By Councillor Charles Jago, updated 13th May 2024
The NSW government has released its plan for increasing housing density in North Strathfield, to directly affect all residents. See the rezoning proposal home page, the master plan (204MB – huge file) and the Explanation of Intended Effect documents. The Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Housing (DPHI) plans to rezone a large area of Strathfield, Homebush, North Strathfield and Concord West, on the Homebush side of the train line, as shown on the map below. It is now on public exhibition for public feedback for one month, closing on 16th August at 5pm. It only affects zoning on the western side of the train line, ie the Homebush side. It runs from Parramatta Road at the Bakehouse Quarter up to Rothwell Avenue, as well as significant areas in Strathfield LGA along Underwood Road and more on the other side of Parramatta Road.
The area also includes the Strathfield triangle. In a briefing, a DPHI representative said that government’s plans for increased density in North Strathfield were only on the Homebush side ie the western side. (Note that I am dealing only with the changes in Canada Bay. There are many other related changes close by in Strathfield LGA, as shown in the map above.)
The plan was released for public consultation on 16th July 2024. Make a submission here, by 5pm 16th August.
The main problem with this plan is that the government’s consultants have picked a highly traffic-constrained location to massively increase density. George Street already grinds to a halt multiple times a day with traffic queues hundreds of metres long. This density goes far beyond any traffic plans ever contemplated for the neighbourhood. Meanwhile, the consultants’ report does not even mention the word “traffic”. It devotes a paragraph to one suggested additional street. (There is another traffic document somewhere – I haven’t found it yet.)
Area of increased density
Council resolution on new NSW government density plans
I put a motion at the February 2024 Council meeting which supported the intentions of the government’s announced plans, but criticised the major problems in how their plans would work. The motion, passed unanimously by all councillors, committed the council to working with the state government, but negotiating improvements to fix the issues in the plans.
Transport recommendations for North Strathfield
The transport recommendations of the Parramatta Road Study 2022 were a precondition for Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy (PRCUTS) rezoning, which also includes North Strathfield and Concord West. (There is also an addendum for 2024, which I will link to shortly.)
Next steps:
If you are concerned about this, you can send me an email with your concerns, and/or call me.
Here are my contact details:
Councillor Charles Jago
charles@cejago.com, 0403 902 613