Fresh plans to rezone scarce industrial land in inner west

NEW plans have been submitted for the controversial redevelopment of scarce industrial land into apartments in the inner west.

The Lords Rd residential development would have green space at its heart.

• Planning panel rejects previous proposal
• New plans for fish markets

NEW plans have been submitted for the controversial redevelopment of scarce industrial land into apartments at Leichhardt.

The revised proposal for 67-73 Lords Rd includes 235 dwellings compared with 315 in the previous plan, which was rejected by the Sydney Central Planning Panel last year.

Developer Platino Properties says it went “back to the drawing board” following a backlash over further erosion of industrial land in the inner west and concerns over traffic, congestion and building height.

The site is bordered by Marion St and Lambert Park.

A spokeswoman for Platino said 3000sqm would be dedicated to employment purposes, up from 500sq m.

“Much of the new commercial space is similar to the industrial space that is currently on the site, with high ceilings and open spaces that could accommodate a variety of industrial and commercial uses,” she said.

“We have been in discussions with some of the tenants at the current site, including the art school, about the possibility of returning once the development is completed as well as how we can support these businesses during the transitional period of construction.”

While the maximum building height has only been lowered from 31.5m to 30m, the highest building will be furthest away from adjacent residents to minimise impact.

Ian Jackson of Bill's Garage in Rozelle laments the loss of industrial land in Leichhardt.

Affordable housing has been increased from 5 per cent to 15 per cent of all dwellings with the 35 units to be managed by Bridge Housing.

Platino will pay for new LED lights and units will be set back 20m from the Lambert Park boundary to address APIA Leichhardt Tigers’ concerns over light spill and noise impacting new residents.

The five green-star development will include a 1600sq m publicly accessible space at its heart including a community garden. Trees will be retained along Davies Lane.

Concept images for the revised Lords St planning proposal in Leichhardt.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said the refusal of the last proposal was a “major win” for the local community and existing businesses, which have been fighting plans to redevelop the site since 2014.

“The community and council have fought and won a battle to save valuable employment lands at Lord Road,” Cr Byrne said.

“Despite the NSW Government having been forced to kill off this rezoning, within a matter of months the proponent is seeking to bring the proposal back to life.

“Our officers will scrutinise this new proposal to determine how Council will proceed now.”

Businesses that would most likely be lost in the redevelopment.

The Platino spokeswoman said: “We realise there was significant opposition from the local community regarding the previous proposal.

“This is why we have gone back to the drawing board and developed a new proposal, in close consultation with the community and other key stakeholders.

“We understand that there will still be people who are not happy with the proposal or would prefer to see there be no changes at the site. While we might not agree, we remain committed to listening to their concerns and incorporating constructive feedback as the proposal progresses.”

She said residential use attracts less traffic than industrial use.

“We commissioned a detailed traffic study which found that the proposal would generate a 50 per cent reduction in traffic in the area.

“The site is also in close proximity to light rail and other public transport services providing alternatives to car travel.”

Council will assess the proposal and decide whether it warrants being sent to the gateway process with the Department of Planning.