Future of Waterloo: Council and residents to overhaul proposed Waterloo overdevelopment

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has slammed the proposed plans for the Waterloo housing estate as a ‘State Government experiment in overdevelopment’ and has organised a community meeting next month.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has organised a community meeting next month to discuss the proposal for the Waterloo social housing estate. Picture: Joel Carrett.

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City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has slammed the proposed plans for the Waterloo housing estate as a ‘State Government experiment in overdevelopment’ and has organised a community meeting next month.

It comes as the NSW Government released its plans to triple the number of dwellings in the area.

The proposed plans include seven towers up to 40 storeys high and another 12 towers up to 32 storeys high across 18ha of land.

Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore will hold a meeting at Alexandria Town hall next month to discuss the overdevelopment of the Waterloo social housing estate. Picture: Peter Rae

The proposal’s brochure said 60 per cent of the buildings would be less than seven storeys tall.

The Mayor has decided to take matters into her own hands by urging residents to attend the

public meeting, to be held at Alexandria Town Hall on Wednesday March 6, from 6pm to discuss the Government’s proposal

She said she was urging residents to attend the public meeting - to be held at Alexandria Town Hall on Wednesday March 6 from 6pm - because residents and businesses were feeling “stressed and concerned” about the state government’s plans and the meeting would give them an opportunity to discuss an alternative.

“The NSW Government’s concept plans for Waterloo are a gross overdevelopment, unprecedented in Australia,” Cr Moore said.

Richard Weeks of the Waterloo Public Housing Action Group opposes the proposed plans. Picture: Joel Carrett

“We’re holding this public meeting because people who live in Waterloo are telling us that they want to live their lives in a community, not a State Government experiment in overdevelopment.

“The government’s so-called community ‘consultation’ has lacked any proper detail and ignored the impacts” she said.

Cr Moore said the glossy brochure handed out to residents provides “few details and the artist’s impressions obscure the terrible outcomes this plan will produce for the public.”

Waterloo social housing estate's Anna Kovic said she is afraid of losing her gardens.

She said the brochure also failed to mention the parks and open space would be overshadowed by multiple towers up to 40 storeys high.

“The state government’s planning experiment will negatively impact on the lives of our most marginalised residents, and trample on the rich history of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the area,” she said.

Cr Moore also said the Waterloo Metro Quarter development, located just next door, would impact the estate with another 700 apartments in three towers up to 25, 27 and 29 storeys.

Speaking with Central Sydney Magazine earlier this month, resident Richard Weekes said the preferred plans came as a big shock to the community.

He said residents would like “nothing less than what we’ve already got,” he said.

“We want to be able to walk outside our building without being blown away from high rise winds, we would like to be able to see sunshine.”

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Mr Weekes said residents want carparks, space for visitor and emergency vehicles, green space and community gardens for the elderly and young families.

He also said mixing private owners with social housing isn’t a good idea and he feels as though his community is being pushed out of the CBD.