Despite the uproar in Marrickville on housing targets, did the local council get it right?

Many local residents may not agree but the housing plan released by Sydney’s Inner West Council in July has been hailed by planning professionals as a strong document that tackles density in a positive way. They say it delivers nuanced, detailed work that should be a template for other councils to follow. 

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David Tickle, principal and sector leader for urban design at Hassell, led this plan for the Inner West Council. He will discuss key outcomes that emerged in the project at the Local Government Summit, along with other placemaking topics. Don’t miss this! Book now!

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According to planning professionals Sydney’s Inner West Council has just delivered a plan for higher housing densities that should become a template for other councils struggling with the housing crisis.

They say the plan’s proposed addition of 31,000 more homes delivers more than what the state government anticipated for the suburb and that it shows the rest of Sydney and possibly many other local government areas how to embed density and do it well.

They say the process has been respectful of localised place-based character and is responsive to local needs.

And that in doing so it blows the state government’s comparatively crude concentric circles of density emanating from train stations – the TOD or transport oriented development notion – out of the water.

That’s because councils understand their area the demographic make-up of their area far better than is possible by any state government. So, where to insert density without traumatic disruption and where it can be valued and add to activity, such as on a commercial high street, near schools, or bus and light rail hubs. Not just a train station.

The fine detail approach can also identify pockets of heritage that need to be protected.

Planning professionals say it’s too early to praise the results of the plan but what needs to be celebrated is the process that was followed and the principles adhered to.

If only the local residents would agree.

At a meeting of locals in late July attended by The Fifth Estate, a packed Gumbramorra Hall on Addison Road, in Marrickville, offered standing room only. More than 400 people calmly but categorically rejected the plans and vowed to fight for the retention of the suburbs they love.

Marrickville and its surrounding suburbs are already overcrowded and have less open space than other suburbs, they said. And the plans were not properly socialised ahead of time, excluding many non-English speaking people who give the suburb its eclectic and often eccentric mix.

It was also likely that the plans would both cannibalise the very things that made the suburb charming and attractive to developers and drive up commercial rents, forcing those quirky businesses out of the area.

Surprisingly, the loss of car parking was bemoaned. Surprising because you’d think the lefty/greenie profile of the place would be in favour of fewer cars. Then again, it might be understandable with the lack of trust in existing public transport and the visceral reality of getting around when you’re a young family.

There was fear of losing community too.

“I love my neighbours”, said one eloquent young mother on stage, and especially after finally escaping the dead zone of another nearby suburb, she added.

That the plans for the extra density would take 15 years to roll out was clearly of little comfort. Several media blasts followed – including in The Fifth Estate.

• Read a local resident’s article in The Fifth Estate, Marrickville’s ‘Fairer Future’ is not fair at all

Among the complaints are that the state government mandated 7800 new dwellings by 2029 but that the council went over and above this with its target of 31,000 dwellings within 15 years. [A target of 35,000 on the council website includes 4000 homes that are expected to be part of new housing targets for the Bays West precinct, in Rozelle, west of the Anzac Bridge.]

The planning sources say that the reasoning behind the higher targets included addressing the concerns of local councillors about the future of their municipality. Young people were already leaving the area, there was a social crisis with housing, and it was important to provide housing for key workers.

Another reason for going above and beyond the state government mandate was that its target of 7800 homes was highly unlikely to be met within five years, thanks to any number of reasons, including the reality of getting projects off the ground in a tough development market. This was also acknowledged in the plan by incorporating feasibility as part of the considerations.

Sustainability was included with for higher water and energy savings above the mandated BASIX rating in return for a 5 per cent gross floor area uplift.

Heritage was another bone of contention with residents. According to the TOD protocols, heritage items are to be protected, but conservation zones not. The council carved out a particularly sensitive heritage area around Dulwich Hill Station to ensure it could be retained and instead made provided a six storey upzone in an areas deemed less senstive.

What about the shops?

The potential loss of many Vietnamese shops in Marrickville is also of concern. But the council plans, our sources say, protect many but not all these shops, through a six metre setback from the street.

Among the planning sources there’s a view that the community’s reaction is not as severe as some might indicate.

There are pockets of strong resistance, they say, but overall the community has been positive. It accepts that there has to be a higher density – what it’s mainly concerned about is that it be a good density.

The professionals says it’s a good result

National policy director for the Planning Institute of Australia, John Brockhoff, had big praise for the council and its strategic planning team.

Not just the outcomes, which will take time, but the process.

“It’s good, really good to see the Inner West have wider objectives alongside housing,” he told The Fifth Estate.

“They responded to the state government’s housing targets for more supply but also incorporated better growth incentives around sustainability, public domain and site amalgamations.”

Heritage “is a real feature of the Inner West, but that doesn’t mean development should not happen. By taking a place-based approach, you can work the density along with the heritage.”

Will it work?

“The council is still considering how it will respond to the community feedback,” he said, but the point is it’s having a “red hot go and doing density in a way that is tailored for local as well as state needs.”

The council refrained from developing some areas because of the heritage – “instead council looked for a range of different settings that could support higher density housing – rather than just in circles around stations”.

Federal government funding helped with a grant of over $2 million, it’s understood, to assist with strategic planning and testing that the housing proposals were viable.

Among the work that Brockhoff says is critical is the development feasibility testing that showed how affordable housing and public amenity could be delivered for additional height and floor space.

Book your tickets now to engage with David Tickle at the Local Government, Net Zero and Resilient Community event.