The NSW Government’s Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy (PRCUTS, issued in 2016) created plans to enormously increase housing density along Parramatta Road from Parramatta to Sydney CBD.
Most of the policy changes under this initiative are now complete, and the main area with changes incomplete – Homebush and North Strathfield – has seen those policy changes substantially overtaken by the government’s 2023/2024 programs with new zoning finalised in late November 2024. However, new approvals and construction in these areas is only just beginning.
Unfortunately, this plan has not brought key infrastructure to handle the current population, let alone the additional numbers the State Government wants, especially for transport and schools.
- PRCUTS actually has two stages. Stage 1 rezoning has been completed, while stage 2 rezoning is currently being finalised. However, some parts of it are being superseded by new NSW Labor increases from 2023 and 2024. PRCUTS stage 2 included additional medium development, but not high-rise. The latest 2023 & 2024 include a lot of high-rise.
- PRCUTS makes provision for affordable housing. While the level of 5% is below the level the Greens are calling for, it marks a significant step forward from previous levels when basically nothing was required. (Of course, affordable housing as any proportion of new development will never be enough to meet current demand; the state and federal governments will also need to build a lot of new housing to meet these needs. See the Greens housing policies for NSW and Australia.)
- PRCUTS and the latest rezoning proposal for Concord and Kings Bay precincts include provisions for some increase in the energy efficiency of housing. A good idea, but not actually enough to reduce carbon emissions from housing to meet the Government’s net zero emissions by 2050 commitment (itself too low as well). See more in my May 2021 motion on updating BASIX.
- Council’s May 2021 planning proposal which approved PRCUTS stage 1 (not the final approval) includes provision for active transport, with relocation of cycling paths out of the way of cars – I credit Council planners for this – good on them! The problem being that this could have been rezoned as medium density, with the same benefits.
- PRCUTS affects other local government areas all along Parramatta Road from Granville to Annandale too, including Burwood on the opposite side of Parramatta Road, and Strathfield LGA along Parramatta Road in Homebush.
Overall though, the potential benefits of affordable housing and energy efficiency don’t overcome the problem that additional density makes no sense without the infrastructure like the promised Rapid Transit along Parramatta Road (NOT the same as the Metro), or enough high school places, and much more. And that’s what the original PRCUTS documents said too – but the former Coalition government abandoned its promises in those documents and the current Labor government isn’t much interested in infrastructure either.
Governments have forced through successive changes without significant consideration of the community’s concerns. In late 2022, the proposed rezoning of two PRCUTS precincts along Parramatta Road came to Canada Bay Council. Charles Jago (Greens councillor) opposed them. Council decided that the low community response in the community consultation meant that additional consultation was required: they deferred the matter so that further community consultation could be done. Within days, the NSW government moved to approve the rezoning itself, taking the decision out of Canada Bay Council’s hands. Their approval documents removed some of the protections which had been included by Canada Bay Council staff for the rezoning. The precincts are:
- Concord precinct from Broughton Street to Loftus Street, up to Burton Street.
- the “Kings Bay” precinct from Walker Street nearly up to Courland Street, up to Queens Road and also sections on Kings Road, excluding Rosebank College and Lucas Gardens School. (Note that all the locals see this area as part of Five Dock – it doesn’t build confidence that the government keeps talking about Kings Bay.)
Both include areas with medium density and high-rise up to around 20 storeys (possibly much more). Rezoning of these areas is now final.
Phase 2 is not yet complete, with additional areas in “Kings Bay” (Five Dock) and Concord. The Homebush section of PRCUTS Part 2 has been taken over as the Homebush Precinct of the Transport Oriented Development program.