There has been a long history of ambitious attempts to redevelop the Lourdes Retirement Village that is need of updating. Now a new plan has been submitted that makes much more sense than previous plans for this 5.25 ha site on the edge of steep bushland in Garigal National Park. It currently has 108 independent units, an 83-bed aged care home and 65 serviced apartments.
The first plan was submitted in 2018 to rezone the site from R2 low density residential to R3 medium density residential; to almost triple the maximum FSR; and increase the maximum height on a portion of the site from 9.5 m to various heights between 11.5 m and 24 m. Ku-ring-gai Council resolved not to support the proposal for reasons including bushfire risk, limitations of transportation and neighbouring impacts and the proposal was withdrawn.
The next plan was slightly less ambitious. It was submitted in 2021 but was withdrawn and resubmitted in 2022 after requests for amendments by the Department of Planning. The resubmitted plan still increased the number of residents with 141 independent units and 110 care spaces. The serviced apartments were to be replaced with 65 medium density townhouses along the southern boundary.
There was a bizarre plan for the bushfire protection measures to involve the townhouses acting as a special ‘fire protection facility’ or the asset protection zone equivalent buffer protecting the high rise part of the site, the aged-care facility. The report from the RFS said this would be okay. However, as was pointed out to the Planning Panel hearing, the purchasers of these townhouses could have the same dependency and accessibility issues as the residents of the aged-care component of the site.
On 15 December 2023, the Sydney North Planning Panel held a public meeting to consider the planning proposal following its public exhibition. There were many speakers opposing the plan, including STEP and, particularly, Ku-ring-gai Council. The panel determined that the planning proposal should not proceed, predominantly due to ongoing concerns of bushfire hazards and management and the proposed distribution of development density. The panel did acknowledge that the site was in need of redevelopment.
New plans make more sense
A new plan has recently been submitted. It can now come under the state significant development approval process that the NSW government is now applying to the huge number of apartment building DAs in the TOD areas near stations. No change in zoning is required. It is a concept plan at this stage. The DA will come later.
The major change from previous plans is that the independent living units and serviced apartments have been taken out of the high risk bushfire areas and areas of high biodiversity value to establish an asset protection plan that complies with the Bushfire Attack Level rating. The number of units is reduced to 145 seniors housing units. Key trees within the site and surrounding high biodiversity areas, which were previously sought to be impacted or removed, are now retained. Renovations to the aged care buildings will come under separate approvals.
Why didn’t the proponent take this more reasonable approach in the first place?