150 - 152 Briens Road Northmead NSW 2152

This proposal will adversely damage the adjoining Toongabbie Creek corridor, a significant and sensitive public walkway and natural environment. This commercial car park has not been holistically designed using all essential environmental management principles. For example, the arborists site assessment has not guided the design.

The proposal
- ignores the adjoining local environment of Toongabbie Creek, with a design that is ignorant of local conditions, insensitive and wasteful of natural resources
- excessive reconfiguration of the natural landform, excessive impervious paving, and inadequate absorption/retention of rainwater/stormwater.
- removes significant existing trees that can and should be retained on the site through better design
- extends the urban heat island, with excessive unshaded paved areas (the parking layout is very inefficient, with more internal road than needed for the parking spaces). Most of the paved ares should be shaded (by additional trees, supplemented by shadecloth sails or similar)
- spills excessive light into habitat required by nocturnal animals

This is an example of ( per Joni Mitchell song 'Big Yellow Taxi') by
"They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot ...
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
'Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
'Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And they put up a parking lot."

This parking proposal exploits proximity to Westmead Hospital and T-way to Parramatta CBD. Are the pedestrian facilities/connections/access points/links suitable or should they be upgraded with contributions from the developer? Is the proposal wasting valuable employment land in a special location? What are the hydrological and flooding implications?