Ku-ring-gai residents ‘pressured to sell’ to developers as hundreds pack meeting to rally over rezoning changes

Mass rezoning plans for huge swathes of low-rise Sydney land is sparking anger in the suburbs as residents report being ‘pressured’ by deep-pocketed developers to sell their homes

North Shore residents are vowing to go to war with the NSW Government over plans to rezone huge swathes of suburban land for multi storey housing.

Hundreds of residents packed a public meeting on Wednesday night to voice their objections over a State Government push to allow more mid-rise housing in low density suburbs to address Sydney’s housing shortfall.

More than 600 residents registered to attend the meeting, forcing organisers to declare the meeting had reached capacity and instructing hundreds of locals to tune into the meeting online.

The meeting, convened by Ku-ring-gai Council, was focused on the State Government’s proposing new housing laws including the “low and mid-rise housing” strategy and the “transport oriented development program’ which would allowing apartment blocks up to six to seven storeys tall on residential lots located within 400m of train stations.

Thirty one suburbs have been earmarked for the rezoning changes including Gordon, Killara, Lindfield and Roseville in the Ku-ring-gai region.

A photo of the public meeting.

The council says the level of rezoning earmarked for Ku-ring-gai is “disproportionate” with other parts of Sydney and could have “extensive impacts” on the community if implemented.

Homeowners who spoke at the meeting detailed their concerns over the impacts of the rezoning changes, lack of amenity to support housing growth, and impacts on heritage.

The meeting heard some residents have already been approached by developers with open wallets keen to capitalise on the rezoning changes.

Premier Chris Minns says the housing strategies will address a shortfall of dwellings in Sydney.

Councillor Kim Wheatley said there have been reports of developers pressuring older residents into selling their homes.

“What they’re doing is targeting older people by going to a group of four neighbours and saying ‘we have one resident who’s signed’ and that’s forcing pressure on the other residents who are scared and don’t know what to do,” she said.

Multiple residents at Wednesday’s meeting raised alarm over the height of buildings that would be allowed in low density areas with one describing the scale of the permitted buildings as resembling “correctional centres”.

A map developed by Ku-ring-gai Council showing areas impacted by the rezoning changes.

There was also criticism of lack of details on the rezoning policies with one resident questioning why the State Government would permit the housing without corresponding traffic impact studies.

“This is going to create one hell of a gridlock,” she said.

Under the changes new developments would also be permitted in heritage conservation areas as well as areas with services such as supermarkets and shops.

The rezoning changes would allow more mid-rise homes.

One resident questioned how “people could just build what they want” in areas protected by established heritage conservation laws including Roseville and Killara.

Modelling presented at the meeting by the council shows Ku-ring-gai could have 17,806 new homes under the planning strategies – or an average 4552 homes split between the Gordon, Killara, Lindfield and Roseville station.

Other concerns raised by residents include lack of amenities such as schools to support the predicted population growth, as well as fears some low rise homes could become “isolated” on streets where new apartments are built if owners refuse to sell.

The rezoning strategies are aimed at meeting Sydney’s housing shortfall.

Senior council staff speaking at the meeting described the housing policies an a “anti-planning exercise that’s about pulling down decades of accepted practice”.

Mayor Sam Ngai said the housing policy changes would have consequences on “traffic congestion, amenity, stormwater, tree canopy, biodiversity and character.”

He said some property developers have even been “harassing” residents including one resident who is receiving unsolicited phone calls to sell a property she does not own.

Ku-ring-gai Mayor Sam Ngai.

The proposed planning changes come after Planning Minister Paul Scully called for more housing on the north shore as well as Sydney’s eastern suburbs, claiming western Sydney had 10 times more dwelling completions than councils in Sydney’s east.

The Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils has called an extraordinary meeting to discuss the proposed changes at the meeting on February 15.

Mosman Council has also prepared a draft submission to the planning changing, describing the policies as a “one size fits all” approach that ignores “heritage, traffic impacts, streetscape, loss of tree canopy and the urban heat island effect.”

NSW Planning was contacted for comment but did not respond to questions at the time of publication.