Northern Beaches Mental Health Hub

I am supporting this project.

As a doctor and a parent of a teen son with mental health history, I am very aware of the scarcity of adequate mental health resources in Sydney imagine instead of having to call several phone numbers to access impersonal , generic advice on the phone when your son is at risk of suicide. Imagine waiting 6 hours in the emergency department of a major hospital only to be told that there is no places in the children's ward and that that the adult facility is an hour's drive away. My experience is not isolated: hundreds of parents in Sydney have been through these traumatic experiences fearing for their child's life and well being.

I would love to see the expansion of these vitally important services and the NBMHH promises to provide up to 90 inpatient beds for this care as well as outpatient care and support.

I strongly support this project and I would ask the panel to look at this not jsut from the perspective of a building being built, but a vital piece of health infrastructure that will benefit the wider community.

Please see the objection letter and supporting docs attached.
Thank you.

see attached

The Building is too large for the site.
There are 2 preschools within close proximity to the proposed Mental Health Hub. My concern is safety of children.
There is inadequate additional parking available in the proximity to the building.
There are Very High Voltage Power Lines in close proximity to the building, posing a health risk. Also is someone wanted to end their life, the power lines and towers provide an opportunity.
I support the need for the Mental Health Hub in an alternative location, Alternative sites should be reviewed.
There is a Newly Built Mental Health Unit at the Northern Beaches Hospital which is not being utilised.

Please withhold my personal name. Use 'Community Association DP 270323 Tilley Lane' as the name

I object on a number of counts.
The planned use of the facility is not appropriate for the area. The road currently has several childcare centres running and a large mental health facility will pose a number of problems. The proposed facility will have no outdoor recreational space and therefore any inpatients allowed or wishing to exercise or get outside will be on the public street. The proportion of mental health patients and their carers and nurses who smoke is significantly higher than the general public and therefore the childcare centres and the surrounding medical businesses will be subject to this.
I also have concerns over the safety of my staff who need to walk down Tilley lane to their cars often at night past this facility.

I strongly believe that this location is wholly inappropriate for a facility with this intended use and the potential issues and problems it it likely to cause in the future would be a or source of regret to anyone who had approved it.

The level of traffic for a 6 level building will be excessive on a road already struggling to cope with the volume of cars and deliveries. The previous plans were for a 4 level building which was in keeping with the buildings in the area. This is too big for the infrastructure. The proposed parking is not enough for the nature of the building. When taking into account staff and visitors let alone deliveries, there is a high chance of visitors looking to use parking in the surrounding buildings parking lots. There are few other options in the area and this would be devastating to our building for one necessitating more stringent entry barriers and pass codes that we cannot reasonably maintain.
The size of the building is out of line with the other buildings already there. At 6 storeys it is too big.

I object.

Objecting

On behalf of the OWNERS OF 10 Tilley Lane, Frenchs Forest

WE OBJECT TO THE PROPOSED MENTAL HEALTH HUB PLANNED FOR 11 TILLEY LANE on the following grounds:

1. LOSS OF VIEWS - the 8 storey building is out of scale for the cut-de-sac. It would destroy / block our view. 10 Tilley Lane is called 'Forestview' but IF built 11 Tilley Lane would block out light and the view of
i. The Sydney CBD
ii, North Sydney,
iii. St. Leonards and
iv.Chatswood,
which we can see from the entire length of the South side of our building.

The proposed building [11 Tilley La] runs closer to the road and further back than 10 Tilley Lane, this only blocks out more light from the South side of our building.

2. THE SCALE OF THE BUILDING _ at 8 levels: twice the height of any existing building on this side of the Warringah Highway, it will set a NEW PRECEDENT for the many developers who have bought into the area [Rodborough Road, Aquatic Drive] in the last few years, and who are looking to re-develop their sites.

3. LOSS OF PRIVACY - the proposed building would have bedded floors from level 2 - 6, which would have Windows looking into our building, and with views into new bedrooms for patients of the Mental Health facility. This would impact upon the privacy and usability of existing businesses within 10 Tilley Lane: being medical, consultative in nature.

4. TRAFFIC VOLUMES EXCESSIVE - 'Tilley Lane' is not built for the level of 'traffic' that the proposed building would add. There is already challenges to the Lane, such as 'parking' 'access' flow of traffic' and subsidence to the road.

5. A NO PARKING CUL-DE-SAC - illegal parking from visitors, trades, deliveries, patients, workers, for this proposed out of scale building [11 Tilley Lane] would exacerbate our parking. Lorries, Deliveries, Car, drop offs, and errant parkers would block the flow of deliveries to and from the top of our cul-de-sac.

6. PEDESTRIAN FOOT TRAFFIC - patients and visitors walking to and from the proposed Mental health Hub is a concern. Patients cannot be enforced to remain within the Mental Health facility and their ability or propensity to be wandering around the cul-de-sac at any time is of concern to the owners and tenants.

8. IN ADEQUATE PARKING - 11 Tilley Lane will be an issue. With 4 levels of beds, permanent and temporary patients, staff [numbering over 120], visitors, trades and services, we do not feel that the ratio of traffic to parking designed into the building is sufficient.

9. The construction will require extreme disruption to businesses at 10 Tilley Lane, due to a lengthy construction phase. Loud noice, vibration and dust. The disruption to the cul-de-sac, as the construction will involve the movement of many vehicles to and from the site, with deliveries, contractors [dozens at a time] parking.

10. Ventilation issues - what guarantee does 10 Tilley Lane have that exhaust from air conditioning, Heating, Cooling, Kitchens, will not blow into and over our building.

12. The Mental Health Hub is planned to contain over 80 car parks, but has over 120 full time staff hours predicted, If they employ part timers this will mean staff alone will be in excess of 120 people. Then there will be patients - for the 16 beds to each level from level 2 - 6 = a possible 80 patients. Plus deliveries and services: food, drink, cleaning, maintenance, trades, repairs, etc. And visitors to each patient.

Our OWNERS OBJECT to this proposed development as above.

But have no objection to a appropriately scaled development.

We live close to this facility and do not support this project. Aquatic drive is very busy at the moment without adding any more traffic which I would imagine patients will be regularly visiting this facility. We have a lot of young kids in this area and I would be fearful for their safety as mental health patients can be dangerous. There is also a pool across the road which kids regularly visit and baseball pitches. Please consider moving this facility closer to the beaches hospital. Not this area.

I am concerned about the proposed new eight-storey mental health unit and its potential impact on the surrounding built environment and community.
1. The proposed new eight-storey mental health unit is too high. It should be reduced to under six storeys. The colour and design of the building also do not match with the surrounding environment.
2. The increased building height, number of hospital beds, and associated activities have adverse effects on the local community. Given the small development site, it is difficult to alleviate all these issues, such as increased traffic volumes, pedestrians, patients, and hospital staff. Therefore, further consideration should be given to the unit's design to minimise any negative impact on the surrounding community.