Ours is a vibrant community, but only stays that way through the participation of its residents. Issues that are currently shaping the council area include:
- Western Harbour Tunnel
In summary, Waverton will have a tunnel underneath it which will be created using a mixture of roadheaders and impact breakers. The tunnel will be dug from Berrys Bay and all spoil will be shipped out from new wharves to be built in the western arm of the Bay. There will be five years of continuous 24 hour deliveries of concrete down Bay and Balls Head Roads to the construction site as well as related traffic. When the project is finished, many of the intersections used by Waverton residents, including the corner of Bay Road and Pacific Highway will, according to the EIS, drop to FAIL status. This means gridlock in peak periods. Overall, five years of noise followed by forever of worse traffic. Not a great prospect for the residents in this area.
Waverton Precinct lodged a submission which can be viewed here Waverton Precinct WHL submission.
- Beaches Link and Western Harbour Tunnel – Berry Street onramp. The status of this two phase project is that the Western Harbour Tunnel and associated changes to the Warringah Freeway have been approved and the government has announced funding. The Beaches Link project is at EIS assessment stage, with public comments closed.With the basics now set in concrete, one aspect of the project is being challenged by the Committee for North Sydney, who argue that the proposed four lane Berry Street loading ramp will bisect North Sydney, and traffic heading towards it will cause severe congestion throughout the CBD of North Sydney. For further information, please link to their website here.
- Beaches Link and Western Harbour Tunnel – Further Information.
Beaches Link The EIS for the Beaches Link was put on public display in December 2020. A condensed version has been prepared by our friends at Edward Precinct. Due to file size limitations, it must be viewed in two parts:
These files contain the 29 chapters of the Beaches Link EIS, totalling 1450 pages, so a very substantial document. Please note that the files contain bookmarks to assist you to move to chapters of interest to you. You can also download individual chapters from https://v2.communityanalytics.com.au/rms/bl/documents#eisChapters
On this page there are also links to the 25 appendixes and numerous fact sheets.
- Western Harbour Tunnel EIS. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this proposed system was on display till March 30 2020. The full EIS may be viewed here.
- Floating Dry Dock proposal in Berrys Bay. The community supports a continuation of current working waterfront industry. However, it objects to enlarging the scale of operations in a sensitive site and moving noisy and potentially polluting operations from onshore onto the waters of Berrys Bay.
For details of the proposal see the Development Application here For information on community objections and issues, see here
The Waverton submission may be viewed Waverton Precinct submission re FDD FINAL 31 March 2020 Attachment 1 W P submission FDD March 20
.
On September 8, 2020 the DA was rejected by the Sydney North Planning Panel. Noakes have now lodged an appeal and the community will be working to ensure that all issues are addressed. In addition, Noakes and North Sydney Council concluded an agreement in relation to a number of other matters to do with yard layout, number of boats and the like. This agreement may be viewed here.
- Marina proposal in Berrys Bay The original agreement to lease has been cancelled.
- Possible Museum of Sydney Harbour at Woodley’s. The Sydney Heritage Fleet has commenced community discussions regarding a possible relocation of their premises from Blackwattle Bay to Berrys Bay at the completion of the Western Harbour Tunnel. The outline of their early plans may be seen here. Please note that this concept is yet to be supported at state level but North Sydney Council have indicated potential support.
- Highline proposal to create a special pedestrian sharing link from Waverton to Lavendar Bay along the rail line. See the Highline site here
- North Sydney CBD including the Victoria Square Station proposal. Visit the Committee for North Sydney site
- Creation of a walkway along the full harbour foreshore of our area. This is a long term project which has been making gains over the years, including opening a link from Carradah Park through to Balls Head Road. However, there are more links needed to make the harbourside walk a continuous and pleasant one, and these are constantly on our agenda. See dedicated page here
- Rail noise due to squealing of rail wheels on the tight curves in Waverton and Wollstonecraft. The fight for a better outcome is being carried by the Wollstonecraft Waverton Noise Action Group. A trial of a new Slovenian lubrication system is currently being planned. If you wish to contact them, please email us for contact details.
- Heritage listing of Waverton Peninsula. The Precinct has representatives on the Waverton Peninsula Working Group committee which also includes representatives of North Sydney Council, TfNSW, Property NSW and the local State Member. A current heritage listing application for the Coal Loader is hoped to be expanded to include the full heritage parcel of the peninsula.
If you are interested in any of these issues, please contact us at Waverton Precinct or take your own action. We would appreciate you keeping us informed of action and/or progress!