Brookvale is the economic and creative heart of the northern beaches. It is our largest employment centre and is home to industrial businesses, trades, professional services, manufacturers, artists and retailers. But for too long it has lacked the coordinated planning, public spaces and transport investment needed to realise its potential.

I acknowledge a significant milestone in the mission to revitalise Brookvale. On Tuesday 21 July, Northern Beaches Council endorsed the Brookvale Precinct Planning Proposal. That proposal has now been sent to the New South Wales Government's Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure for gateway consideration and future public exhibition.

The proposal provides for approximately 2,900 dwellings and heights of up to 25 storeys in selected locations where public benefits are delivered. That is a significant uplift and must be matched by substantial commitments to infrastructure, affordable housing, public space and good design. Density cannot simply be a number on a housing target. It must create a place where people can live well. We often hear rhetoric about councils being obstructive when it comes to new housing. The Brookvale Precinct Planning Proposal has had the opposite. The local council is reworking its proposal to be consistent with the New South Wales Government's housing ambitions.

I urge the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to process the planning proposal as soon as possible and, importantly, to respect the Brookvale Structure Plan in its assessment of the Scentre Group's redevelopment of Warringah Mall, which is now being prepared and assessed through the department's State significant development pathway. I reiterate my opposition to the excessive scale proposed by Scentre Group for Warringah Mall. Its concept proposal envisages eight development blocks, up to 1,500 apartments and towers reaching 39 storeys. That is not the scale envisaged by council's planning framework and the community, and it is not a scale I support. Scentre Group is preparing to submit its environmental impact statement, and I will continue to make that point on behalf of the community when it goes on public exhibition. I thank Scentre Group for working closely with the planning staff at Northern Beaches Council as it develops and tailors its proposal.

Warringah Mall should evolve and can contribute new homes, a town square and better pedestrian connections. I acknowledge that Scentre Group is leading that work. However, I strongly believe that growth should be distributed across the precinct and supported by infrastructure, not concentrated in towers that overwhelm Brookvale and bypass the carefully developed local plan. I welcome the retention of industrial and employment lands, additional employment floor space, new parks and community facilities, and an affordable housing contribution of between 5 per cent and 10 per cent in the endorsed Brookvale Structure Plan.

Brookvale should remain a place where people make things, create things and build businesses, not become a dormitory suburb disconnected from its employment base. One of the proposal's strongest elements is its emphasis on active transport. New pedestrian laneways, wider footpaths, improved crossings, cycling infrastructure, local connections and greener streets are exactly what Brookvale needs. The proposed town square around the B-Line stop and stronger links across Pittwater Road can turn an area people currently pass through into a genuine centre where people can walk, cycle, meet and spend time.

However, Brookvale's greatest constraint is public transport capacity. The northern beaches does not have a train or metro line. We rely overwhelmingly on buses, and many services are already overcrowded before they reach Brookvale. We also have a bus driver shortage. If the State Government expects Brookvale to accommodate thousands of additional homes and jobs, it must invest in a major expansion of bus capacity. That should include more frequent services, more high-capacity buses and additional B-Line services commencing at Brookvale so residents can actually board during the morning peak, unlike what is happening at present. Road infrastructure cannot be ignored either. Pittwater Road and the broader A8 corridor carry enormous volumes of traffic in and out of the northern beaches through Military Road and are in poor condition. Pittwater Road through Brookvale must be properly resurfaced. The Pittwater Road and Warringah Road intersection near Officeworks must be grade separated to allow a cross-section.

I am excited by the opportunity to see density done well in Brookvale that is supported by buses, roads, walking and cycling links; that protects jobs and creates public spaces; and that provides more housing choices for the northern beaches. That means apartments for downsizers who want to remain close to family and community and smaller, accessible homes for young people and key workers, and it must mean more genuinely affordable housing, not simply more expensive apartments beyond the reach of local workers. Who can afford $2 million to $6 million apartments just because they have an ocean view and are on the northern beaches? Very few. With the right scale, infrastructure and design, Brookvale can provide more homes while becoming a greener, more connected and more vibrant centre for the whole of the northern beaches. I ask the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to fast-track its assessment of the proposal.

Ms LIESL TESCH (The Member Gosford):         I thank the member for Wakehurst and commend him for his leadership across the northern beaches. Coming from a mayoral position into the Parliament has given him a big background on everything that is happening across the community. His understanding of planning is really important. I commend the Northern Beaches Council on its work with Brookvale. It is an exciting place with a real cross-section of manufacturing and innovation, and I think it is the perfect place for increased densification with the extra support structures that sit around it and innovation. The northern beaches is like the Central Coast used to be years ago. It is a beautiful place, but realistically people should move to the beautiful Central Coast. Well done to the member for Wakehurst.

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