and removing the free left turn out of the street, the changes make absolutely no sense. Traffic at peak school times are already backed up and removing this will only make it worse. Keeping the free left turn has no negative impact on traffic. If the school wants to develop and grow in size, it should not be to the detriment of residents.

A better suggestion would be to make the lights at Pennant Hills Rd single sided so that Osborn Rd gets right of way, while Normanhurst Rd has a red light. Then Normanhurst Rd has a green light while Osborn Rd has the red light. This makes far more sense in managing traffic in the street.

A further suggestion would be to open up Nepean Avenue again with a set of traffic lights for a left hand turn only allowing only traffic out onto Pennant Hills Rd and not incoming. Sync this traffic light to the light at Osborn Rd. This would allow for residents in Nepean and surrounding streets an exit rather than adding to the traffic in Osborn Rd.

In an emergency situation where an ambulance, fire truck or police need entry in or out of Osborn Rd, having the street blocked by school traffic creates a big risk for residents that need urgent services.

Another suggestion would be to put a public road between Osborn Rd and Mt Pleasant beyond the Loreto Oval. The school could manage this and only have it open during school hours and weekend sports.

I have lived in Nepean Ave most of my life. The delays caused by traffic entering and leaving the school is hideous at best! We accept and tolerate the poor driving and near misses. We tolerate the long delays leaving Osborn Rd making us late for work/appointments etc, but to think that someone thinks removal of the free left hand turn from Osborn Rd into Pennant Hills Rd is a great idea is OUTRAGEOUS!!! We wait long enough for those ridiculous lights to change as it is....at least the free left hand turn moves the traffic along somewhat! This is NOT a good idea and I strongly object!!! For goodness sake- we suffer enough!! Leave our free left hand turn as is!!

Part of this project is the removal of the free left hand turn lane from Osborn Road onto Pennant Hills Road; a feature that greatly improves traffic flow for residents during the already immensely busy school pick up and drop off times around Loreto - a school which mismanages the parking of its students and staff so badly, residents have to put up traffic cones to prevent being blocked in.
There is only one entry and exit point for our street - Osborn Road. Reducing the flow of traffic for us, council residents, is preposterous and simply caters to an already incredibly rich private school.
The entire project should be denied, honestly. There isn't neighbourhood patience, the space or infrastructure to support it.

Dear Ms Coomar,

LORETO NORMANHURST SCHOOL REDEVELOPMENT (CONCEPT PROPOSAL AND STAGE 1), 91-93 PENNANT HILLS ROAD NORMANHURST (SSD-8996) – OBJECTION

I write to you to object to the above proposal in the strongest possible terms.

Nobody denies Loreto a chance to grow and develop. But why is the development so big?

Loreto are proposing to almost double their school size in the coming years. Their traffic management plan includes creating a flow of traffic from Osborne Rd, through their school and out onto Mount Pleasant Ave. Both streets are dead-end streets. There will be then considerable flow-on effects for other Normanhurst streets, causing traffic delays and threatening the safety of the community. The thousands of school children that walk up and down Normanhurst Rd will be most at risk.
Here are my main concerns:
• With no traffic lights and a banning of the right hand turn from Mount Pleasant Avenue, hundreds of cars that would have otherwise turned right onto Pennant Hills Rd to go to Hornsby/Waitara will be funnelled down Normanhurst Rd. This road is already a traffic nightmare with a shopping centre at the bottom of it and two schools in the vicinity (Normanhurst Boys and Normanhurst Public School). Local traffic could be delayed by 30-60 minutes should the increased traffic from Loreto be funnelled down Normanhurst Rd. The situation will get worse over time as Loreto grows and grows.
• The intersection of Pennant Hills Rd and Osborn Rd is already very dangerous. Northbound traffic from Osborne Rd to Normanhurst Rd and southbound traffic from Normanhurst Rd to Osborne Rd or Pennant Hills Rd currently creates a tricky situation. Add in hundreds more cars forced onto Normanhurst Rd due to the changed traffic conditions and it is a recipe for disaster. The situation will get worse over time as Loreto grows and grows.
• Increased traffic will impact access for emergency vehicles on our streets.
• Our children’s safety is at risk. Students attending Normanhurst Public School, Normanhurst Boys and those walking to the bus stop outside Loreto are already at risk from Pennant Hills Rd and the morning and afternoon traffic from the schools in the area. Loreto doubling their numbers will make this much worse.
• The proposed buildings are unsightly, too large and out of keeping with the residential zoning of Normanhurst.


