A ten-level building on the former E J Shaw & Son site at Mona Vale has been given State Significant status.
This year so far, NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully has designated 16 projects across the Northern Beaches as meeting State Significant Development Application (SSDA) status.
In July 2026 alone, eight additional sites were gazetted for SSDAs on the Northern Beaches. One of those is the former E J Shaw & Son site, bounded by Pittwater Road, Jenkins Street and Elimatta Road at Mona Vale.
In August 2026, property developer EverMark Group Pty Ltd submitted a proposal for a development at the site, which seeks rezoning of the land to R3 medium-density residential, and an increase in the height limit to 22 metres (seven storeys).
The proposal makes reference to Mona Vale’s status as a low- to mid-rise (LMR) town centre, which permits construction of mid-rise residential buildings up to six storeys in height on land zoned R3. The proposal then seeks to use that as the basis for justifying further increased height.
The proposal uses Elimatta Road as ‘ground level’ for the seven storeys, with three additional storeys below that down to ground level at Pittwater Road (image above). This will deliver a ten-level building, with 118 dwellings.
Although the proposal states that consultation with Northern Beaches Council will be undertaken, under the rules for SSDAs, Council will have no power to determine whether the building is permitted.
The ‘gold rush’ for projects to be pushed through under SSDA rules is causing mounting community concern. Community groups are finding themselves increasingly overwhelmed by the volume of contentious proposals.
Active projects progressing through the SSDA process include:
- 10–12 Victoria Parade, Manly. Replacement of two existing unit blocks with a single nine-level apartment building with 23 dwellings.
- Westfield Warringah Mall, Brookvale. Redevelopment of an area of the current shopping centre, mostly bordering Pittwater Road, to create a town centre and eight development blocks up to 39 storeys, providing 1,500 residences. The first stage proposes a 19-storey building and a 33-storey building with 350 residences and mixed use retail.
- 116–120 Frenchs Forest Road West, Frenchs Forest. Replace five homes with three eight- to nine-storey residential buildings with 160 residences (image below).
- 1–9b Gladys Avenue, Frenchs Forest. Replacement of homes with two 13-storey residential buildings with 290 residences (original proposal withdrawn and new proposal submitted).
- 1–3 Skyline Place, Frenchs Forest. Replacement of existing warehouse structures with eight buildings from six to 12 storeys with 349 seniors living residences and aged care facilities. The same applicant already has two other seniors living developments approved at Skyline Place (nine storeys at 7 Skyline Place with 78 residences, and seven storeys at 5 Skyline Place with 98 residences).
- 2–16 Dee Why Parade and 2 Clarence Avenue, Dee Why. Redevelopment of land owned by Dee Why RSL Club along Dee Why Parade, Pittwater Road and Clarence Avenue to build two nine- to ten-level apartment buildings with 115 dwellings and a three-level child-care centre.
- 4 Delmar Parade, Dee Why. Two buildings between six to seven storeys with 280 residences and mixed use retail, currently under construction.
- 100 South Creek Road, Cromer. Rezone land forming part of the former Roche site to medium-density residential, allowing 130 residences in structures between two and six storeys.
- 1294–1300 Pittwater Road, Narrabeen. Replacement of existing homes with two apartment buildings up to nine levels with 105 dwellings and commercial units.
- 156 Ocean Street, Narrabeen. Replacement of an existing aged care facility (Wesley Taylor Residential Aged Care and Independent Living) with a five-storey seniors living development with 149 residences (image above).
- 1667–1671 Pittwater Road, Mona Vale. Replacement of the former E J Shaw & Son building supplies business with a ten-level apartment building with 118 dwellings.
- 35–39 Darley Street East, Mona Vale. Replacement of a town house complex with an eight-level apartment building with 53 dwellings.
- 6–14 Mona Vale Road and Vineyard Street, Mona Vale. Replacement of existing homes with a residential apartment building up to 12 levels with 185 dwellings.
- 159–167 Darley Street West, Mona Vale. Replacement of four houses on five blocks of land with three six-storey apartment buildings with 81 dwellings (image below).
Additional projects declared State Significant by Minister Scully but for which detailed proposals are not currently available include:
- 16–20 Fisher Road and 5 Redman Road, Dee Why. Redevelopment of a registered club (Builder’s), with shop top housing.
- 1307–1313 Pittwater Road, Narrabeen (Bunnings site). Shop top housing.
- 1 Fisher Road, Dee Why (Salvos site). Shop top housing.
- 122–126 Frenchs Forest Road West, Frenchs Forest. Residential flat buildings.
- 14 Koorala Street, Manly Vale (Coles site). Shop top housing.
- 80–86 Park Street, Mona Vale. Residential flat building.
At a community meeting in July 2026, Member for Pittwater Jacqui Scruby (image above) was critical of the use of SSDAs to approve residential housing instead of genuinely significant projects, thus bypassing local planning controls.
“There’s no planning in this planning. We have State Significant Developments, which were tools in the past for things like hospitals and nursing homes, things to bring significant value to a community. They’re now being used as a free-for-all for developers.
“The low- to mid-rise is a perverse outcome when you’re going to allow State Significant Developments to be declared, not only in the low- to mid-rise centre that exceeds the six to eight storeys, but also in areas that were considered not appropriate for low- to mid-rise,” said Ms Scruby at the time.
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane (image above) declared Labor’s planning policy a failure and said the Liberals would restore planning powers to councils.
“We need to build more homes, but we also need to recognise that good planning isn’t about applying the same template to every community,” said Ms Sloane.
Liberal candidate for Pittwater Michael Gencher said development should be matched to the needs of the community and supported with appropriate infrastructure.
Michael Gencher
“Pittwater is a clear example of why Chris Minns and Labor’s one-size-fits-all approach does not work. Drawing circles on a map is not a planning strategy — we need planning that is developed in consultation with our community and reflects the local needs.
“Development should be based on essential components that make up a community, and the Liberal policy will empower our communities to make that happen,” said Mr Gencher.
Projects that have been declared State Significant and are actively being progressed through to construction can be viewed via the NSW Major Projects Hub. Some projects may have been granted State Significant status, but have not yet been listed on the Hub.
Images: Northern Beaches Advocate, NSW Government, About Plus Studio (artist impression), PBD Architects (artist impression)
What did you miss this week?
Get the week's news delivered free to your inbox every Saturday. Subscribe to our free email newsletter.
