Riverwood masterplan: Residents of social housing towers share hopes, frustrations
A new masterplan in southwest Sydney proposes knocking down established social housing buildings and replacing them. One councillor says the plans are a missed opportunity to boost social housing levels.
The Express
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A Canterbury-Bankstown councillor has called plans to deliver almost 4000 new homes in Riverwood a “missed opportunity”, demanding an increase in the number of social and affordable homes proposed.
As part of the NSW Government masterplan centring around Riverwood’s Belmore Rd, older social housing buildings may be pulled down and replaced.
The masterplan proposes to deliver 3900 new homes across the next 15-20 years, with a target of 30 per cent for social housing — roughly 1170. There are currently 1019 social homes in the area slated for the redevelopment, known as Riverwood Estate, which means if the target is met the number of social housing homes would only be modestly increased across a 20-year period, despite thousands more people living in the area.
The NSW Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) say anyone who is displaced by the redevelopment would get six months notice.
Canterbury-Bankstown councillor Karl Saleh said the current proposal did not inspire confidence in the community.
“While the renewal is needed, it should not be at the expense of social housing and community infrastructure benefit,” he said. “We need the right development not overdevelopment with the right infrastructure including more open space, upgrades to local schools, hospitals, roads and transport.”
Cr. Saleh called for a “fair share” between community housing and private housing in the masterplan.
“The government is missing a vital opportunity to increase the amount of social and affordable homes in the plan,” he said. “We’ve got a housing crisis in our local community. There are families in our community desperate and in need of community housing.”
Earlier proposals for the area included 20-storey building, with the current version allowing for buildings standing up to 12 storeys.
Wadiaa Abdallah is one of the people who would stand to lose their home if the proposal goes through. She has lived in an eight-storey social housing apartment building on Washington Ave for the past 32 years.
“The unit from the inside is wonderful,” Ms Abdallah says, noting the privacy she gets and natural ventilation.
Her biggest concern with the new development would be the risk of a reduction in the quality of her social housing, especially after seeing her neighbour’s apartment.
“It’s like a rectangle box,” Ms Abdallah said. “When she cooks, the smell covers from the back end of the lounge to the front door, there’s no ventilation. It’s very hard to live like this, especially when it’s cold.”
Her children were raised in the apartment, and have since gone on to find their own.
Ms Abdallah said any new housing development would need to include a dedicated laundry, kitchen windows, privacy in the bathrooms, and ideally be no more than eight storeys.
The Express asked the LAHC what the proportion of social to private housing would be, and whether dedicated laundries, windows for ventilation, and privacy for residents would be guaranteed.
A spokesman from the organisation responded: “LAHC will target replacement of the social homes (with 30 per cent of homes on LAHC land to be delivered as social housing), but as we are still in the very early stages of consultation firm numbers are yet to be decided.”
“Details regarding bedroom mix and relocation staging will also be determined after the rezoning, when there will be more certainty regarding the proposed overall housing yield.”
As for what would happen to current residents in the social housing estates, the spokesman said they would be given six months notice before having to relocate.
“Planning for major projects, such as Riverwood, take time and asking tenants to relocate to another property is never an easy conversation,” they said. “It is done with care and empathy, and a view to improving their lives and often the lives of many others.”
New tenants will be able to remain there for many years to come, according to the LAHC, noting the overall length of the project is 15-20 years.
That’s still just half the amount of time Ms Adballah has happily lived in her apartment.
“Hopefully the one they build now will be like the one I have,” she said.
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