Loreto’s traffic management plan and Green Plan are woefully inadequate.

In summary, I object to the Loreto Normanhurst amended proposal. The increased traffic would make an already problematic traffic situation even more untenable for residents of Mount Pleasant Avenue, Osborne Road (and its five feeder streets), Normanhurst Rd, Denman Parade, Buckingham Ave and Malsbury Rd and other streets in the neighbourhood. This will impact on everyone.

Declaration – I have/have not made [ DELETE WHICHEVER APPLIES ] a political donation in the last two years.

Yours sincerely,

Aditi Priyanka

I have lived in Nepean Ave most of my life. The delays caused by traffic entering and leaving the school is hideous at best! We accept and tolerate the poor driving and near misses. We tolerate the long delays leaving Osborn Rd making us late for work/appointments etc, but to think that someone thinks removal of the free left hand turn from Osborn Rd into Pennant Hills Rd is a great idea is OUTRAGEOUS!!! We wait long enough for those ridiculous lights to change as it is....at least the free left hand turn moves the traffic along somewhat! This is NOT a good idea and I strongly object!!! For goodness sake- we suffer enough!! Leave our free Left-Hand turn as is!!

This proposal to remove free left on Pennant Hills from Osborn Rd will completely block Osborn Rd during peak hours and fully clog the Osborn till end of Currawong. There will be complete chaos in the Osborn road.
I fully object to the this planned project

I object to the proposed changes and the entire project. Loretto continues to mislead the residents and the wider community. I would ask for an independent audit of the approval process to ensure that guidelines and policies were followed. I cannot understand how the approval committee could approve this development given the facts that they were presented. I would also ask why Loretto feels like it can bully local residents without recourse. Perhaps a royal commission is needed to implement the required checks and governance is in place to protect future Australians.

With the reduction in footprint of the Boarding House, the primary carpark (formerly known as the Barry Wing carpark) is to be extended along Mt Pleasant Ave with no apparent landscaping or screening from the road. Will it look like a giant parking lot? Can screening be obligatory or can the extra car spaces be situated elsewhere? Why is there a need for extra car parks given they clearly stated in their submission they were implementing a “green zone” parking to reduce traffic volumes. Was this a promise they never intended to keep once they had a favourable determination? Given the changing goal posts this should go back to determination with a new approval committee.

This entrance/exit is at one of the most dangerous points in our street – at the crest of the hill and a bend in the road making sight lines very poor. This has already been pointed out in an earlier Safety Audit. We have already seen a spike in traffic from the new thoroughfare from Osborn street. Our street is already busy particularly at 8.30 to 9 and after 3.my son is 10 years old and gets to school in a power wheel chair. With no pedestrian crossing it is getting hard for him to get to school. Please insist that we put in speed humps and traffic lights at the corner of MP and PHR.
Route of construction vehicles: it would seem that the construction vehicles will enter and exit the site at two points in MPA – one at the top end of the Boarding House and the other at the bottom end. The top end is at the current primary carpark – the crest of the hill and the bend in the road.
How will the trucks queue?

How can construction vehicles pass one another in opposite directions in MPA? They simply will not fit!

Why not revert to the design route used when constructing the pool – entrance via MPA and exit via Osborn Rd?
Traffic studies: no further traffic studies have been undertaken despite the residents pointing out that the current analysis grossly underestimates the number of vehicles.
HSC does not seem to have undertaken the study about closing the Right Hand Turn into PHR and therefore the impact on Normanhurst Rd, Fraser Rd and Osborn Rd.
Please do the right thing and stop this project.

