Welcome to the website for the Avalon Preservation Association, also known as Avalon Preservation Trust. We are a not for profit volunteer community group incorporated under the NSW Associations Act, established over 50 years ago. We are committed to protecting your interests – to keeping guard over our natural and built environment throughout the Avalon area.

Membership of the association is open to all those residents and/or ratepayers of Avalon Beach and adjacent areas who support the aims and objectives of our Association.

In APA, we care for Avalon because we live here.

APA Bulletin 114 August 2023

Celebrating over half a century of caring for Avalon

LATEST NEWS

Our latest APA Bulletin 114 August 2023 is now available. Check it out here.

Our latest Bulletin

Every two months APA circulates members with its latest Bulletin. A copy is also displayed on our notice board in fromt of Terry White Chemmart & there’s a QR link to the website on the community notice board outside the Avalon Recreation Centre. A copy is also kept in the Avalon Community Library.

Topics this issue (no.114) include:

APA Annual General Meeting 23 November (NOT 16 November)

Avalon Customer Contact Centre

Avalon SLSC cafe

New Council CEO to speak at AGM

Northern Beaches Council’s recently-appointed CEO, Scott Phillips (pictured), will be our special guest speaker at the 2023 Annual General Meeting of the Avalon Preservation Association.

The event will commence promptly at 7.00pm on Thursday 23 November 2023 at the Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club with Scott’s brief address, followed by the AGM.

APA invites members and the public to attend the event to hear Scott, who will answer your questions at the end of his address.

An urban planner by profession, Scott Phillips has 30 years of experience in the local and state government sectors. Previously he was Chief Executive of Local Government NSW and before that, General Manager at Sutherland and Hornsby Shire councils.

Scott has also lived and worked in Denmark and has held several executive roles at state and local levels in the planning profession. He has also served on several industry boards, ministerial advisory committees and panels.

NBC customer service centre in Avalon Beach killed off

The staff proposal to terminate the Avalon Customer Contact Centre (ACCC) finally came to a head at the 22 August 2023 Council meeting. APA President Craig Boaden spoke in favour of retaining the Centre, but was not able to convince 12 of the 14 Councillors present (Cr Page is still away). Crs Korzy & Glanville voted to retain the ACCC; Cr Gensher and the other 13 Councillors voted to accept the staff recommendation. Another service lost to Avalon residents. The Centre will close this November.

Avalon Shared Space survey extended

NBC is surveying residents to gain their impression and preliminary opinion on making the changes permanent. Council originally imposed a deadline for responses of 30 April, which APA advised does not allow sufficient time for consideration. NBC agreed to extend the deadline to 1st October 2023, and it has now extended this date to 28 February, 2024 to take account of the summer season. Please complete the survey here, including making comments where relevant, by the new deadline of 28 February, 2024. A community session with Council staff (on-site) is also scheduled to be held on 21 September 2023 between 10am-12pm.

APA queried council on how many parking spaces were finally lost due to relocation of the pedestrian crossings. APA was originally told by NBC that only 9 would go, but this is was due to the pedestrian crossings only. A further 9 spaces will be lost in the Village, plus those lost when Transport for NSW made unnanounced changes in Barrenjoey Road.

Draft Local character statements

NBC has sent APA a confidential copy of its draft Local character statement, covering the whole of Pittwater. At this stage we are constrained from making specific comments; however as a general comment, our submission to NBC opposed the draft LCS as extremely limited and recommended using the current statements in preference. We hope to gain Council’s permission to make the draft and our submission available to members. Stay tuned.

Barrenjoey Headland proposal

Several years ago NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) proposed a commercialisation of the Barrenjoey Headland with a boutique hotel occupying the main building. Pittwater Community Alliance, including APA, held a delegation with NPWS hosted by the former MP Rob Stokes at which we presented the reasons against such an alienation of public facilities. The proposal was put on hold, but has now resurfaced in a draft Plan of Management.

At a meeting with Rob Stokes MP in January 2023, Rob said he was in favour of limited short term accommodation being offered to not-for-profit charities but didn’t see such accommodation being commercially viable. At a further PCA meeting in May 2023, incumbent MP Rory Amon supported Robs’ comments. For more information you can visit the Palm Beach Whale Beach Association or Pittwater Online News.

