affordable housing Archives - Allambie Heights News

Brookvale Weighs Two Planning Approaches Around Warringah Mall

Two separate Warringah Mall plans set out different approaches for Brookvale on housing density, building height, affordable housing and public space, with each progressing through a different planning process.

Two Approaches To Growth Around Warringah Mall

NBC’s draft Brookvale Precinct Planning Proposal covers the wider suburb, including the Warringah Mall site, and provides a long-term framework for housing, employment, infrastructure and public space.

Across Brookvale, the proposal allows for up to 2,900 new homes while retaining industrial land and providing another 49,500sqm of employment floor space. Growth would be linked to public infrastructure and public-domain upgrades, with transport and road improvements among the priorities.

For Warringah Mall itself, NBC’s plan provides for 850 dwellings and buildings up to 25 storeys. It also includes a 10 per cent affordable housing target in perpetuity, about 2,500sqm of community facilities and a 5,000sqm public town square.

Scentre Group, which owns and operates Westfield Warringah Mall, is separately progressing a state significant proposal under SSD-83464714.

Its plans include buildings ranging from 12 to 39 storeys, making the maximum height 14 storeys above that contemplated for the mall under NBC’s proposal.

Housing And Affordability Differ Between Plans

Different documents give different dwelling totals for Scentre Group’s proposal.

The NSW Planning Portal describes a concept involving eight development blocks accommodating 1,500 dwellings. NBC’s comparison describes the proposal as providing up to 1,600 dwellings, while Scentre Group’s consultation material refers to 1,300 new homes.

That consultation also says development consent for another 300 homes could be sought after 2046 if supported by NBC traffic modelling.

Affordable housing is another point of difference. NBC’s plan sets a 10 per cent target at Warringah Mall in perpetuity, while its comparison of Scentre Group’s proposal lists 5 per cent affordable housing for 15 years.

Different Plans For Community Space

NBC proposes about 2,500sqm of community facilities at Warringah Mall and a single 5,000sqm public open space or town square.

Its comparison of Scentre Group’s proposal lists about 2,000sqm of community facilities and three open spaces totalling 5,252sqm. Scentre Group’s own consultation material separately refers to about 6,000sqm of open space as part of its concept.

The Scentre proposal is intended to be delivered progressively over about 20 years.

community infrastructure — Photo Credit: UrbanTalk

Transport and parking would also form part of that staged development. Scentre Group’s material provides for Stage 1 funding towards local road network works, including a contribution to the Cross Street and Pittwater Road intersection upgrade.

Parking for residents and workers is intended to be incorporated into individual development stages, while parking use across Warringah Mall would be monitored at defined points as work progresses.

Warringah Mall Plans Move Through Separate Processes

NBC’s Brookvale Precinct Planning Proposal is with the NSW Government for consideration before planned public exhibition in 2027. Community feedback would then be considered before NBC makes final decisions on the proposal.

Scentre Group’s state significant proposal remains at the Environmental Impact Statement preparation stage, with formal public exhibition yet to begin.

Warringah Mall — Photo Credit: UrbanTalk

Preliminary engagement has already included a community webinar, face-to-face sessions and a pop-up exhibition during August 2026. A community survey held from 31 July to 16 August attracted more than 400 responses.

Once the state significant proposal reaches formal public exhibition, members of the community will be able to lodge submissions through the NSW assessment process.

Published 5-September-2026

Brookvale Precinct Planning Proposal Sets Out a Different Brookvale by 2041

Photo Credit: NBC

Brookvale could accommodate approximately 2,900 new homes by 2041 alongside a town square, new parks, community facilities and additional employment space under a planning proposal that seeks to increase housing while retaining the suburb’s industrial and business role.

The Brookvale Precinct Planning Proposal sets out how the Northern Beaches’ largest employment centre could develop over the next 15 years, bringing more housing into an area already characterised by industrial land, businesses, health services, an emerging arts scene and a growing micro-brewery industry.

About 16 kilometres northeast of the Sydney CBD, Brookvale contains 86 hectares of industrial land and is served by major roads and high-frequency B-line bus services. Its role as both an employment hub and accessible centre has shaped plans for accommodating further residential and commercial growth.

The current proposal moves beyond the framework adopted for Brookvale less than three years ago.

Housing Capacity More Than Doubles From Earlier Plan

Planning for Brookvale’s longer-term development began in 2015 under the former Warringah Council and continued through several rounds of community consultation.

Northern Beaches Council adopted the Brookvale Structure Plan on 28 November 2023. At that stage, the plan provided for 1,350 new dwellings and 900 jobs over 15 years, alongside a town centre around the B-line stop, public open space, community facilities and improved walking and cycling connections.

The latest proposal provides capacity for approximately 2,900 homes across the precinct by 2041.

The increase followed further feasibility testing and detailed transport studies. Rising construction costs, changing market conditions and infrastructure requirements also led to the earlier dwelling yields being reconsidered.

Rather than dealing with individual development proposals in isolation, the planning framework is intended to coordinate housing, employment growth and infrastructure across the precinct.

Brookvale urban planning — Photo Credit: NBC

New Public Spaces Would Reshape Parts of Brookvale

Some of the most visible changes proposed for Brookvale involve land currently used for roads, parking and established commercial or industrial activity.

