The Queen Street & West Woollahra Association

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Woollahra Against Radical Rezoning

The Queen Street & West Woollahra Association's fight to preserve our heritage against the NSW Government's community destroying rezoning plans.

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Woollahra & Edgecliff Rezoning - an existential threat to Woollahra's heritage and lifestyle

In August last year that the NSW Government announced that it was planning to compete the long derelict Woollahra Station and use that as an excuse to rezone Woollahra and Edgecliff to allow an additional 10,000 dwellings in the area. Despite the obvious impracticality of increasing the population in Woollahra and Edgecliff fourfold when infrastructure is already close to capacity and a large part is a Heritage area, the Government has been pressing on with its plans in tight secrecy but is expected to release them for public comment in September or October. Make no mistake, these plans will almost certainly pose an existential threat to the heritage and charm of Woollahra and will do nothing to solve the housing affordability crisis.

We don’t know what the Government is proposing in detail but 10,000 extra dwellings would require 100 25-storey towers each with 4 units per floor. The graphic below from Woollahra Council illustrates what this might look like. We will publish actual details of the Government proposal for rezoning once they are released.

It is essential that, once the Government releases its plans, as many residents as possible lodge a submission opposing these plans. As Mayor Sarah Dixson says “The window for feedback will be tight, and it may be token engagement, but we must unite in advocating for the future of our local area, before it is too late.” To involve the whole community in this fight, the QSWWA will be campaigning under the banner of Woollahra Against Radical Rezoning or WARR. To register to receive regular updates, please sign up here. The campaign needs volunteers. If you are able to help as part of a working group, please tick which areas in which you can assist.

Woollahra Council illustration of a possible NSW Government’s rezoning proposal for Woollahra and Edgecliff

Drag the slider - left is current, right is potential 10,000 new dwellings.

The inevitable claim from the Government will be that we are all NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) and it’s the rich eastern suburbs not wanting to do their share in solving the housing crisis. But that is totally wrong. It’s about ensuring any rezoning plans are based on planning best practice and respect the heritage value of the area, so that, despite increased density, the suburb retains its charm and character and its important heritage architecture. To that end, the Woollahra Council has developed an Alternate Approach, applying planning best practices while respecting heritage. Full details can be found on the Council website here. In total, it identifies opportunities for a net increase in dwellings of between 2,200 and 3,650, depending on whether you assume 150 sqm or 100 sqm units. The report is very detailed and thorough. An overall image of what this might mean for Woollahra and Edgecliff is shown below and you can find out what this means for your own part of Woollahra on our webpage here.

This Alternate Approach, while only identifying opportunities for 25-33% of what the Government is targeting, is still extreme in some places and, in normal circumstances, there are a number of proposals that the QSWWA would oppose. For example, it proposes allowing building a 20-storey tower and a 12 storey tower on the old Paddington Bowling Club site in Quarry Street and 4 storey unit blocks along the south side of Forth Street. However, given how bad the Government proposal is likely to be to achieve 10,000 dwellings, this is likely to be our “least worst” option to demonstrate that Woollahra can contribute to increased housing and isn’t just a pack of NIMBYs. Please take the time to study the Alternate Approach in detail so you have something to compare the Government’s approach with once it is released. The Village Voice article on the Alternate Approach can be found here. Full details of Woollahra Council's Alternative Approach can be found on their website here.

Giles Edmonds, President, QSWWA

Woollahra Council Alternate Approach for rezoning Woollahra and Edgecliff

Drag the slider - left is current, right is potential 2,200-3,650 new dwellings.

For further details on individual precincts, click here.

ABN 98 002 872 43

PO Box 16, Woollahra, NSW 1350

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