Lords Rd rezoning proposal rejected by the State Government
A MAJOR redevelopment proposal that would turn valuable industrial land in Leichhardt into hundreds of units has been rejected by the State Government.
Inner West
Don't miss out on the headlines from Inner West. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A MAJOR redevelopment proposal that would turn valuable industrial land in Leichhardt into hundreds of units has been rejected by the State Government.
The Department of Planning has ruled out the rezoning application for 67-73 Lords Rd which proposed 315 units on land currently occupied by small businesses, workshops and an art studio.
The decision was in line with the rejection of the plans from the Sydney Central Planning Panel last year. Despite that, the department had final say on the proposal — leading to a nervous six month wait for business owners who rent the site.
The deputy security of the department, Marcus Ray, said the department had weighed up the proposal against Environment Planning and Assessment legislation — finding that it did not meet the requirements of the Parramatta Road Urban Transformation Strategy.
The strategy, which is still in the process of being finalised, has set a target of 1300 new homes within the Taverners Hill precinct by 2050.
“I have determined that the current proposal does not demonstrate the protection of employment land and does not meet the requirements of the Parramatta Rd strategy,” Mr Ray said.
The department, however, said it would be willing to consider “a new planning proposal” that addresses the protection of employment land.
The Parramatta Rd strategy states its aims for Taverners Hill are to: “support higher scale residential development while maintaining the precinct’s existing focus on the creative industries.”
Balmain State Greens MP Jamie Parker said the shortage of inner city industrial land warranted the site’s protection.
“From the start, it was a disastrous idea to rezone one of the last remaining pieces of industrial land in Leichhardt,” he said.
“We need to protect the light industrial zones that bring employment, business and character to our area — they are one of the things which truly make our community special.”
The announcement comes after more than 1000 submissions were lodged about the proposal, with many expressing concern about traffic, congestion and building height.
There was also concerns from the APIA Leichhardt Tigers about perceived impacts on Lambert Park including the prospect of noise complaints generated from units standing next to the club’s home ground.