More than one hectare of new open space is planned across three locations.

A 5,000sqm town square would form one of the main public spaces, while another 3,200sqm open-space area is proposed in the northern part of the precinct.

The existing Winbourne Road car park would be converted into a 2,600sqm park, with replacement parking proposed underground.

Community infrastructure would accompany the new open spaces. Plans identify a 2,650sqm community facility within the town square and another 1,000sqm facility in the northern part of Brookvale.

The changes extend beyond those individual sites. Wider footpaths, pedestrian laneways, upgraded cycling infrastructure and additional street tree planting are included in the proposal, together with new local road connections.

Further advocacy for B-line bus services also forms part of the transport measures.

Pittwater Road is another focus of the planning work, with the proposal seeking public-domain improvements along the corridor while accommodating more housing, employment and activity within the wider precinct.

Brookvale Precinct Planning Proposal — Photo Credit: NBC

Industrial and Creative Uses Remain Part of the Plan

Despite the increase in housing capacity, the proposal retains Brookvale’s industrial land and provides for additional employment space rather than replacing its existing employment function.

Approximately 49,500sqm of new employment floor space is proposed.

Protections are also intended to remain for industrial, creative and business uses, maintaining space for the activities already operating across the precinct as residential development increases.

That approach differs from a redevelopment model based solely on additional apartments. Brookvale’s industrial areas, small businesses, health services, arts activity and micro-breweries remain part of the planning framework alongside new homes and public spaces.

Affordable housing is also included. The proposal identifies a 5 per cent affordable housing target throughout the precinct and a 10 per cent target for the Warringah Mall site, with affordable housing intended for key workers.

Planning for the Warringah Mall mixed-use redevelopment is proceeding separately through a State Significant Development process.

Some Buildings Could Reach 25 Storeys

The Brookvale Precinct Planning Proposal would also allow additional building height and floor space on selected sites.

Some locations could accommodate buildings of up to 25 storeys, but those opportunities would be available where identified public benefits are provided.

The proposed framework links growth to the delivery of infrastructure and public-domain improvements rather than treating additional development capacity separately from those works.

A contributions levy would apply to development to fund required public-domain infrastructure and road upgrades.

A Development Control Plan and Contributions Plan are also being prepared to support the site-specific planning proposal and are expected to be considered separately.

Brookvale Proposal Still Faces Public Exhibition

The latest step was taken on 21 July 2026, when Northern Beaches Council resolved to progress the amended planning proposal to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure for Gateway approval.

The proposal had previously been endorsed by the Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel on 3 June 2026.

As of August 2026, Gateway approval was still being awaited.

Approval at that stage would not make the proposed changes final. It would allow the planning proposal to proceed to formal public exhibition, giving residents, businesses and other stakeholders another opportunity to provide feedback.

The responses would then be presented at a future Council meeting before further decisions are made about the planning controls that would guide Brookvale towards 2041.

Published 31-July-2026

Proposed Apartment Block Aligns with Brookvale Structure Plan

Photo Credit: DA2024/1684

A proposed 68-unit apartment development has been lodged for a prominent Pittwater Road site in Brookvale, supporting long-term revitalisation plans for the suburb.

Development Proposal in Brookvale Supports Long-Term Plan

A new four-storey apartment complex featuring 68 residential units has been proposed for a vacant block at 638 Pittwater Road, Brookvale. The development forms part of the ongoing implementation of the Brookvale Structure Plan, which was endorsed by NBC in late 2023.

Previous Approvals and Site History

The site, formerly occupied by a St Vincent de Paul shop and warehouse, previously received development approval in 2020 for a three-storey mixed-use building. That proposal included 48 units and three commercial or retail spaces on the ground floor. The site has since been cleared for redevelopment and remains vacant.

Revised Application Details

A new application has now been lodged by a Strathfield-based developer to increase the building height to four storeys and the total number of units to 68. The location, positioned near the Brookvale bus depot and on the edge of an industrial zone, is being targeted as part of a broader mixed-use development strategy.

The developer’s planning consultant noted that the site’s use for shop-top housing fits within the objectives of the Brookvale Structure Plan and represents a logical urban design outcome for the area.

Brookvale Structure Plan Overview

NBC formally endorsed the Brookvale Structure Plan on 28 November 2023. The plan outlines a 15-year development roadmap that allows for up to 1,350 new homes and aims to increase housing diversity and affordability across the suburb. At least 5 per cent of these homes are designated as affordable housing.

The plan also includes provision for up to eight-storey mixed-use buildings along Pittwater Road, with potential for 15-storey developments near Warringah Mall and the B-Line stop. Two industrial zones—east and west of Pittwater Road—will remain, though building heights can reach four storeys.

Additional features include a proposed town square with green space, new community facilities, and improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. The plan is supported by studies on transport, employment, and housing, as well as feedback from public consultation.

Brookvale Structure Plan — Photo Credit: DA2024/1684

Public Submissions and Next Steps

Public submissions for the development application at 638 Pittwater Road closed on 9 July. The proposal is one of the early developments intended to support the implementation of NBC’s long-term redevelopment plan for Brookvale.

Published 12-July-2025