Sydenham to Bankstown Strategy blueprint for developers

Thursday 26 October 2017

Inner West Council is calling for the State Government to return control of the Sydenham to Bankstown Corridor to local councils and work with local government to deliver responsible development of the region.

Mayor of the Inner West Cr Darcy Byrne said that the Sydenham to Bankstown Urban Renewal Strategy was currently a green light for a development free-for-all.

“The current attempt to grossly overdevelop Carrington Road is a harbinger of things to come if the strategy goes ahead,” he said.

“Once again the State Government is overriding local governments who actually know and understand their communities to foist inappropriate development on us.

“We know that there needs to be an increase in density, but it needs to be done carefully without destroying the fabric of our community.

“Instead of the Sydenham to Bankstown Strategy, the State Government should instead give councils the resources they need to develop new Local Environment Plans that respond to the changing needs of the city in a responsible and respectful way.”

Council has identified over 40 community and Council concerns and will set up a dedicated committee to deal with the issues.

Major concerns and shortfalls in the Strategy include:

• Failure to align with other strategic planning documents which call for the protection of employment lands and industrial lands near the airport.
• Excessive levels of density proposed for Marrickville and Dulwich Hill.
• Complete absence of any targets or provisions for affordable housing for essential workers.
• Nearly zero infrastructure and services such as new schools, community centres, public halls, waste management, or proper parks. 

“The draft Strategy makes no mention of how the extensive infrastructure needed to service this enormous increase in population will be funded and delivered,” said Cr Byrne.

“With no plan for schools, hospitals, childcare or recreation facilities, the Government’s Strategy leaves out all the things that make a community worth living in.”

The Sydenham to Bankstown Urban Renewal Corridor Strategy is a State Government plan to establish and urban renewal corridor along the new Sydney Metro rail system, which will replace parts of the Bankstown train line.