Did you know that plans are in the works to create 980 new residences to accommodate an additional 3,000 people in Ingleside?
According to the Ingleside Place Strategy released by the NSW Government in May 2021, an estimated 40 per cent of these proposed dwellings will be low rise townhouses and apartments that make up a modest new village surrounded by bushland.
The plan intends to transform Ingleside into a resilient and sustainable suburb ready for future growth, all while enhancing the identity and character of the suburb by creating new homes and opportunities, as well as new infrastructure. The project serves as a cut down version of a 2016 rejected proposal that pushed for the creation of 3,400 new residences in the area.
The initial proposal was scrapped in 2018 after the NSW Rural Fire Service had pointed out that bushfires would have devastated the entire area, and that residents would not be able to evacuate quickly enough given the locations of the proposed houses.
“During consultation, we heard loud and clear that bushfire risk and mitigation was a key concern to residents in the area. We listened and responded to these concerns, by going back and relooking at the way we were planning for bushfire protection in Ingleside,” said Brett Whitworth, Department of Planning and Environment’s Acting Deputy Secretary, Planning and Design.
After undergoing several changes, the new proposal includes an all-new shopping centre, parks, and an open and public space for sports to accompany the 980 new homes that would be built in a 180-hectare urban release area in a patch of land south of Mona Vale Rd. 100 of these new homes will be affordable to the general public.
In order to address the threat that bushfires pose, planning authorities worked closely with the Northern Beaches Council, the NSW Police, the Rural Fire Service, as well as the local community and came to the conclusion that the number of houses would have to be reduced, hence the sharp decrease from 3,400 to 980.
Though community consultation has since ended, Mayor Michael Regan had remarked that revisions will be made to the plan based on the feedback provided by the local community. Those interested in learning more about the Ingleside Place Strategy can do so here.