Submission for NSW Sydney and Regional Planning Panels.
Re: Objection to Proposed Development – Request for Reconsideration
We wish to lodge a formal objection to the proposed development currently under assessment. I ask that the Department carefully reconsider this application on the basis of the following substantive planning concerns.
1. Incompatibility with R2 Low Density Residential Zoning
This site sits directly beside established R2 Low Density Residential homes, on one of the quieter sections of the local area. R2 zoning is specifically intended to protect residents from high-impact, high-intensity commercial or industrial activities.
A development of this scale, intensity, and operational impact is fundamentally inconsistent with the purpose of R2 zoning and undermines the planning principles that protect low-density neighbourhoods.
2. Excessive traffic generation and existing road constraints
The development will create a significant increase in daily vehicle movements, including heavy vehicles, service trucks, and delivery vehicles.
Local streets such as Mile End Road and Withers Street were not designed for this level of traffic and already experience congestion, queueing, and pinch-points during peak periods. Introducing additional commercial traffic will exacerbate existing bottlenecks, reduce road safety, and worsen emergency-vehicle access.
3. Increased safety risks for residents and children
This area includes families with young children who rely on local footpaths, crossings, and school-route access. The scale of heavy-vehicle movements and continuous commercial traffic creates a heightened risk of accidents, noise disturbance, and reduced walkability.
Such impacts are not compatible with a low-density residential environment.
4. Amenity impacts: noise, lighting, and operational disturbance
High-intensity commercial operations generate considerable ongoing disturbance, including extended hours of activity, lighting spill, vehicle noise, and machinery noise.
These cumulative impacts will permanently alter the residential character of the area and reduce the quiet enjoyment of surrounding homes, contrary to the objectives of the R2 zone.
5. Precedent and long-term planning implications
Approving a development of this scale adjacent to R2 zoning sets a troubling precedent for intensified land use in low-density areas.
Once such a development is permitted, it becomes significantly harder to maintain proper zoning separation between homes and commercial uses, weakening both planning consistency and community confidence in the planning system.
6. Failure to demonstrate that impacts can be acceptably mitigated
Based on the available documentation, the proponent has not provided sufficient or convincing evidence that traffic, noise, operational, or amenity impacts can be reduced to levels compatible with surrounding residential properties.
Without clear and reliable mitigation measures, the proposal carries unacceptable long-term impacts for residents.
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Conclusion
For the reasons above — including zoning incompatibility, traffic impacts, safety concerns, amenity loss, and broader planning-integrity issues — I respectfully ask that the Department reject this proposal or require substantial redesign to align with the surrounding R2 Low Density Residential context.
Thank you for considering this submission.
Kind regards,
