By Megan Gorrey
Apartment blocks up to 11 storeys will be allowed around train stations in Sydney’s inner west after the local council objected to a state-imposed rezoning and drew up its own plans to deliver more than 30,000 new homes.
The Inner West Council on Tuesday revealed its long-awaited proposal to boost housing supply after it objected to the government’s transport-oriented development (TOD) scheme to rezone land within 400 metres of dozens of train stations across Sydney to allow six- or seven-storey unit blocks.
The Inner West Council wants to significantly boost housing density along busy Parramatta Road. Credit: Rhett Wyman
Under the council’s proposed changes to planning rules, buildings of mostly six to 11 storeys will be clustered around Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Croydon and Ashfield stations, as well as light rail stops and main streets in a bid to more evenly distribute higher density housing across the municipality.
Mayor Darcy Byrne said council staff and consultants had pieced together the proposal “block-by-block” as a nuanced alternative to the government’s blanket rezoning that came into effect last year.
“The draft plan is an excellent start … [This] is a blueprint for how we can fix the housing supply crisis in our own backyard,” Byrne said.
The government of Chris Minns has forged ahead with plans to encourage the construction of more units around 37 train stations under its rezoning scheme as it attempts to meet its share of the National Housing Accord target to deliver 377,000 well-located homes throughout the state by mid-2029.
The council’s proposal, dubbed its “fairer future” plan, enables the construction of 31,000 homes within 15 years. Another 3000 to 5000 homes are proposed for the state-led Bays West precinct around the future metro station at Rozelle. The council has a target to deliver 7800 new homes within five years.
The council planning documents said the changes “support local housing needs up to 2039 and exceed the Inner West’s five-year housing target and state government’s targets”.
The council has said the small lot sizes and high land values in the Inner West local government area meant densities higher than the six-storey developments proposed by the state government would be required to make the amalgamation and development of sites commercially viable.
The plan includes a “substantial density uplift” in Marrickville and Dulwich Hill town centres, as well as shop-top housing on Old Canterbury, Wardell and Liverpool roads, and Norton, Crystal and Marion streets.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne says higher density housing is required to prevent young people and essential workers from being priced out.Credit: Steven Siewert
“New housing opportunities have also been identified in Leichhardt, Petersham, Stanmore, Lewisham, Marrickville, St Peters and Sydenham for low and medium density housing while predominantly retaining the character of these areas,” the documents said.
The changes would not apply to employment lands or heritage conservation areas (HCAs).
Byrne said buildings up to 22 storeys were proposed for a “small number” of sites in Ashfield, but the council was “not wedded to that, and those heights might come down after the exhibition period”.
The council is also expected to refine the proposed planning controls for the Parramatta Road corridor and Croydon, which is split between the Inner West and Burwood local government areas.
Byrne said the NSW government’s plans for six-storey development along Parramatta Road should be revisited to enable building heights of nine to 11 storeys, similar to other inner west locations.
“The proposal for significant uplift in Croydon is out of keeping with the zoning proposed by Burwood Council for their section of the suburb. We will need to go back to the drawing board on that to ensure controls are harmonised across all of Croydon,” Byrne said.
The council is also proposing incentives for churches and religious charities to develop their land, provided 30 per cent of dwellings are dedicated as not-for-profit housing in perpetuity, and for housing developments that “go beyond” basic energy and water requirements for sustainability.
Byrne, who intends to suggest some tweaks to the proposal, said: “New, not-for-profit housing for essential workers and lower-income residents should be our highest priority.”
Councillors will vote to place the proposal on public exhibition at a council meeting on May 20.
The plans will be open for public feedback until July before the final proposal is submitted to the state government in August.
Estelle Grech, who is the Committee for Sydney think tank’s policy manager for planning and housing, said the council’s plan was a “smart, locally-led response to Sydney’s housing challenge”.
“From access to local parks, schools and shops, to safer streets and better public transport, this is what density done well looks like.”
The government delayed introducing its signature transport-oriented housing reforms at some of the 37 locations earmarked for the TOD changes to allow some councils time to develop alternative plans.
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