15 - 17 Gertrude Street, Wolli Creek NSW 2205

I am one of the purchasers in the development at 15-17 Gertrude St, Wolli Creek, having signed a contract of sale on 30 September 2016. I object to the addition of another apartment with the removal of the rooftop garden on the following grounds:

1. When I inspected the property, one of the key featuures was the roof top garden, and from a sales perspective, this was given a prominent double page photo spread in the sales brochure on pages 4 & 5. They said:

"With a focus on both design excellence and sustainability, Vale has been designed as a responsible addition to the Wolli Creek landscape. Energy efficient parameters and water-saving fixtures are utilised throughout the internal and external design, while landscaped open spaces, both private and communal, enhance the natural environment by coordinating water and soil management and promoting solar access."

As per their own sales brochure, this was a significant attrribute. (please refer to http://www.valewollicreek.com.au). The other communal space on the south of the building will not get anywhere near the same amount of solar access.

2. I know by reading the documentation, the addition of the additional apartment exceeds the FSR (floor space ratio) and I would hope that council maintains their committment to this. It also takes away a parking space previously allotted as a visitor space and does not meet the requirements for this.

3. With all the very hot weather we have bene experiencing, we know that high building density will exacerbate the heat-island effect, unless it is mitigated by vegetaion and greenery. This roof top garden would have gone some way to doing this in this building. There was a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald 19 January 2018, "'Missed opportunity' for green roofs as Sydney's apartment boom continues", which addressed these concerns and talked about sustainable developement. The combination of the front plantings, the roof top garden and the ground floor communal garden would be instrumental in this, as well as being aesthetically pleasing.

Lastly, I don't want the developer trying to invoke the sunset clause which is 31 December 2018, by stalling on the construction waiting for approval of extraneous developement applications such as this. The time line for completion has gone from February 2018, to mid 2018, now to December 2018. We have had excellent weather in the last 12 months, so there would have been very few days where construction could not have progressed. I believe MGC Wealth Pty Ltd and Pagano Architects should devote their energy to getting this develoment completed in a timely fashion, as so many other develoments in the immediate area are doing so, so people who bought apartments can move in and have some stability in their lives. Every monthly delay is extra rent and/or storage costs people are paying.

Regards,

Mark Kelly
0410623179

I agree with Mark Kelly's well reasoned comments.

I would also like to make a general comment:
As a rule there seems to be no long term awareness with many developments of the impact NEW developments have on the existing ones. It seems that one can buy an apartment with a view (which may have been one of the main selling points) only to find a year later that the view is blocked by a new development. Development at Wolli Creek is a prime example. There doesn't seem to be any vision as to what the 'heart' of the area should be like, what we are getting instead (as with many other developments around Sydney) is the growth of ghetto conditions with no consideration other than 'how many people can we squeeze into this space.

I agree with William Zappa & Mark Kelly.
Not only is there no over arching vision but there is also no infrastructure to support the 1000's of people that these style of over development cause. There is also very little say from the locals and the impacts that these development have on their communities. This is why community based groups like Save Marrickville South are so important. We must stand together to have our voice heard over the noise of developer driven, ever larger project that change both the character and make up of our suburbs and give very little back in return.