More vibrant and active town centres and greater heritage and tree protection are among the key features of Ku-ring-gai Council’s preferred scenario for new housing near Roseville, Lindfield, Killara and Gordon stations.
At a meeting on 31 March, the Council voted to place the scenario on public exhibition.
The scenario is proposed to deliver at least 24,500 homes and by mid-2025, replacing the NSW Government’s Transport Oriented Development (TOD) planning policy which has been in place since May last year.
The Council says the scenario will:
- Protect 80% of Heritage Conservation Areas (HCA) near the stations, and by doing so preserves early 20th century neighbourhoods which have been assessed as being unique in Sydney;
- Support taller mixed-use buildings in existing centres which will help renew and revitalise these centres;
- Rezone some residential areas within 800m from stations for apartment building construction;
- Put in place measures to manage the impacts of new development on neighbours, by requiring lower building heights near these neighbours;
- On development sites where major increases in height are being proposed, require developers to contribute to new affordable housing;
- Avoid environmentally-sensitive land such as critically endangered Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest and requires new developments to set aside at up to 50% of their site area for deep soil planting.
Mayor, Christine Kay said the preferred scenario would help deliver new housing in a way that responded to community feedback and Ku-ring-gai’s unique area.
“The scenario has several advantages compared with the NSW Government’s TOD policy,” Mayor Kay said.
“It provides greater protection for heritage and trees, improves transitions between different building heights and has incentives to encourage the revitalisation of centres.
“We are seeking community feedback until 22 April to meet the deadline agreed between Council and the NSW Government.”
The preferred scenario exhibition will begin on Wednesday 2 April.
To find out more about the preferred scenario and complete an online survey go to www.krg.nsw.gov.au/housingscenario.
