By Megan Gorrey
Residents in Sydney’s inner west are fighting to prevent apartment blocks from encroaching into established suburbs and high streets, as the local council attempts to accommodate more than 4500 new homes in the next decade.
Kylie Cochrane, of Dulwich Hill, was “shocked and surprised” to learn the Inner West Council was considering plans to allow buildings of four to eight storeys in her area, where single-storey heritage homes predominate.
Inner West Council’s deputy mayor Jessica D’Arienzo speaks to residents in Dulwich Hill last week. She says the proposed rezoning has “a long way to run”. Credit: James Alcock
“What the council is proposing is coming into our little suburban oasis and turning it into a high-rise nightmare,” Cochrane said.
The council has released a series of draft rezoning proposals to help determine the amount and extent of higher density development that can be built close to train stations at Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and North Ashfield.
Local councils in other parts of Sydney are copping heat from residents who are opposing plans for higher density development, as they push to meet ambitious housing targets demanded by the NSW government.
The plans in the inner west include provision for blocks up to six to eight storeys on Illawarra Road in Marrickville, Wardell Road in Dulwich Hill, and south of Elizabeth Street, North Ashfield. Buildings on a few “landmark” sites could reach 12 storeys.
An artist’s impression of how Charlotte Street in North Ashfield could look after high-rise development.
Deputy mayor Jessica D’Arienzo said the plans – part of the council’s “Our Place Inner West” strategy – were at an early stage.
“The Liberal state government has imposed housing targets on the inner west and council is legally required to consult the community on how to accommodate them,” D’Arienzo said. “We must find a way to do this that is sensible and sensitive to the local character of our community,”
Dulwich Hill resident Jenny Whitmarsh said many people feared the changes would trigger the widespread demolition of existing homes, damage heritage and dislocate residents who had lived in the area for decades.
“You’re destroying a community to put in another community,” Whitmarsh said.
Cochrane said residents were not opposed to development, or to change. But she said concentrating units in the suburban streets south of Dulwich Hill station was “lazy” planning.
“There are other options the council could be considering [for redevelopment] that are along the rail line and close to public transport, like Canterbury Road and Parramatta Road. There’s still a conversation to be had.”
The spokesman for community group Save Marrickville, Paul Mortimer, was worried allowing taller buildings on the suburb’s shopping strip, Illawarra Road, would push out existing small business owners and destroy the character of the main street.
“Marrickville town centre is a historic precinct, it has many buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and that contributes to its character. They’re just going to knock it all down and build [up to] six to eight storeys.”
Dan Conway, who is pushing for the council-owned carpark on the corner of Illawarra Road and Calvert Street to be turned into a town square, said he had “complicated feelings” about the council’s early proposals.
“High-density [development], on a high street, near a train station – I’m all for it. But developers in Sydney have a terrible track record for building something that’s nice and with any public amenity.”
The matter will be debated at a council meeting on Tuesday night. Greens councillor Justine Langford is requesting residents – many of whom are elderly or speak English as a second language – get more time to consider the proposals.
“Many residents are feeling very upset and poorly consulted about the proposed rezoning of these areas,” Langford said.
The council is extending the public consultation period for the proposals by a month to October 25.
D’Arienzo said the council was holding drop-in sessions, webinars and public meetings for residents.
“Following the consultation period, council’s views will be sent to the Department of Planning and Environment for their assessment and then another period of community consultation will take place,” she said. “This would take the process till the end of 2023 or early 2024.”
Summer Hill Labor MP Jo Haylen said residents should be consulted extensively on the housing plan.
“Our inner west community needs and deserves quality, sustainable development that preserves the character of our neighbourhoods and actually gives something back to the community.”
The state government has signalled its intent to encourage development around Sydney’s new metro train stations. The council estimates the three areas covered by the plans will need 4566 homes in the next 10 years.
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