The Lizard Rock development saga

The Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (MLALC) was granted land at Belrose, including a site known as Lizard Rock. On 23 December 2022, the Sydney North Planning Panel approved “further consideration” of 450 home sites at Lizard Rock. Bushland Guardians organised a petition opposing the devement which was tabled in Parliament by Michael Regan MP and debated on 29 June. APA will continue to monitor developments in this worrying development and advise members accordingly. See Northern Beaches Avocate and the Bushland Guardians website for more information.

Public path between 32 and 34 Watkins road

APA wrote to Council to ask for signage for the site, and Louise Kerr Acting CEO agreed (May 2023). We were advised that “installation of this sign is expected by the end of August 2023.”

The latest news is that the sign is finally up!

Council’s Conservation Zone Review

The APA has made a submission regarding Council’s draft Conservation Zone review. Conservation Zones will form an integral part of the new Northern Beaches Council Local Environment Plan (LEP).

BACKGROUND

Conservation Zones C3 and C4, are important as they give local government and residents control over residential development in sensitive areas. In contrast, areas zoned ‘Residential’ allow ‘Complying Developments’ to be built. A ‘Complying Development’ does not need to be notified to the community and could compromise environmental values. Use the Councils online search tool to find out how the new zoning may affect you and your neighbours.

CONCERNS with Council’s original draft review included:

– the large number of properties to be transferred from Conservation Zones 4 and 3 (C4 and C3) zoning to ‘Residential’ zoning;

– the low value or lack of value given to Biodiversity, Tree Canopy, Scenic Location, Cultural/Heritage and Risk (eg fire, flood, steepness); and

– the lack of definition of ‘Residential’ zone.

APA understands that the NBC has revisited its methodology and is reworking the draft to take account of the 935 submissions, especially relating to wholesale rezonings from C4 to R2. NBC advises that it is in discussion with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment regarding the methodology. See the NBC update here. See also the informative Pittwater online News articles here and here.

Avalon place plan

NBC approved the Avalon Place Plan on 26 July 2022. The proposed terracing of Avalon Beach southern headland [draft p.74], which is currently a pleasant grassy headland behind the bus stop, will be revisited in the future with another “community consultation”. This item is designated for implementation in the 5-10 year timeframe and will be investigated again prior to then. This overdesigned intrusion still has almost zero support in the community. The Council has deleted any cycle path, but plans to revisit the issue in the next year. In an article in the SMH of 25 July 2022 labels the APA Alternate Bike Plan as “undafe”, with no reasons or evidence given.

Work on the shared streetspace in Old Barrenjoey Road north commenced in November 2022. For the NBC web page on this important issue click here; for the APA web page click here.

Palm Beach Fish Shop site

NBC required the applicant to submit a new DA rather than relying on the original 2014 DA and the subsequent Modification (Mod2021/0203). This was the recommendation of Council’s Design + Sustainability Advisory Panel in its report.

APA opposed this DA and has made a submission to Council. Our reasons are: the differences between the 2014 DA & the new application are too great to be treated just as a modification, a new DA is required; the proposed building would be completely incompatible with the required “seaside character” and would grossly breach the permitted height limit; it would completely overwhelm the adjoining heritage-listed Barrenjoey House; the proposed on-site parking is below the required minimum. Click here for more information. See the new DA. The DA was referred to Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel (NBLPP) and the Panel recommended the DA be refused. On 20 April NBC formally refused the DA – see the Determination here. An appeal has been lodged.

Avoid COVID-19 but stay connected to your friends and relations

Avalon Preservation Association advises members that COVID-19 is still with us. To help resist its spread, please wash your hands regularly, wear facemarks at indoor venues and maintain physical distancing. It’s more important than ever to maintain your connection with friends and relatives – whether face-to-face or via technology.

The APA notice board

APA has a notice board in Avalon Beach Village. It is currently located on the southern wall between Terry White Chemmart (Herforts) and Belle Real Estate at 56 Old Barrenjoey Road (our thanks to both). There is also a notice on the community noticeboard in Dunbar Park with a QR code to the website. Check the notice boards regularly to catch up with APA news in the Village, as we will change the contents regularly. We hope to have news re moving the noticeboard to a better location shortly.