Councillor Georgie Roussac

What’s the problem?

The NSW Government is proposing to redevelop land within the grounds of the RNSH for purposes other than patient-related health care.

Concerned clinicians and residents have formed a working group to raise community awareness.

To find out more, go to the group’s Facebook page.

If you would like to join us, please reach out.

March 2024: Councillors supported my motion that responded to NSW Health’s Royal North Shore Hospital Masterplan 2023-2036:

Councillor Georgie Roussac’s motion:

1. Write to the Royal North Shore Hospital and thank them for their briefing to Councillors, and that Council looks forward to ongoing dialogue and consultation around their masterplan.
2. Acknowledges the strategic importance of Royal North Shore Hospital and the services it provides to Willoughby and Sydney and reiterates Council’s commitment to ongoing collaboration with the Hospital.
3. Support further investment and expansion in the Royal North Shore Hospital to ensure it is a vibrant and innovative health, research, and education facility.
4. Reaffirms its position that Royal North Shore Hospital land that is most accessible to St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro should be reserved for clinical health care, research and education to allow for the hospital’s future expansion, and not be used for residential, commercial, or retail purposes. Confirming that Council’s recently gazetted Local Environmental Plan explicitly encourages non-clinical health related land use in the nearby employment zones.
5. Work with Royal North Shore Hospital and Transport for NSW to maximise the community benefit of Council managed land within the master planned area, as well as parking, open space, future traffic and active transport needs.
6. Request that Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) engage with the Willoughby community on the Masterplan and its implementation, including establishing a Community Reference Group similar to the approach proposed for the new Bankstown Hospital master planning. It is noted that on 20 March 2024 the Member for Bankstown announced that master planning will commence on the new Bankstown Hospital and will include community consultation and an Expression of Interest for the project’s Community Reference Group.
7. Request that the Royal North Shore Hospital Masterplan, which was approved by the NSLHD Board in October 2023, be updated once data becomes available to reflect the increase in population that will require medical care as a result of the NSW Government’s planning reforms particularly changes in R2 and R3 zones (announced 28 November 2023) and Transport Oriented Development Program (announced 7 December 2023).

November 2023: Councillors supported my motion to preserve Royal North Shore Hospital land for future hospital growth and patient related health care by the hospital.

Councillor Georgie Roussac’s motion:

That Council write to the NSW Premier, NSW Treasurer, NSW Minister for Health and NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces to:

1. Request a community briefing on site so the community and clinicians can provide input and feedback on the proposed changes to Royal North Shore Hospital under the revised Master Plan.
2. Request a briefing for Council staff and Councillors.
3. Request the proposed timeline that articulates opportunities for community input.
4. Confirm that the provisions f/or accommodation including affordable / key worker housing, wellness services, administrative and support functions, integrated private health, commercial and retail in the Willoughby LGA is sufficient not to rely on hospital lands or lands adjacent to the hospital under the recently ‘made’ Local Environment Plan.
5. Advocate for Royal North Shore Hospital land to be reserved for patient related public health care.
6. Note the 140 year plus efforts of Willoughby Council, North Sydney Council, Lane Cove Council and successive State Government to reserve the land adjacent to St Leonards Station for public patient related health care including reindorsing the zoning of the significant adjacent employment zone land for services and industries connected to Health.
7. That a report be prepared by Council staff and reported to the February 2024 Council meeting which summarises the Master Plan and its implications for Council and the community.