Mega development could see 100,000 new homes built in inner-west corridor
A Sydney Mayor has unveiled a futuristic plan to transform Parramatta Road with an abundance of new high-rise dwellings and upgraded public transport around Australia’s oldest highway.
NSW
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A stunning vision for 100,000 new homes and an upgraded public transport network along Parramatta Road has been unveiled by an inner-west Mayor who says the mega development could solve Sydney’s long-term housing crisis.
Burwood Mayor John Faker told The Daily Telegraph futuristic plans to revive “the crappiest road in Australia” would include building a light rail line or running trackless trams to support an abundance of new high-rise dwellings adjacent to Australia’s oldest highway.
In an exclusive reveal to this masthead, Mr Faker outlined a blueprint for the 9km stretch of Parramatta Road between Burwood North and Broadway that would end ad hoc development and rejuvenate an area desperately needing more density and commercial appeal.
He also called for the establishment of a planning authority to oversee the project and ensure more than two decades of inaction becomes a thing of the past.
According to Mr Faker, the authority should include representatives from the state government and the four local councils covering the area – Burwood, Canada Bay, Inner West and City of Sydney.
“I’ve been on council for 20 years, and every State Government has proposed something for Parramatta Road but it always falls away or gets put on hold,” he said.
“We need an authority to ensure delivery of a vision like this with fast public transport at its core and high-density residential.”
Canada Bay Mayor Michael Megna supported his Burwood counterpart’s comments, saying: “There’s been talk of doing something about Parramatta Road since I was Mayor of Drummoyne in the late 1990s.
“You’ve now got buildings that look like they’re falling apart, they’re old, they’re being graffitied, some of them look abandoned.
“Let’s structure something so it’s not piecemeal, and we as councils want a voice. We should be part of the discussion.”
Mr Faker said Burwood Council had already adopted a masterplan for an area near Parramatta Road that would deliver close to 9000 dwellings in and around the proposed Burwood North metro station set to come online in 2032.
“That Burwood North precinct masterplan was supported by over 90 per cent of residents,” he added.
Mr Faker’s plans come to light after Business Sydney boss Paul Nicolaou urged the NSW Government to focus on Parramatta Road, not Glebe Island port, as the location for new high-density residential projects.
Mr Faker said if the government gets on board, a new public transport option could be rolled out within three to four years with mass high-density residential to follow.
“This is a plan for the next 15 years,” he said. “It’s about developing liveable, high-density housing, along with commercial, retail and hospitality areas, while also creating genuine villages and boulevards for our communities.
“It would be serviced by light rail or trackless trams, also known as driverless buses, that would run down the middle of Parramatta Road with plenty of hop on hop off opportunities and two lanes of vehicle traffic either side.
“If we get this right you can take out a big chunk of the nation’s housing targets while rejuvenating the crappiest road in Australia that has continued to deteriorate with no connectivity other than in peak hour and struggles to support surrounding businesses.”
Mr Faker said there were opportunities to cover costs associated with a new public transport link.
“If you made 5 million square metres of gross floor space available to developers and levied them $1000 per sqm to support new transport infrastructure, that would raise $5 billion in contributions,” he said.
“This is a major infrastructure opportunity that would create new jobs, better connect existing workers to their places of employment and provide a much-needed addition to Sydney’s public transport network.”
Consultants commissioned by council suggest light rail, with a turn up and go service every eight minutes, has capacity to move 6,000 people per hour and 15 million per annum on a dedicated line. It would replace existing bus services which currently run every 10 to 20 minutes.
Under the vision, high-rise development would occur only adjacent to or in close proximity to Parramatta Road, enabling a mix of dwellings to be maintained further away from the major thoroughfare.
“We are creating more vertical communities now and 35 per cent of people in our council area choose to live in apartments,” Mr Faker said. “But you don’t want all apartment type living.
“You want a balance where there are also duplexes, townhouses, semi-detached homes and standalone houses on bigger blocks of land. Where you want more density is on Parramatta Rd.”
A NSW government spokesman said: “Parramatta Rd is a critical corridor and must play an important part in creating new opportunities for housing and jobs within Sydney”.
Originally published as Mega development could see 100,000 new homes built in inner-west corridor
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