Northern Beaches $34m Retail Centre Overhaul Advances
A $34-million shopping centre redevelopment in Sydney’s Northern Beaches is moving into its next phase with operating conditions now being formalised ahead of construction.
Forestway Shopping Centre at 22 Forest Way, Frenchs Forest, has long served surrounding Northern Beaches suburbs and is near the Northern Beaches Hospital precinct.
Planning approval for the redevelopment was granted in June by a regional panel under a deferred commencement consent, clearing a staged overhaul while trading continues.
The approval covers demolition works and major alterations and additions, delivering new retail floorspace, a swim school, a gym, a rebuilt carpark with basement levels and new access works across the 2ha site fronting Forest Way and Russell and Grace avenues.
Centre owner Revelop has since lodged a post-approval modification seeking changes to consent conditions governing how the centre would operate once delivered.
The Section 4.55(1A) application targets approved uses, trading hours and waste collection, and remains on exhibition until February 5.
Under the proposed changes, approved uses would be explicitly listed across nominated tenancies, including supermarkets, a swim school and a gym.
Centre-wide operating hours would be confirmed as 7am to 10pm, while individual tenancy fitouts would continue to require separate approvals.
Waste collection times would also be aligned with the operating hours of the Grace Avenue loading dock, extending collection beyond weekdays to include weekends.
Objections have been lodged by nearby residents, with submissions focused on operational impacts rather than changes to built form.
Issues raised include early-morning and weekend waste collection, noise impacts and traffic movements along Grace Avenue, which runs past nearby homes and a public school.
The Northern Beaches Council is assessing whether the proposed amendments meet the threshold for a minor modification or represent a change in operating intensity requiring further consideration.
