We, the undersigned residents, parents, and members of the St Ives community, call on the NSW Minister for Planning, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, and all decision-makers to refuse or fundamentally redesign the proposed development at 19–25 College Crescent (the Masada College Oval) and adjoining land at 9–15 Link Road, St Ives.

WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED?

A developer, The Sir Moses Montefiore Jewish Home, has lodged a State Significant Development (SSD) application for a large-scale retirement and aged care complex directly adjacent to Masada College. Because it is classified as a State Significant Development, it bypasses normal council planning controls and is assessed directly by the NSW State Government. That is why your voice matters so much right now.

The proposal includes:

• 143 independent living units
• 52 residential aged care beds
• 4 buildings rising 5-9 storeys in height
• 251 basement car parking spaces
• A range of resident amenities and facilities
• Vehicular and pedestrian access from Link Road and College Crescent

The total development footprint spans approximately 16,825 square metres.

WHERE IS THIS SITE?

The site sits in the heart of a quiet, established residential neighbourhood, directly adjacent to Masada College, home to hundreds of children in early learning, primary, and secondary school. Part of the adjoining land associated with Masada College will be used to provide vehicle access connecting the development to Link Road. Directly opposite on College Crescent are single and two-storey detached homes, with mature garden plantings. The existing buildings in the broader area range from three to five storeys at their tallest, and those are on larger, purpose-designed sites well away from sensitive residential streets.

WHY WE ARE OPPOSING THIS PROPOSAL

This is not opposition to aged care. Aged care is a valued part of any community. This is opposition to a development that is grossly out of scale with its surroundings and will cause lasting, irreversible harm to the neighbourhood.

SCALE AND HEIGHT

Nine storeys, in a street where neighbouring homes are one and two storeys. Four large buildings crammed onto a site of less than 1.7 hectares. A nine-storey wall of development would permanently dominate and overshadow the single-storey homes directly opposite on College Crescent.

TRAFFIC AND SAFETY

College Crescent, Link Road, and the Link Road / Stanley Street roundabout already experience significant congestion, particularly during Masada College school drop-off and pick-up times, with traffic regularly backing up along Stanley Street and surrounding roads during peak periods. In addition, Chabad North Shore, located adjacent to the site and accessed via College Crescent, generates substantial peak traffic and parking demand during regular services and major religious holidays. The addition of hundreds of residents, staff, visitors, service vehicles, and 251 parking spaces will place overwhelming pressure on an already constrained local road network and increase safety risks for pedestrians, particularly school children.

OVERSHADOWING AND LOSS OF PRIVACY

Homes on College Crescent, Stanley St, Link Rd, Yarrabung Rd, and neighbouring streets will face nine storeys of occupied windows overlooking their gardens, living areas, and private outdoor spaces. The shadow thrown by buildings of this height will deprive neighbouring residents of sunlight for significant parts of the day. Privacy, once lost in this way, cannot be restored.

AMBULANCE AND EMERGENCY SERVICE NOISE

A facility of this size generates significant emergency vehicle activity. Ambulances attending 52 aged care beds will use sirens on College Crescent and surrounding streets at all hours of the day and night. The cumulative impact on residents and the school community has not been adequately addressed.

LOSS OF MASADA COLLEGE OPEN SPACE

The development’s access strategy relies on land within the Masada College campus, including the school oval. This oval forms part of the school’s core recreational and sporting infrastructure, supporting physical education, school sport, and outdoor activities for students across the campus. Any reduction of this space will diminish the facilities available to students and reduce the capacity of the school to provide adequate outdoor learning, recreation, and sporting opportunities for hundreds of children who rely on these spaces every day.

NO DEMONSTRATED NEED FOR ADDITIONAL AGED CARE FACILITIES

There are already multiple aged care facilities within the St Ives area and surrounding suburbs that support community needs. These include:

• Bupa St Ives – Residential Aged Care Facility (98 residents)
• Uniting Kari Court St Ives – Residential Aged Care
• Estia Health St Ives – Aged Care Home (118 residents)
• St Ives House – Residential Aged Care (124 high-care places with 24/7 nursing)
• St Ives Botanica Care Community – Residential Aged Care

Given the existing availability of aged care facilities within close proximity, there is no clear demonstrated need for a large-scale new facility of this size and intensity at this sensitive location, particularly one that introduces significant impacts on surrounding residents, local traffic, and adjacent school operations.

A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT

If this proposal is approved at nine storeys in this location, it will set a precedent that developers will use to justify similarly oversized proposals across St Ives and Ku-ring-gai. Once that precedent exists, it cannot be undone. We must draw the line here.

WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR

We call on the NSW Minister for Planning and the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to:

1. Reject the application in its current form, or require a fundamental redesign genuinely compatible with the surrounding neighbourhood
2. Reduce building heights to a maximum consistent with the existing residential character of the area
3. Redesign of development plans to remove driveway access on College Crescent
4. Require an independent traffic impact assessment of the local road network, including during peak school and religious event periods, and ensure any necessary road upgrades are completed before approval
5. Protect Masada College open space from any reduction in sporting or recreation areas

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Sign this petition and share it with every neighbour, friend, and Masada College parent you know.

You can also view the official project details and make a formal submission to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure via the NSW Planning Portal.

Official project page:
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/montefiore-seniors-housing-st-ives

Every submission is read by the assessment team and every one counts.

Contact the Member for Davidson and ask them to represent this community's concerns.

The more signatures we gather, the stronger the message to decision-makers that St Ives will not accept overdevelopment that ignores the scale, safety, and character of our neighbourhood.

Thank you for standing up for St Ives.