39 storeys in Brookie? Council just doubled the plan!

If you've ever cruised down Pittwater Road and thought this place has so much potential, Northern Beaches Council agrees with you. It just has a very different idea of what that potential looks like.

Council has voted to send the Brookvale Precinct Planning Proposal to the NSW Department of Planning. Fair enough — Brookie needs a plan. But the plan that went to the vote is not the plan the community was consulted on in 2023, and the changes are not small.

What changed since 2023:

2023 Structure PlanWhat Council just endorsedHomes1,3502,900 (+ ~800 more under the State's low–mid rise policy)Building heights8–15 storeys9–25 storeysFloor space ratio2.5:13.3:1 – 5.4:1

That's more than double the housing and 39 storeys where the community was told 15. In Brookvale. On Pittwater Rd.

The bit we can't get past

We're not anti-density. Brookvale is the right place for housing — close to jobs, close to the B-Line, close to everything. The Beaches has a housing problem and pretending otherwise helps nobody.

But 25 storeys is a different suburb, not a taller version of this one. Brookvale's whole character is low, wide, working — warehouses, breweries, mechanics, studios, sunlight. Drop 25-storey towers along that corridor and the trade-offs are real: overshadowing, wind at street level, and the slow squeeze on the industrial tenants whose rent can't compete with residential land values. The plan says it will "protect and celebrate" Brookvale's arts scene and brewery culture. We'd like to see exactly how — because retaining industrial zoning isn't the same as retaining industrial businesses.

And the honesty award goes to Greens Councillor Kristyn Glanville, who said the quiet part out loud during debate: "Acknowledging that the community won't be happy with the additional height…"

Narrabeen's Cr Vincent De Luca moved to keep heights at the 2023 levels. That amendment was narrowly lost.

What we'd want answered before we back it

• Why 25? What specifically changed between 2023 and now to justify a 10-storey jump — beyond development feasibility?
• Where's the traffic modelling? Council's own numbers say anything past 850 dwellings at Warringah Mall breaks the road network without major upgrades. What does 2,900 homes plus 800 more do to Pittwater Rd at 8am?
• Who pays, and when? The levy goes from 1% to 4%. Council needs the State for the intersection upgrades and more B-Line services. "Growth tied to infrastructure" is a great line — what happens if the State doesn't come to the party?
• Do the caps actually cap anything? The proposal limits Warringah Mall to 850 dwellings and 25 storeys. Scentre Group's concept plans show 1,600 dwellings and towers at 39, 36, 34 and 32 storeys — and that application goes to the Minister, not Council. So is this a control, or a suggestion?

Credit where it's due

Council staff recommended cutting affordable housing contributions — from 5% to 3% precinct-wide, and from 10% to 5% at Warringah Mall — to keep developers interested. Councillors overrode their own staff and kept the higher rates.

Good. If the community is wearing the height, the community should get something back. The open question is whether NSW Planning lets it stand.

What's actually still on the table

To be clear, there's plenty in here worth wanting:

• New public parks, open space and community facilities
• All existing industrial land retained, plus 49,500sqm of new employment floor space
• ~20 local road upgrades, 14 street management works and 14 walking/cycling projects
• Eight properties to be acquired for new streets and laneways, so not everything funnels onto Pittwater Rd

What happens next

Gateway Determination is expected late 2026. Public exhibition doesn't start until February 2027, with submissions through to May and the Minister expected to finalise it around September 2027.

So you do get a say — just not for another six months, and after the numbers have already been locked in by a Council vote and a State government sign-off.

Worth reading the detail before then: Northern Beaches Council – Brookvale Precinct

What do you reckon — is 39 storeys the price of fixing housing on the Beaches, or a bridge too far for Brookie?

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