Residents furious at NSW Planning Department over amalgamated property sale documents handed out at Cherrybrook information session

THE NSW Planning Department encouraged Cherrybrook residents to consider “amalgamated property sales” at a priority precinct community consultation night last week.

Artist's impression of the Cherrybrook Village opposite the new train station

THE NSW Planning Department encouraged Cherrybrook residents to consider “amalgamated property sales” at a priority precinct community consultation night last week.

The community consultation event, attended by hundreds of people, provided residents with the opportunity to learn about the Cherrybrook Station Priority Precinct plans.

This came after the State Government announced in the State Budget it would establish a dedicated team of specialists to fast track development across the precinct.

However, residents became upset when representatives of the Department of Planning and Environment handed out notices encouraging amalgamated property sales.

Cherrybrook was selected as a new priority precinct location by the State Government.

“The NSW Government is working to increase housing supply through measures that include unlocking the potential for building more homes in areas close to jobs and transport,” the notice said. “In some cases, this means zoning provisions ... are being changed to support the construction of new dwellings.

“In some areas, neighbours are taking advantage of these new land uses to market their combined properties for sale as a single lot, to attract developers and possibly a premium sales price.”

The notice also provided guides on how to “go about an amalgamated sale”.

Residents Infrastructure and Planning Alliance (RIPA) spokeswoman Jacqui Goddard said the meeting was a “shambles” and said residents believed the Department of Planning was “trying to help developers”.

Amalgamated property sale document handed out at Cherrybrook Priority Precinct session upsets residents.

The Cherrybrook Prioirty Precinct fact sheet.

“It was a little confusing, the message they were letting out, was supposed to be about the planning for the government-owned site which is the station. But that was unclear when you were there because it seemed the representatives were unsure what they were talking about.

“Residents became very upset when the realised what the leaflet was suggesting — residents were very angry.

“The reason that was disturbing was that it came from Planning, it had a Department of Planning logo on it and all.”