Lords Road Fight Continues at Public Meeting

Inner West Council’s fight against State Government plans to rezone one of the last pieces of valuable industrial land in Leichhardt is set to continue, with the Sydney Central Planning Panel announcing a Public Briefing Session on the proposal.

The meeting will be held at 5:00pm Thursday 20 July at Petersham Town Hall and will allow Council and local residents to speak to the Sydney Central Planning Panel chaired by the Greater Sydney Commission about the planned rezoning of land at 67-73 Lords Road from light industrial to medium density residential.

The rezoning, next to Kegworth Public School, will increase the floor space ratio from 1:1 to 2.4:1 and replace the existing industrial zoning with a high density residential zoning. It would allow for 315 units in buildings up to 8 storeys high.

Inner West Council Administrator Richard Pearson said that there is a clear need to protect vibrant industrial land such as this within easy reach of Sydney’s CBD.

“To rezone one of the last remaining pieces of industrial land in the Leichhardt area is a shortsighted, ill-considered move that contradicts the Government’s own policy of maintaining a precautionary approach when it comes to industrial land,” he said.

Council has been fighting the rezoning since 2014. Most recently Council’s application for a  Gateway Review was rejected on the grounds that Council was not the responsible planning authority.

The briefing session will give organisations such as Council ten minutes to speak, with individuals allowed three minutes. People need to register to speak at www.planningpanels.nsw.gov.au/Meetings/tabid/82/language/en-US/Default.aspx

The Panel will notify all residents who made a submission, and Council will directly notify the community surrounding the proposed rezoning via letter.

Council will continue to strongly oppose the proposal 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;
• does not currently meet the requirements of the PRUTS Planning and Design Built Form Guidelines;
• doesn’t address the high risk of flooding on the site;
• falls very short in the provision of Affordable Housing; and
• doesn’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.