City planning professor: Don’t make Sydenham to Bankstown urban renewal corridor just for the rich

A CITY planning expert has warned an urban renewal corridor along the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro line could become an enclave for “those with deep pockets”.

A leading city planning expert has questioned why affordable housing planning wasn’t yet part of the Sydenham to Bankstown urban renewal plan. Pictured is an artist impression of a proposed revamp of Campsie’s Anzac Mall.

• Rail corridor continues to attract highrise development
• Alliance forms to protect character of rail corridor from state urban renewal plans
• Projects in the pipeline as population grows faster than initially predicted
• Canterbury Road Corridor reviews past approvals by former council

A LEADING city planning expert has warned an urban renewal corridor along the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro line could become an enclave for “those with deep pockets”.

University of NSW City Futures Research Centre director Professor Bill Randolph has called for the NSW Government to form an independent corporation to ensure there is enough affordable housing among the 36,000 new apartments proposed near stations.

Draft plans outline converting 11 stations to a single deck Metro rail line, promising 15 fast trains per hour between Bankstown and Sydenham.

It also proposes accelerating high-rise development within 400m of stations and gentrifying some suburbs with trendy dining and shopping strips.

But Prof Randolph said the Government had not detailed how much affordable housing would be provided.

A map showing the proposed Sydenham to Bankstown urban renewal corridor.

“The Sydenham to Canterbury corridor is home to one of the largest concentrations of lower-income renters in Sydney, compounded by a large population of retirees on fixed, low incomes,” he said.

“Gentrification, the driver for urban renewal across much of Sydney, has not come knocking on these doors — yet.

“And as new investment comes in, so rents will rise. Without a significant affordable housing component, many of the essential workers who live there today — the mechanics, care attendants and shop workers — will be pushed further towards Sydney’s periphery.”

Income figures from the 2011 Census show 47.2 per cent of residents in Campsie, which will be the most redeveloped suburb, earnt less than $1000 per week.

University of NSW City Futures Research Centre director Professor Bill Randolph has called for an independent corporation to be formed ensure there is enough affordable housing.

The Department of Planning and Environment spokeswoman said: “The department is currently reviewing the NSW Government’s planning policies on housing and will consult with other government agencies when considering the best way to co-ordinate the provision of services and affordable housing”.

Prof Randolph said the government also had not shown where it was building services, like new schools, to deal with tens of thousands of new residents.

The Department of Planning and Environment spokeswoman said a revised strategy based on community feedback and other investigations would include more details on what future infrastructure was needed, like roads, parks, schools and cycleways.

Prof Randolph said while parts of Sydney were “crying out” for a face lift, ignoring low-income residents would be “disastrous”.

“This new urban paradise must not be just for those with deep pockets,” he said.