It’s been over a year since we saw the first proposal for the Thirroul Plaza redevelopment. We’ve had two exhibitions and now it’s looking like it could go out for exhibition again. It’s a good time to revisit the information – some old and some new.
What hits home is the overwhelming sense that we, the community, are going to lose a lot more than we gain. And the loss will reverberate long after the last A/C and plant machinery is plonked on top of those 82 apartments…
Here’s what I’m getting at….
(This article is based on my understanding of the developers’ documentation for the DA… there is a diversity of information and I have a Masters in Planning – and I too find it tricky!)
Cancel driving about Thirroul as you do now. Under the current proposal there will be another set of lights in Thirroul that you’ll need to stop at. There’ll be four lanes of congestion instead of just two – the railway bridge and the south village will remain as two lanes so expect more congestion as a result of the bridge “bottleneck”. You’ll no longer be able to turn right out of McCauley Street. A new bus lane and dedicated right-turn lanes in both directions means you’ll need to weave in and out of traffic. Watch out also for the semi-trailers that can’t turn in the King St site to make deliveries (that’s right, the road won’t fit them!).
Cancel parking. No more kerbside parking in most of the north village of Thirroul. So, no running in to grab your Finbox coffee, milk from IGA, bread from Sanhhuy’s. On the other side of the road, no more parking anywhere beside Anita’s Theatre.
We’ll lose parking on King St – no more dance school pick-ups, quick prescriptions filled, ducking in to pick up your new specs from the optometrist. The developer will provide new underground car parking and a handful of public spots near the clothing bins on King St– but how long can we park there for, and will it be free? Also, the carpark is privately owned so it’s possible they could change the terms of parking on their land in the future.
Cancel walking. There’ll be no more pedestrian island near IGA. Bollards are to be placed along the kerbside – presumably because the safety risk has been recognised by the authorities. There’ll be two-lane traffic in each direction, making it like a freeway – just like Bulli is in peak hour. Children say they are worried about traffic safety when they walk to school now. They too have concerns with what will happen if the development proceeds.
Cancel outdoor dining. Bollards cluttering the footpath surely means footpath space will be at a premium. Cancel your conversation over a famous Thirroul coffee when you have to shout over the sounds of the four-lane traffic.
Cancel entertainment and live music. This is one for the longer term. Remember in the 1990s when land next to Luna Park was turned into apartments, then the residents complained about the noise from Luna Park? Even locally, music/evening venues, such as Scarborough pub, Jose Jones, and the Bombie Bar at Coalcliff. Not only live music venues are a target … even teeny noise-makers, such as the basketball ring on Kilncar Crescent, the Return and Earn station at Club Thirroul. All of these cancelled because one nearby resident complained. No one currently lives at the plaza – what happens when residents of 82 units move in? Beaches and Anita’s – how long will they last?
Cancel independent shops. If you can park inside the plaza, but not out the front of Nest, IGA, Saffron’s, the bottle shop or the bookstore, how can we not assume that these family-owned businesses will struggle to compete with the new plaza shops. They already have the geographic benefit of capturing the “travel home” market (the Plaza is on the side of the road that most people travel on to return home after work). The developers have indicated a new Liquorland will go in. What’s next?
Cancel views from the town centre. At present we have the iconic escarpment as our backdrop. The new buildings will fill the site from WF Jackson Park to King Street, and the escarpment views from Lawrence Hargrave Drive will be lost.
Please comment on the next iteration of the DA.
It’s an arduous process but a democratic one. If we don’t speak now, it will change forever.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Louise Wellington was born and raised in Coledale and now calls Thirroul home. She has a Masters in Urban Management and Planning, and spent 16 years working as a planner in Local Government and the private sector. She helps drive the Facebook Group “Thirroul Community for a Sustainable Town Centre” and savethirroulvillage.com. Despite now primarily working in the creative and hospitality industries, she still has a passion for collaborative and sustainable urban design and community engagement in the built environment.