Bushells Factory redevelopment: Concord mega-development in setback after crunch council vote

A contentious large redevelopment of an old coffee factory has hit the buffers after a Sydney council voted on Tuesday to defer the matter. See what happened.

The Bushells Factory in Concord is in the midst of a three-year redevelopment quest, which has irked local residents worried about the size and impact on roads. Picture: Julian Andrews

A contentious large redevelopment of an old coffee factory has hit the buffers after a Sydney council voted on Tuesday to defer the matter, with one local resident calling the redevelopment proposal an “unmitigated disaster”.

The Bushells Factory in Concord, in the City of Canada Bay local government area (LGA), has a turbulent seven-year planning history and has drawn the ire of local residents who fear it could turn surrounding areas into rat runs and “soulless canyons”.

The plans include buildings of heights up to 21 metres (six storeys), rezoning the site from industrial to neighbourhood, and listing the factory building as a local heritage site, among others. There would be about 380 new apartments, 7500 sqm of non-residential floor space, retail outlets, a foreshore park and walk, as well as light industry.

Its fate, however, remains uncertain after councillors voted on Tuesday to defer the matter, to ensure it remained in council – and not state government – hands.

Residents turned out in their droves on Tuesday to air concerns.

Bushells Factory, Concord. Picture: Julian Andrews

Bushells Factory, Concord. Picture: Julian Andrews

“Concord doesn’t need to be a mirror image of the high-rises and soulless canyons of Rhodes,” Kate Foot said.

“It (the plans) are a massive overdevelopment totally ignoring the surrounding area, and totally ignoring the traffic and parking challenges in the peninsula.”

Long-serving Concord resident John McKeon said the proposals “didn’t pass the pub test”.

“There’s no quid-pro-quo here for the residents of Concord with these proposals,” he said.

“It doesn’t pass the pub test, it doesn’t even pass the sniff test. It would be an unmitigated disaster.”

Concerns, among many, revolve around the proposed height and size of the development, lack of carparking spaces, and knock-on effects on the surrounding narrow streets.

Concept art of the proposals for the site.

“Please do your civic duty and let the state government know that you will not stand by and watch this beautiful old suburb be destroyed,” Ms Foot said.

John Elliot, CEO of Fresh Food, the company which owns and operates the site, said the business had “worked closely with council to achieve a mutual outcome”.

“It hasn’t been easy, at times very frustrating, but we have the same vision for the site today as we did at the start,” he said, while urging council to accept the proposal.

Councillors, many of who rejected the proposal in principal, coalesced around a motion by Michael Megna, which sought to defer the matter, to allow staff to better take into account concerns, opposed to rejecting the plans outright and dropping it into the hands of “city-slicker bureaucrats”, according to another councillor.

New flats, shops, and open space are part of the proposals.

“We can reject it tonight, and the department (Department of Planning) will take it over tomorrow,” Mr Megna said.

“Never try and get in the way of the department and an empty block of land.”

Deputy mayor Stephanie Di Pasqua said council should keep the proposals in its own hands.

“This council should be united in not letting some city slicker bureaucrat make the final decision on this,” she said.

“If that happens the final decision will come from the department, from someone who has probably never been to Concord.”

Labor councillor Julia Little — who will contest Drummoyne in the upcoming state election — called the plans “gross overdevelopment”, a point agreed with by councillor Andrew Ferguson.

Location of the site and factory in the City of Canada Bay.

“We should look for advancements and improvements (in the area), but we do want some semblance of liveability,” Ms Little said.

Ms Little said residents have been forthright with their concerns for years.

“Our community was very clear last night: they do not support the bulk, height and scale of the planning proposal at Bushells,” she said.

“The residents raised many of the same concerns in 2019 at council – I supported the community then and I support the community now.”

Mr Ferguson said he was “unimpressed” by the proposals.

“It’s a gross over development,” he said. “I reject the scale, height and density of the proposals, which are entirely inappropriate for the local area.”

Councillors voted to defer the planning proposal eight to one – councillor Charles Jago wanted instead to reject the plans outright – and a workshop will be planned for councillors and staff to analyse and make recommendations on the proposals.