The surprising reason this neighbourhood opposes a new development

Inner west residents are pushing back against what would become the state’s largest build-to-rent development – for the surprising reason that they want more affordable and social housing included on the site.

Developer Rent to Live Co, co-owned by the founders of student housing giant Scape, last month submitted plans to the state government for the Marrickville Timberyards development, which, if approved, would transform more than two hectares of an old industrial site into a high-density mixed-use precinct made up of seven buildings containing 1188 units and more than 10,000 square metres of public space.

An artist’s impression of the development.Credit: Rent to Live Co.

Unlike regular developments that would see individual apartments sold off to owners, the entirety of the Marrickville Timberyards would be rented and managed by Rent to Live Co, with rent prices set at market rates, according to the developer.

But in a twist to the average neighbourhood response to development, residents living around the proposed centre say they are supportive of the land being transformed into a high-density urban precinct but want to see more affordable and social housing on the site, as well as a reduction in the height of some buildings.

“We want something to happen here; we want more houses for people, but we just don’t think this is the right way to do it, nor is it the right housing mix,” said Rachmat Djajadikarta, a neighbour who also works in the development industry, and who has led a community push for Rent to Live Co to adjust its plan for the site.

“The Timberyards development has the potential to benefit our entire community, but the current plan is shaped by greed and prioritises profit over people. It does not provide the right homes and infrastructure we need,” he wrote on a website set up to engage neighbours.

Neighbours, including Rachmat Djajadikarta, second from right, are campaigning to adjust the proposed development.Credit: Wolter Peeters

Rent to Live Co is proposing to build 589 “co-living” dwellings, 83 studio apartments, 201 one-bedroom units, 275 two-bedroom units, and 40 three-bedroom units on the site. Ten per cent of the homes, spread equally across different sizes, will be affordable housing, which allows the developer to build more apartments because of a state government incentive.

Djajadikarta said residents wanted “at least 20 per cent” of homes to be designated affordable housing managed by a community housing provider, and more homes should be designated for families.

‘The perfect location’

But Jonathan Combley, the site development manager, said the company had spent 16 months preparing the detailed report, and it was the “perfect location” for extra housing given it is eight minutes from the under-construction Marrickville metro station and will be a car-light precinct.

The mix of different apartment sizes was based on “a lot of assessment about forecast demand for housing in the inner west”, he said.

The development will include more than 10,000 square metres of public space.Credit: Rent to Live Co.

“There is a strong emerging need for young professionals to have a place to stay in inner Sydney where it’s very unaffordable, and that has informed the balance of product.”

“Co-living” was the wrong word to use, he said: “If you move in [to a co-living dwelling], you can have a starter product at 24 square metres, you have a balcony, you have your own washer, dryer, kitchen, bathroom, and it’s fully fitted, so bed included.” Rentals on the site could also be furnished for a small weekly fee, he added.

Height concerns

The extra storeys unlocked by the affordable housing bonus would traditionally be added to the centre of the development, minimising the overshadowing of neighbouring properties. But because the site is under a flight path, they have been added to smaller buildings on the edge of the development, which will result in some homes getting as little as 30 minutes of sun on the shortest day of the year.

It also means eight-storey apartments will sit opposite single-storey homes, which Djajadikarta said was a negative outcome.

“It’s not an orderly transition for higher density and lower density,” he said. “This is where the council chucks up a stink because they were aware in their masterplan about needing to interface the two.”

An eight-storey building will overlook a single-storey house across the street.Credit: Rent to Live Co.

The council’s masterplan for the site had planned between 600–800 apartments, with a “much better balance” of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, he said. But because this development is worth more than $50 million, it has been taken out of the council’s hands and is now being assessed by the Planning Department.

An Inner West Council response to the application said while it considered the plan a “positive addition” to the area, there were a number of “substantial issues” to resolve, including issues around solar access, height concerns, parking requirements and noise concerns.

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