BETTER GET INFORMED.
What's proposed in Brookvale?
Warringah Mall proposal
The owner of Warringah Mall, Scentre Group, is proposing 1,600 residential apartments located at the existing car park on the Warringah Mall site on Pittwater Road, Brookvale.
Its application would approve several towers with heights ranging from 16-39 storeys. The plans have variously shown 7-8 residential towers, and we expect this will be clarified when the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is released in late 2026/early 2027.
The Housing Delivery Authority
The NSW Government has created a new pathway for residential development through the Housing Development Authority (HDA).
The HDA is pushing uncoordinated and poorly planned development on our community and across Sydney.
The Warringah Mall proposal was submitted directly to the Housing Delivery Authority and will be decided by the NSW Planning Minister or his delegate. This bypasses the local council and ignores the community's previous submissions for the Brookvale Structure Plan.
What's the big issue?
Big is the right word. 39 storeys is one storey short of a skyscraper, and out of character with everything else built in the area. The tallest building currently in our area is the Lighthouse building in Dee Why, which is 17 storeys.
With 2 x 39 storey towers and 1 x 36 storey tower, as well as other large buildings, we're concerned about the impacts on local residents in surrounding suburbs and the liveability of this area for new residents. Large towers create issues with over-shadowing, view loss for nearby suburbs, wind tunnels for new residents, and urban heat islands.
The best planners and urban designers around the world recognise the benefits of human scale development. This is development that is proportional to people and how we live our lives.
This is 20 years of future construction impacts, such as noise and dust, for a built form that provides a sub-standard outcome for the community.
Infrastructure
We're concerned that Warringah Mall's owner will build 1,600 apartments, with no detailed plans for the local infrastructure required to service this development.
Pittwater Road is already in gridlock. The local bus network is already at capacity, and often cancelled or delayed. It is unclear how the Mall's plans will contribute to the traffic upgrades which the local council has said are required in Brookvale.
The bus network is already struggling... this is a real image of a regular morning for commuters as it is. We need real commitments by the state government to fix transport and provide necessary state infrastructure.
What is Northern Beaches Council saying?
Northern Beaches Council's proposal
Northern Beaches Council also has a separate planning proposal covering a broader area within Brookvale, proposing buildings ranging from 10-25 storeys.
This proposal was prepared by Council’s planning team and technical consultants, and would set the planning rules for Brookvale to be redeveloped.
This proposal would also allow more development in Brookvale, however would spread development over a larger area rather than just concentrating it at the Mall. It also includes an expansion of commercial floor space for growing businesses and industry, and new public parks, cycleways, and local road upgrades funded by developer contributions.
This proposal will separately go on public exhibition for the community to provide feedback, and we want the community to have a genuine voice in shaping this proposal.
We don't agree with every aspect of the local council's proposal
However, this is the right process for any rezoning in Brookvale because it allows for master planning the needs for the whole area, rather than each individual site seeking ad hoc approval from the HDA - with unplanned and inconsistent outcomes.
The local council's technical reports for its proposal tell us there are significant problems with the Warringah Mall proposal by Scentre Group. They are proposing twice as much development on its site as the local council's traffic studies and research suggests is feasible.
Scentre Group is also shortchanging the community on affordable housing and community space, proposing only half of what the local council has modelled is feasible for the site to contribute to affordable housing.
Some of the infrastructure upgrades identified as necessary by the local council
Road upgrades to local roads the local council has identified as being required in Brookvale
Cycleway and pedestrian upgrades that the local council has identified as being required in Brookvale
How does Scentre Group's proposal compare to the rules proposed by the local council?
Below is a side by side comparison prepared by Northern Beaches Council, which compares how Scentre Group's proposal would shortchange the community compared to how the Council's proposed new planning rules would apply to their site. It's unfair for Scentre Group to "jump the queue" and seek approval before the area is properly master planned, and it should have to comply with the same rules as everyone else. We need good plans in place before further development is approved.
What's our vision for Brookvale?
Better Brookvale. Better Planning.
Brookie is home to our neighbours. It's the engine room for the Northern Beaches economy and industry. It's the gateway to the Northern Beaches.
Brookvale is too important to leave to developer-led, ad-hoc approval processes without proper consideration of what would make the area liveable to new residents, be workable for existing businesses, and deliver necessary infrastructure .
Good planning means master planning the precinct. Respecting the existing character. Creating a liveable place for future residents. Planning the infrastructure needed to manage community and environmental needs. Having the community inside the tent to shape these outcomes together.
