Summer Hill project “The Yard” faces backlash from neighbours

The humble bandicoot is at the centre of a battle against a $31m development in Sydney’s inner west.

Residents in Sydney’s inner west are fighting a $31 million development on their block over concerns it could allow native bandicoots to spread disease into their slice of suburbia.

The quiet suburb of Summer Hill is proving to be the battleground for homeowners pushing back against a sprawling project they say is turning their neighbourhood into a concrete jungle.

The proposal for Old Canterbury Rd dubbed “The Yard” has sparked backlash from neighbours over a raft of concerns including their loss of privacy if the eight storeys go up and the impact promoting the breeding of wildlife would bring.

Sarah Leong, who spoke to the Sydney Eastern Planning Panel earlier this month, said residents in her nearby building “found it hard to understand how Inner West Council rubber-stamped” the plans.

An artist's impression of 120c old Canterbury Rd, Summer Hill

The panel was told there were “biodiversity” aspects to the plans that concerned residents.

“The surface shelter for habits for bandicoots … residents were concerned about the transmission of disease, hygienic issues, the potential nesting area for these animals and what disturbance that might bring to residents,” she said.

She was one of four speakers at the meeting after 18 neighbours also filed their objections in paper form since the development application was lodged last year.

Bandicoots, pictured, were just some of the concerns of nearby residents.

The project will be eight storeys high when finished.

Ms Leong said she agreed residents were also concerned about “hoons” and “people walking by half drunk at night”.

Fox and Johnson, who are designing the project, have previously said they would not comment on the application before it has been decided on by the panel.

Other residents raised concerns that 57-unit project would mean that there would be more than 200 cars on the block as a result of other housing developments going up nearby.

Fox and Johnson representative Anthony Betros told the meeting the project performed “exceptionally well” against standards in NSW and would be “quite attractive” in comparison the current industrial building that occupies the site.