Greenacre community fights boarding house plan in south west Sydney
Residents on a busy Greenacre street are furious that a developer wants to build a 52-room boarding house, saying it could affect the quality of life and will have child protection issues.
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A development application to build a $5.4 million 52-room boarding house at Greenacre will be decided by the South Sydney Planning Panel on Wednesday, amid fierce opposition.
According to the DA lodged in May, a 52-room boarding house will be built on 144 to 146 Boronia Rd, Greenacre.
The Greenacre Community Resident Lobbying group, which says it has more than 100 members, wants the DA to be rejected.
Their stance is supported by Lakemba state Labor MP Jihad Dib who said it is easier to build boarding houses than other housing developments.
A NSW Department of Planning and Environment spokeswoman said the panel “is an independent body and its decisions are not subject to the direction and control of the Minister of Planning and Public Spaces” Rob Stokes.
Canterbury Bankstown Council said the decision was not in their hands but will be decided by the panel.
The boarding house complex will have 26 carparking spaces, as well as 11 for motorcycles, and is next door to Greenacre Girl Guide Hall and close to Banksia Road Public School.
“There is no doubt that having 52 units shoehorned onto former residential blocks will have an adverse impact on the character and amenity of the local area,” group spokesman Azzam Derbas said.
“The proposed DA is not compatible with the current or future road congestion on Boronia Rd, as the Banksia Road Primary School moves froward with its redevelopment plans.
“Our Scout hall and Girl Guide hall have been a community tradition for over 50 years and this should not be disregarded.
“We want to help keep Greenacre great for our children who are our future.”
The group cited a raft of issues which would negatively impact the area, including noise levels, loss of privacy, poor design, poor social outcomes, increased crime, child protection issues, traffic carparking security concerns and a decline in the quality of life of residents.
Lakemba state Labor MP Jihad Dib said developers have found a loophole around the state planning laws, which he said must be changed, “because any residential road can have boarding houses.”
“This will have a massive negative impact on our community (if the DA goes ahead,” Mr Dib told the Express.
“The state government needs to look at these laws concerning boarding houses.
“Some of these units are tiny.
“Developers have found a loophole to get around the laws and I think boarding laws are soft.
“The council cannot change it and realistically the state government should change the laws around boarding houses because it is much easier to build boarding houses than other housing developments.
“The government has taken local planning out of the local community.”
“The group said they contacted the Premier and the Planing and Transport Ministers pleading with them to stop proposal, but have not got a response.
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A Canterbury Bankstown Council spokeswoman said they want to have more affordable housing in the city but said the decision rests with the planning panel, because the estimated cost is more than $5 million.
“We have always and continue to remain committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing in Canterbury-Bankstown,” the spokeswoman said.
“We’ve shown this by strengthening our boarding house controls across the city to ensure they are not built at the cost of poor design and amenity for neighbours and residents.
“We are also currently developing an Affordable Housing Strategy as part of our new LEP.
“ It is important to note, the decision on this particular development lies with the Planning Panel, not council, because the estimated cost exceeds $5 million.”
The Express has contacted the developer for comment without success at the time of going of publication.
■ The State Environmental Planning Policy (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009 (Affordable Rental Housing SEPP) was made to provide a consistent development assessment framework across NSW for certain types of affordable housing development including boarding houses.
■ In making its decision, the South Sydney Planning Panel must consider all potential impacts of the development and whether the proposal is suitable for the site.
■ It will also consider concerns raised by the community and will assess the proposal against the relevant state and local planning controls.