August has arrived, bringing with it several significant events across our community.
Before diving into the news, I want to extend a massive good luck to Allie as she prepares for the Galston500 on Saturday, 29 August! It is a fantastic local event raising vital funds for MS research, and the whole team at The Post is cheering her on for a smooth and successful track run. You can read about this on pages 11 and 30.
Key Takeaways
- Planning Trend Watch: Developers in Asquith (Baldwin Ave) and Hornsby (Forbes St) are pushing to replace approved townhouse developments with multi-storey apartment blocks, testing controls outside official TOD footprints.
- Homelessness Week Focus: Highlighting Samantha Bing's seven-night rough sleep at Circular Quay for St Vincent de Paul, accompanied by community 'Sit With Me' visits and video updates.
- Major Community Events: August highlights include the Community Pitch at Magpies Waitara (26 Aug), the Galston500 MS fundraiser (29 Aug), and the Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury Sydney Gala Ball (29 Aug).
- Local Milestone: Congratulating family-owned local institution Turramurra Music as it celebrates 50 years of continuous service.
Turning to local planning, we are tracking a very clear and concerning pattern across our region. From Baldwin Avenue in Asquith to 19–23 Forbes Street in Hornsby, developers are stepping away from previously approved townhouse plans and pivoting toward much larger, multi-storey apartment blocks.
In both cases, original approvals for modest, low-rise townhouses are being replaced by proposals for many many more apartments, pushing density limits well beyond what surrounding single and double-storey streetscapes were designed to handle.
What makes these cases so significant is that neither site falls within the official Transport Oriented Development (TOD) footprint introduced by the State Government. By pushing high-density scale outside designated TOD boundaries, these applications test local planning controls and risk setting a precedent for established residential streets.
We start the month with Homelessness Week (3–9 August). This year’s theme, ‘Homelessness Action Now,’ couldn’t be more fitting for our cover story featuring Samantha Bing. Samantha is sleeping on the streets of Sydney for seven consecutive nights to raise vital funds for St Vincent de Paul. You can read all about her courageous initiative on pages 4 and 5. As part of her ‘Sit With Me’ invitation, I’ll be visiting Samantha in the city during her week on the streets, and I strongly encourage you to do the same. We will also be sharing video updates from her journey on The Post’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Later this month, we look forward to the Annual Community Pitch, hosted by Community Bank Lindfield on 26 August at Magpies Waitara. The Post is proud to be a sponsor once again. Anyone can become a partner for as little as $500, making it an extraordinarily impactful way to support local charities doing hands-on work in our area. A huge thank you to Community Bank Lindfield for raising the bar every year – turn to pages 6 and 7 for the full story. We’ll also be attending the annual Lifeline Gala Ball in support of Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury Sydney on Saturday 29 August.
Finally, I’m thrilled to share a feature on a true local institution: Turramurra Music, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary! I dropped in to chat with Rob and his son Mat back in June. Coming from a musical family, I mentioned the milestone to my father, who warmly remembered buying guitar strings there when I was just a toddler.
Congratulations to the whole team at Turramurra Music for five decades of community support, and it’s wonderful to see the torch being passed to the next generation.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy this edition!
Tina
