I’m a proud YIMBY mayor, but I can’t say yes to this shocking plan

I am acutely aware of the housing crisis that is engulfing this city and broadly supportive of the Minns’ government’s ambitious plans for dramatic housing uplift across the greater metropolitan area.

As mayor of one of the fastest-growing local government areas in Sydney, I’m a passionate advocate of both plentiful and affordable housing for the families who choose to live, work and play not only here in Ryde, but in all parts of our wonderful city.

In a development-obsessed town that now seems evenly divided between NIMBYs and YIMBYs, I’m proudly in the latter category, with the caveat that the delivery of housing does not come at the cost of jobs and there is proportional investment in critical infrastructure and services.

An artist’s impression of proposed accelerated development in Macquarie Park.

So, I was shocked and disappointed by the release last Monday of the state government’s rezoning plans for City of Ryde’s Macquarie Park Innovation District (MPID) as part of its Transport Oriented Development (TOD) housing proposal. The government’s masterplan document makes provision for the delivery of 9300 build-to-sell homes and a further 11,271 build-to-rent homes within the MPID.

This is on top of the more than 20 state significant sites in the MPID already being considered by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI), which will supply at least 20,000 new apartments, accommodating some 42,000 new residents. The current population in and around the MPID is over 30,000, and it will be well over 100,000 by the time the new TOD developments are all approved and constructed.

While there is provision for essential infrastructure such as open space in the masterplan, it is not nearly enough for this exponential population growth, and it is unfunded. The plan promises a capacity of 100,000 jobs for the MPID but does not consider the loss of job capacity – which Council estimates at 33,813 – caused by the high number of spurious build-to-rent dwellings that will replace vital commercial lands.

Premier Chris Minns wants to fast-track higher-density development in Sydney.

Build-to-rent is sold by its advocates as an affordable housing solution for those who cannot buy in Sydney’s overheated property market. In truth, build-to-rent is high-end serviced apartments, not affordable housing, and the significant decrease in rateable income from areas rezoned from business to residential build-to-rent will result in a future loss to this council of $8,510,504 per annum. This future loss compounds each year, assuming a conservative rate peg of 4 per cent, amounting to a loss of revenue to the City of Ryde of $102,178,026 over 10 years.

That’s money that won’t be used to build parks, fix roads, and maintain community facilities.

More importantly, the MPID needs to be nurtured and protected as a working space for some of Australia’s brightest and most creative minds. Last month, the Committee for Sydney think tank identified five industries that are poised to drive Sydney’s economic future, adding a million new jobs in the city by 2050. Three of those fields – biotech, digital-tech, and advanced manufacturing – are heavily represented in the MPID, which for 60 years has been an Australian leader in innovation, research and development investment, education and employment.

The MPID’s strengths are centred on an enterprise culture featuring partnerships between diverse organisations. Multinational and emerging organisations across high-growth sectors are located alongside world-class research and knowledge institutions. Over $700 million is invested into R&D in MPID each year, translating to $2.6 billion in benefits to the Australian economy.

The MPID – which is perfectly situated between the CBD and booming greater western Sydney – is already a globally competitive innovation district, contributing $13.6 billion annually to the NSW economy, representing more than 3 per cent of the Greater Sydney Statistical Area’s economic output.

The Committee for Sydney report called on the state government to develop a clear economic development strategy for Sydney, including plans to nurture local innovation districts. It is vital that Premier Minns takes heed of this advice in relation to the MPID.

I am prepared to work collaboratively with the Minns’ government in developing carefully curated, balanced housing options not only for the MPID but for the entirety of the Ryde LGA. The City of Ryde is in the process of developing innovative masterplans for our significant town centres of West Ryde, Meadowbank, and Eastwood that strike the right balance between housing, jobs and infrastructure. If this generational planning is done in a smart, considered and sustainable way, then everyone wins.

Trenton Brown is the Liberal Party mayor of the City of Ryde.

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