Inner West Council welcomes agreement for planning to stay local

Friday 12 April 2024

Inner West Council welcomes the decision of the NSW Government to allow planning powers over locations around 4 train stations in the Inner West to remain with Council.

The government has today announced that instead of the Department of Planning rezoning areas around Ashfield, Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Croydon stations, Council will be allowed to continue progressing our own local planning to deliver more homes in these precincts.

Council has been granted time until the end of 2024 to finalise this work.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that Council’s strong advocacy to the government had paid dividends.

“We have fought hard to keep local planning controls and we appreciate that the NSW Government has listened,” Byrne said.

“We’ve said all along that we want to contribute to addressing the housing supply crisis and that we are capable of doing this through local planning.

“Negotiations with the government are ongoing and we are pushing hard for a significant investment in new public housing to be built in the Inner West as part of these housing reforms.

“We have made clear to the government that we won’t agree to top down rezonings being imposed on the Inner West community and that we can do a better and more efficient job of delivering more homes at the local level.

“We are still waiting for confirmation from the government of what their dwelling targets are and pushing for a range of additional measures to address the housing affordability crisis in our community.

“Today’s decision is vindication of our council’s insistence on negotiation with the government on their rezoning policies, rather than simply opposing and refusing to engage, as some councils have done.”

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Jonny Browne, Jonny.Browne@innerwest.nsw.gov.au