4 Baldwin Avenue, Asquith NSW 2077, VIC

There are a multitude of reasons why this development will negatively impact the local area and will likely encourage the further lodging of similar applications, turning a quiet yet already busy local area in effectively a second highway lined with high rise apartments.
The traffic in this area is already strained with traffic daily backing up from the highway through Baldwin street to Sherbrook, and from Yirra Pd / Kuring Gai Chase Rd. where it is often so backed up it freezes for long periods of time. During holiday periods this is magnified and traffic can be backed along Sherbrook as far back as Linda St in Hornsby. During the construction phase there will be nowhere for heavy vehicles to park, significant difficulties in trying to get cranes or large machinery and trucks in which may also result in the need to remove trees and impact local streets, and importantly blocking already strained traffic, in particular access to local parks, the local schools and emergency vehicles which daily use Sherbrook road to access the freeway via Kuring Gai Chase Rd.
By allowing these developments there is not only the noise and disruption during construction phases but the then permanent increase to traffic which the local infrastructure is not designed to manage.
Significant incidents have occurred at both the Royston Pde / Baldwin St intersection and from traffic entering the highway from over the Asquith rail bridge which is likely to increase if these developments go ahead - not to mention increased danger to local schools and the children who daily traverse these areas.
The buildings themselves at this height create imposing structures which a not in harmony with the surrounding structures and will cause light blockage to neighbours including the school (which will also be affected by having their play areas overlooked by 9 storeys of occupants). The negative impacts include quality of life for neighbours of this development such as the lack of sun and natural light, impacting mental health, affecting natural heating, and negatively impacting gardens. Should this development go ahead it will create a precedent for more applications which will only lead to further decreasing the ambience and quality of life for those who live around these buildings.
There are no positive outcomes to such developments in this part of Asquith - development should be focussed on the highway precinct where there is ample space, capacity for traffic, and little impact on neighbouring properties. In particular council should be looking to develop the stretch of shops along the highway opposite Asquith station as an obvious location to improve the streetscape and meet targets for accommodating residential development. Even so, this should be done responsibly and still kept to modest heights and density. It is also astounding more has not been done to address traffic incidents (including a fatality) at the intersection of Baldwin Ave and the highway - the fencing that was erected has done little to stop the recurring crashes, and people crossing the road do so further down closer to KFC completely negating the fencing and risking their lives to save time crossing the road. The daily occurrence of people road raging, running red lights, crashing, almost hitting pedestrians, should be more than enough for council to make some significant investment in this location including the installation of red light cameras, traffic lights to allow traffic to flow onto the highway, and where possible the construction of a pedestrian overpass or tunnel which in the event of development of the shops opposite the station should be a mandatory inclusion in any designs. Unless this area is addressed further crashes, injuries and fatalities will occur. Allowing for large developments such as this one will only increase the likelihood of these incidents to take place.
Having resided in this part of Asquith for over ten years I love the quiet, the community, the ability to walk the streets and to enjoy the peaceful amenity of the area and would hate to see the council approving such large and incompatible developments for the sake of meeting targets where opportunities to do so are still ample along the highway and would adjoin similar developments. It is inconceivable that the council would see fit to turn quiet, community areas into large development spaces unnecessarily and I hope that you will see sense in refusing this development, particularly in the current scope at 9 storeys.