I put forward the following “objection” submission in concern with the Loreto Normanhurst (LN) development and how it will affect the neighbouring community (Mount Pleasant Ave / Adventist Aged Care / Elisabeth Lodge / Osbourne Road / Currawong Ave / Nepean Ave / Rivertop Crt / Wendy Ave / Dunbar Close).
We are all well aware that this is an approved State Significant Development project for the Loreto Normanhurst School Redevelopment (Concept Proposal and Stage 1) at 4, 6, 14, 16, 30-62, 24-28 Mount Pleasant Avenue and 89 and 91-93 Pennant Hills Road, Normanhurst.
I have witnessed (first hand) how LN handles these development projects to and for the benefit of LN and how they have brushed aside issues that arise during said constructions.
Major Concerns are:
1. Hours of Construction Operations.
• Monday to Friday 7:00am – 6:00pm (Subject to approval conditions)
• Saturday 8:00am – 1:00pm (Subject to approval conditions)
• Sunday & Public Holidays No Work (Subject to approval conditions)

It is felt that this again is pushing the boundary as materials are and will be delivered outside this timeframe as has occurred in the past. Equipment has been delivered in the middle of the night (1:00 a.m. – 3:30 a.m.) / construction materials arriving at 5:00 a.m. awaiting to be unloaded with the school claiming it to be “one off” or “special circumstances” or “it won’t happen again” but the fact remains, that there have been repeat offences!!! Who is going to police this? Who do we object to and complain to, to stop such practices!!!!! A school spokesperson will only attempt to brush it aside and the council has washed its hands of this as it is SSD approved.

Review of the Hours of Construction Operation is required to be:
• Monday to Friday 7:30am – 4:30 pm (NO Subject to approval conditions)
• Saturday 8:00am – 1:00pm (NO Subject to approval conditions)
• Sunday & Public Holidays - No Work (NO Subject to approval conditions)

2. Staging of construction vehicles.

It is foreseeable that there will be numerous trucks involved in this project. These vehicles will not arrive on site at staggered times! They will arrive prior to the commencement of the work times and there may well be up to 10-12 trucks in the Mount Pleasant Ave awaiting to load/unload. This requires to be address as these are times that residents as well as students are arriving and departing the area.

3. Service vehicles

With regards to current parking practices (especially in Mount Pleasant Ave) serious concern arises with service vehicles not only to the school but the Aged Care facilities in relation to the supplies into the boarding school and out.

Waste alone (general/organic/cardboard/comingled) will be generate an additional 11 weekly clearances which further adds to the traffic situational issue, particularly during school operating times.

As stated earlier it is acknowledged that this project is SSD, but in the community, it is well seen as a money making instrument for the identity that LN is.

In regards to the proposal to remove the free lefthand turn from Osborn Rd onto Pennant Hills Rd, this modification will greatly impact an already busy traffic situation. Allowing the cars to turn left frees up the lane for vehicles turning right onto Pennant Hills Rd. It will also slow down traffic turning right out of Normanhurst Rd, as they will need to give way to the vehicles turning left out of Osborn Rd. The traffic is already heavy here at pick-up and drop off times for Normanhurst Public School.
Given the increase in the size of Loreto, removing this free lefthand turn would prove problematic for residents as well as students and families of Loreto. Allowing vehicles to turn left means residents are not stuck in a line of traffic caused by Loreto drop off and collection congestion. I've lived in the area for twenty years and there have been no incidents at this intersection as far as I am aware.
There is no explanation as to why this change is of benefit to the community. In fact I believe this change would lead to a more dangerous intersection for the community, putting lives at risk, including school children.

I disagree with the withdrawal of the left hand turn on red on the lights at Osborn Road. The traffic both morning and afternoons and even on Saturday mornings is already horrendous. This is a danger to all the residents since it is a one way in, one way out.