This petition is on behalf of a number of concerned Fairs Avenue residents, living in the same street on which The Sammut Group  have proposed a development with plans for a residential development up 22-metres tall. 

The proposed development threatens to significantly disrupt the Fairs Avenue and surrounding landscape as the vehicular entry and exit for this development once completed will be via Fairs Avenue. Fairs Avenue is too narrow already to allow for two moving cars in opposite directions to pass each other when vehicles are parked on each side of the road. 

A building of this magnitude is not only out of scale with the rest of our neighbourhood, but it will also leads to increased traffic and more importantly  contradict decades of sound planning guidelines that has lead to the environment and lifestyle we currently enjoy, this development will not only have an impact on Fairs Avenue but all the surrounding, neighbouring streets. 

For many decades, and for good reason, Fairs Avenue has been R2 zoned, yet now,  and only because The Sammut Group have managed to financially entice 10-15 landholders within an area on the south west corner of the Kingsway & Woolooware Road Traffic Lights, an area bordered by Woolooware Road and Fairs Avenue, all of sudden these decade long planning principles could be overridden by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure who have been presented with a proposal seeking the approval of over 100 new units reaching as high as 22m, requiring a subsequent rezoning to R3 to make this possible.  

The nature of this escalated approval process means there will be no community or council consultation, just the plans of The Sammut Group and the landowners they have financially enticed to sell.

We understand the need for new housing, and recent changes to NSW planning guidelines allow for increased height and density within 800m of a train station, but anything beyond those new guidelines must be balanced with respect for the existing communities and overall landscape.

We propose that the submission be withdrawn and if not withdrawn, we propose it be rejected or redesigned to a more suitable height in line with current zoning guidelines i.e. a maximum height of 9.5m  and  a structure that aligns with our neighborhood's current character. By doing so, we can accommodate growth while preserving the integrity of our area.

Our local council has always prioritised a community voice and feedback in developments such as this, however in this case it has gone straight to the Housing Development Authority which sits within the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, to whom our local state MP Mr Speakman has made representations on our behalf. 

Let us ensure that our NSW government hears YOU now. 

Please sign this petition to urge the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure and or The Sammut Group, a successful local developer to listen to the wishes of the broader community rather than acting on the wishes of the 10-15 households who will be selling up and moving out of the immediate area. 

Together, we can maintain the Fairs Avenue and surrounding landscape that we currently know and love.