Frenchs Forest is set to become a strategic centre based around the Northern Beaches Hospital and improved transport links.
We have worked with the community, Northern Beaches Council, School Infrastructure NSW, Transport for NSW and other agencies to revitalise Frenchs Forest and create a new town centre.
The Frenchs Forest 2041 Place Strategy will help implement phase one of the Northern Beaches Council Hospital Precinct Structure Plan.
Frenchs Forest 2041 Place Strategy
The Frenchs Forest 2041 Place Strategy was finalised on 17 December 2021.
The place strategy will deliver:
- a new town centre with shops, restaurants, cafes and offices
- 1.5 ha of new public open space including a 1,665 m2 plaza
- easier walking and cycling connections and upgrades to local roads, 2,000 new jobs, mainly in health and education to support the Northern Beaches Hospital
- 2,000 new homes (1,000 of these in the town centre; 1,000 in the adjacent residential areas) with a range of housing including townhouses, terraces, apartments and aged care; and homes for essential workers such as nurses and paramedics.
The place strategy is supported by a Special Infrastructure Contribution (SIC), which will help provide up to $37.3 million to pay for the infrastructure needed for the development of Frenchs Forest, including:
- improved active transport and green connections to Manly Dam
- investigation for a bus interchange across Warringah Road
- investigation for a rapid bus service via Warringah Road between Dee Why and Chatswood.
The draft Frenchs Forest 2041 Place Strategy was on public exhibition from 23 July to 3 September 2021.
See the exhibition documents and submissions on the NSW Planning Portal.
Find out how we responded to your feedback by reading our What We Heard report (PDF, 1.8 MB).
The Forest High School will be relocated to a new site in at 187 Allambie Road, Allambie Heights. The new site is located within the current intake area of the school. Development of the new town centre will only occur once the new state of the art high school opens.
Find out more about the relocation of The Forest High School at School Infrastructure NSW.
Northern Beaches Council has prepared a draft amendment of Warringah Development Control Plan to support the Frenchs Forest Place Strategy. You can see the draft DCP along with the Affordable Housing Scheme and Tenancy Guidelines at Northern Beaches Council.
What happens next
The precinct’s new planning controls will begin in June 2022 to allow Northern Beaches Council to finalise its development control plan for the precinct and to exhibit and finalise a local contributions plan before new planning controls are introduced.
Once the new planning controls begin, council will assess Development Applications against its Local Environmental Plan, supporting Development Control Plan and the French Forest 2041 Place Strategy.