Lords Road decision major win for local community

Monday 4 September 2017

A decision to refuse a proposal to rezone one of the last pieces of valuable industrial land in Leichhardt was a major win for the local community, Administrator of the Inner West Council, Richard Pearson said today.

Mr Pearson said Council had been fighting the highly controversial plan for 315 units in buildings up to eight storeys high since 2014.

“This is a sensible and welcome decision by the Sydney Central Planning Panel,” Mr Pearson said.

“The proposed development was badly conceived and would have spelt the end of a vibrant and diverse employment site in the inner west,” Mr Pearson said.

“Businesses operating at the location in Lords Road employ 160 workers – vital local jobs that would have been lost from the area if the proposal had gone ahead.

“To rezone one of the last remaining pieces of industrial land in the Leichhardt area would have been shortsighted and ill-considered.

“It also would have been inconsistent with State Government directions to retain industrial land and contrary to the precautionary approach to the rezoning of employment land in the Greater Sydney Commission’s draft Central District Plan.

“Council has worked hard to present a strong factual case against the development going ahead to save this diverse employment hub and I am delighted we have secured a major win for the local community.”

Mr Pearson said Council submitted a detailed and comprehensive submission to the Sydney Central Planning Panel against the rezoning of the Lords Road site on the grounds that it:

• would lead to loss of a vibrant industrial precinct and jobs when the Greater Sydney Commission draft District Plan calls for precautions to be taken to protect industrial land for urban services
• it did not comply with the Parramatta Road Urban Transformation Strategy (PRUTS) out of sequence checklist; it didn’t address the high risk of flooding on the site
• it fell very short in the provision of Affordable Housing
• it didn’t take into account the increased local traffic that will be generated by WestConnex and cumulative impact of change in zoning in the Taverners Hill Precinct.