South Dural rezoning for new homes to be funded by developers, not Hornsby Council

Rezoning South Dural for 3000 new homes will be funded by developers, not Hornsby Council, after it voted to distance itself from the process.

Hornsby Council general manager Scott Phillips who announced his resignation on Monday of this week. He is leaving on good terms with the council and is moving to another GM position closer to home in the Sutherland shire rather than the 3 hr round trip at present. Pictured with Hornsby Mayor Steve Russell.

The controversial planning proposal to rezone South Dural for 3000 new homes will be funded by developers, not Hornsby Council, after it voted to distance itself from the process.

The council had planned to do the studies needed to develop 240ha of land south of Round Corner, bounded by Old Northern Rd, New Line Rd and Hastings Rd, but now the council will leave it to the developers to fund.

South Dural proposed rezoning area

Either way, Hornsby Council would have been reimbursed for work on the project.

Residents, who lodged a petition of 2000 signatures against the plan, said it was “inappropriate” and “out of character for the area”, citing traffic issues on New Line Rd, a lack of infrastructure, scarce metro-agricultural land and concerns with the way the proposal was being “helped” by the council.

Hornsby Greens said the council was too “closely enmeshed­” with the plan to independently assess it.

A sign posted in the South Dural area, objecting to the plan in 2013

Cherrybrook residents association president Vince del Gallego said he was concerned that the council was “fast-tracking” the proposal at the busiest time of the year.

“If the community is not vigilant, a substantial increase­ in population with inferior infrastructure and indiscriminate rezoning of rural lands will result in the denigration of community and quality of family life,” Mr de Gallego said.

But the South Dural Residents and Ratepayers Group who own most of land in the area, said developer-led studies were used in other areas like Box Hill north.

“This milestone brings us all closer to delivering a greater variety of more affordable­ housing to the area together with much needed infrastructure,” the group said.

Hornsby Mayor Steve Russell said that the council was determined to make sure the plan was fair to everybody.