In an otherwise bleak week, it was great to receive some excellent news from Minister Stokes. Deicorp’s mixed-use development at Tallawong Station in Northwest Sydney has been approved!
 

The State Significant Development approval for Deicorp’s “Tallawong Village” includes 17 new buildings encompassing 987 apartments, 9000sq m of retail and a 3500sq m park.

Deicorp’s Managing Director and Urban Taskforce member, Fouad Deiri OAM, confirmed with the UTA that work will start as soon as possible. Mr Deiri also said the announcement came as great news to him and his team, particularly in the context of the fortnight long construction site shutdown. “It gives us the confidence that things can get back to normal” Mr Deiri said.

Click here to read Minister Stokes’ Media Release.
 

Click here to read the Daily Telegraph’s reporting of the approval of the Deicorp development.

Click here to read the AFR’s reporting of the Deicorp development approval.

The Greater Sydney Region Plan - A Metropolis of Three Cities was adopted by the NSW Government in 2018 and is required by law to be updated by the end of 2023. The Greater Sydney Commission (GSC) has commenced the process of the review of the Regional Plan with a discussion paper and targeted consultation sessions.

The discussion paper Next Steps for Greater Sydney, identifies key issues that “warrant deeper analysis”, being:

• Global City Responses to COVID-19 – How has COVID-19 affected the long-term strategic thinking of our international city-region peers, and what lessons might Greater Sydney learn?
• Net Zero Sydney – How quickly does Greater Sydney need to reduce its carbon emissions to support NSW’s net zero target and what opportunities does this present?
• Industrial lands – What is the role and function of the existing industrial and urban services land in Greater Sydney? The Region Plan emphasises the importance of industrial uses to how the city functions and, in some areas, limits the introduction of other uses. Would other approaches to their management provide more benefit to the State?
• Jobs for the Future – How will our economy develop over the next 40 years and what are the implications of this for industries and the future workforce?
• Future of Centres – What is the future function of CBDs in a post-Covid environment? How do we work to create a city of thriving centres of different scales? Will local centres have a different role in Greater Sydney over the next 40 years?
• Heat Resilience – How do we ensure that Greater Sydney’s neighbourhoods remain liveable over the next 100 years given anticipated temperatures? What options might we explore, and what are the costs and benefits?

The GSC has commissioned detailed research and will draw on key data drawn from the 2021 Census to support the review. 

The GSC has recently commenced its targeted consultation program with industry leaders, including the Urban Taskforce, on the Industrial and Employment Lands Review.

A series of discussion papers alongside a mid-term strategic review are slated to be published in early 2022.

Click here to access the Next Steps paper.

There was concern from many earlier in the week that the relatively new planning pathway for Build to Rent developments in Central Sydney had been already been excluded. The concern arose out of changes made by the Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012 (Amendment No 52).

Urban Taskforce can report that the exclusion coming out of the LEP amendment was in fact an error due to the drafting of the Council Plan pre-dating the Build to Rent SEPP.

DPIE advises us that they are fixing it urgently.

This shows the problems that occur when documents hang around for years awaiting the melting of the red wax for the final seal of approval!

The Ku-ring-gai circus when it comes to housing supply has now reached mainstream media.

The Daily Telgraph Newslocal today reported on the barbs being exchanged by the Council’s Mayor and two local MPs.

State Liberal Ku-ring-gai MP Alister Henskens and his Davidson counterpart MP Jonathan O’Dea have critcised the Council for their Local Housing Strategy (LHS) drafted last year that included increased building heights for some centres.

DPIE’s endorsement of the LHS suggests that Council is likely to meet dwelling targets under existing zonings to meet the 5-10 year targets set by the GSC, but that additional planning proposals and masterplanning will need to be fast-tracked to deliver the next tranche of supply.

On the back of DPIE’s endorsement letter the MPs are accusing the Council of wasting ratepayer funds to develop the LHS.

Ku-ring-gai Council Mayor Jennifer Anderson hit back by saying the LHS was in direct response to the Greater Sydney Commission’s targets so any refund of money spent should be from the State Government.

Click here to read the Daily Telegraph’s expose of the shenanigans going on in Ku-ring-gai.

Click here to read the Urban Taskforce letter to Minister Stokes calling out Ku-ring-gai Council’s avoidance of meeting housing targets.

DPIE has placed the draft Frenchs Forest 2041 Place Strategy on exhibition.

The draft plan will facilitate a new town centre on the Forest High School site, new public open space, more than 2,000 new homes and 2,000 new jobs.

A quick scan of the Draft Strategy shows the Government is proposing an affordable housing requirement up to 15% in the town centre and 10% in surrounding areas, as well as a SIC of $19,500 in the town centre and $6,500 per dwelling outside of the town centre.

The exhibited documents are available here.

The draft Strategy and accompanying Explanation of Intended Effects and "Green Plan" are on exhibition until 3 September 2021.