The humble boarding house that beat the developers’ wrecking ball

A developer who wanted to turn 32 affordable dwellings into four luxury homes in Paddington has lost its appeal in the Land and Environment Court, which ruled it would be an “unacceptable loss of affordable rental boarding house accommodation”.

LFD Developments has lost its bid to overturn the City of Sydney’s rejection of its planning application, which sought to convert the boarding houses, affectionately known as Selwyn Street.

The Selwyn Street boarding houses will not be demolished and turned into luxury apartments by developers, a court has ruled.Credit: James Brickwood

Earlier this year, 32 elderly male residents – most of whom had nowhere else to live – were evicted ahead of the proposed revamp of the site.

On Thursday, the court recognised that the demolition of Selwyn Street would result in an “unacceptable loss” of affordable housing, despite the dwellings being privately owned and tenants already evicted.

Jeff Elliot, 60, was one of the last men to leave Selwyn Street in March. He called the boarding house home for 20 years and says that, despite being forced out, he is happy the homes won’t be demolished.

“I’m happy with [the court’s decision],” he said. “The developers gave me a notice two weeks before Christmas, and then, luckily, we had people come in and extend it a bit longer.

“[The developers] wanted to build four houses and kick 32 people out. Well, most of those people got nowhere to go – we had nowhere to go.”

Jeff Elliot before having to leave his home in Paddington.Credit: Sam Mooy

The judgment also stated that the demolition of Selwyn Street would affect the supply of Sydney’s social housing.

“The individual contribution which a particular low rental building makes to the overall supply of low rental accommodation may be small, but the cumulative impact of many such losses is significant,” the judgment stated. “It is therefore important to consider each application in the context of long-term cumulative trends.”

LFD has 28 days to go to the Court of Appeal, and has not responded to the Herald’s request for comment.

Paddington residents fighting to stop the boarding houses from being demolished.Credit: James Brickwood

Selwyn Street first became a haven for vulnerable and low-income men after WWII. Many of the 32 men who were evicted at the start of this year had called the boarding houses home for decades.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said she was hopeful the court’s decision would set a precedent that helped prevent affordable housing from being lost to private residential development.

“Sydney should not simply be an enclave for the rich,” she said. “And we need more affordable housing options in the city, not less. That’s why stories like this are so confronting and why the City rejected this development application in the first place.

“We’re in a housing affordability crisis, and governments must preserve and deliver affordable and diverse housing – including boarding houses.”

In December last year, Housing Minister Rose Jackson said the NSW government would step in and purchase part of Selwyn Street from LFD, along with the City of Sydney council – but the developers did not respond to the offer.

The dwellings would continue to be privately held, and the fate of the homes remains unknown. Most of the rooms are covered in mould from leaky ceilings, and the building requires plumbing and guttering maintenance.

But Elliot says, if given the chance, he’d move back in a heartbeat.

“Once you make something, you’ve been here for 20 years, it’s home,” Elliot said. “You never miss out on rent ... and then you get told you have to move and find somewhere else and start a new life. It’s not easy to pack your bags and move. And with all the other people, they’re all family, friends, we all got on so it feels hard.”

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