Cumberland Council pushes for Clyde to become housing precinct

Several councils are fighting against demands for multistorey developments but one western Sydney mayor has offered a solution. Find out if the government’s on board.

The Minns Government is pushing for a high concentration of housing near train stations.

Cumberland Council is pushing for the Minns Government to turn vacant land alongside a train station into a housing precinct in a move that could put a dent on the housing shortfall.

But the plan has been shelved for the immediate future.

Mayor Ola Hamed has pushed for the site flanking Clyde train station to be turned into a housing precinct, with the bonus of already having public transport on its doorstep.

“We’ve got the infrastructure but not the housing. It’s often the other way around,’’ Cr Hamed said.

“We’ve put it on the radar – there are so many possibilities.’’

Rosehill Gardens will no longer be sold.

The advocacy followed the Australian Turf Club’s rejection of the sale of Rosehill Racecourse to make way for 25,000 homes in May.

Cr Hamed said the decision paved the way to identify alternative opportunities to align with its housing objectives and urban renewal priorities.

Cumberland Mayor Ola Hamed is lobbying for housing at Clyde.

She said Clyde was in a highly strategic location between Auburn and Parramatta.

“The precinct has strong potential to support urban renewal and deliver a mix of housing types, including affordable and key worker housing,’’ she said.

In response Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully said the proposal was not yet being considered because the area was zoned for industrial use.

However, Mr Scully said that could change under the department’s Industrial Land Actions Plan, which is considering alternate uses if the land was deemed as locally significant.

“The department has been engaging with councils throughout the development of this new policy and will be looking to publicly exhibit a draft of the categorisation later this year,’’ he wrote.

Clyde has been flagged as a housing precinct.

The council would also need to review its employment strategy if it were to transition the land from employment to residential.

“Council is currently considering the Minister’s advice and will await further information on the Industrial Lands Action Plan before determining any next step,’’ Cr Hamed said.

A recent Urban Development Institute of Australia report showed the government’s housing reform policies including the Transport Oriented Development project – which encourages high density along train lines – has been lagging.

Only 1700 development applications had been submitted under TOD and 2300 via state significant applications, with none approved as of July.

Last year, the government set housing targets for each Sydney council to be reached by 2029 under its commitment to build 377,000 homes across the state.

Cumberland has a target of 12,200 homes. So far Cumberland has reached 6090 homes – 39 per cent.

By now, councils should have met 50 per cent of their targets.

Among the major developments in Cumberland include the $525m Crescent Parklands on the former WesTrac site at Holroyd where a whopping 1227 apartments will be planned over seven towers ranging from 19 to 37 storeys.

Last month, the council endorsed the long-running Woodville Road Corridor Strategy where 31 sites are set to be revitalised along the arterial road, including the former John Cootes furniture store site at Merrylands which is set to host 3500 residents.

The development is set to house five apartment buildings with 413 units, a hotel with 95 serviced apartments, a 6300sq m Woolworths supermarket and a 100-place childcare centre.