Parramatta Council, residents respond to housing alliance’s bold 60,000-homes proposal
A vision for 60,000 new homes in Parramatta has triggered calls from residents to leave their neighbourhood “alone” while demands for more jobs in the scheme have also been made.
A housing lobby group’s plan for 60,000 new homes in Parramatta has been spruiked as a solution to Sydney’s housing crisis but has sparked criticism over the strain it will place on communities enduring traffic nightmares and for overlooking jobs.
Parramatta Council is not impressed with Housing Now alliance’s ambitious plan to deliver the dwellings under a plan unveiled this week when chairman David Borger released a document outlining four precincts to be transformed into neighbourhoods.
The centrepiece of the plan is converting Auto Alley into a housing precinct south of the CBD, while other neighbourhoods would be zoned at Parramatta North, Riverside East and Harris Park-Rosehill.
The alliance’s Expanding Parramatta document details plans for 10,900 plans at Parramatta North which the state government has applied to upzone along the light rail corridor.
Harris Park-Rosehill would have 10,800 new homes including Little India and the Elizabeth Farm and Experiment Farm heritage landmarks.
The “reimagination” of Auto Alley would house 15,100 new dwellings and include driving up density around Mays Hill Reserve, Jones Park and Ollie Webb Reserve.
Pitt St could also be renewed with pedestrian links from Parramatta Park to Merrylands train station.
At Riverside East – the area between James Ruse Drive and Lake Parramatta – 23,000 new homes would be crammed into the site including adapting Sorrell St heritage cottages for reuse, while the housing mix would target students and key workers close to the light rail.
But Parramatta resident Kaye Fraser feared the plans would compound traffic east of the CBD.
“James Ruse Drive is already a nightmare,’’ she said.
Mrs Fraser and her neighbours have already vehemently objected to a nine-storey block with 126 units at Thomas St Parramatta and now she fears tens of thousands of homes would escalate the “gross amount of traffic”.
“We don’t have the infrastructure here and as you know we can’t even get a traffic light in the corner of (Pemberton and Thomas streets).
“The more housing they put in the more people they attract so it’s not going to solve the housing crisis.’’
Mrs Fraser is fed up with Parramatta doing the “heavy lifting” when it comes to meeting housing targets.
“We’re just appalled,’’ she said.
“We don’t have an objection to Auto Alley being developed if they put infrastructure in but they need to leave our area alone – it’s really struggling. I can safely speak on behalf of everybody here they’re just making our area further unliveable.’’
The Housing Alliance proposal Parramatta component is part of the “powerful ideas and places that could unlock more than 377,000 new homes across NSW after the proposal to turn Rosehill Racecourse into 25,000 homes was dumped.
“This is an agenda for both cities and regions’’ Mr Borger said.
“We’re no longer debating whether to build more housing. The only question is how – and how fast.
“Let’s keep the pressure on. Let’s keep the solutions coming. And let’s make sure we deliver homes for all.”
The council also raised concerns about the alliance’s report, fearing there will be a shortfall of offices to support the population influx.
The council has set a goal for the city to have 150,000 new jobs by 2050.
“At first glance, it appears the report has not considered any of council’s past and current work in these precincts, or the infrastructure required to service future population growth,’’ a spokeswoman said.
“We need all stakeholders working together to ensure future generations have access to homes, jobs and infrastructure.’’
The spokeswoman said the council was still reviewing the report.
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Originally published as Parramatta Council, residents respond to housing alliance’s bold 60,000-homes proposal
