Leichhardt Slated To Double In Population Under Council Housing Plan

The Inner West Council’s housing plan envisions Leichhardt accomodating more than twice its current population, sparking pushback from locals and its state MP who fear a loss of the suburb’s character, overcrowding and a lack of affordable homes.

In September last year, the council passed its ‘Our Fairer Future Plan’ to build housing, an alternative to the Minns Government’s model. It enables the construction of six to eleven-storey buildings around numerous village centres and transport hubs. Passed 8–7 on party lines, the Labor majority was in favour whilst Greens, Liberal and independent councillors voted in opposition.

Leichhardt, a leafy suburb mostly of terraces and one-storey houses located five kilometres from the city centre, has a population of about 15,200 and a density of approximately 5,800 per square kilometre. Its population will surge to around 30,000, with density rising to 13,500 per square kilometre. Community group Leichhardt Matters says that this increase can only be achieved by mass demolition of existing homes.

Much of the suburb, almost all of it north of Marion Street, is currently zoned as general residential. Most of it will be classed as either low-density or medium-density residential under the scheme.

Locals not consulted, says MLA

Greens MLA for Balmain Kobi Shetty said that “plans to rezone large parts of Leichhardt are obviously a big concern in the community.”

“We know we get much better outcomes when communities are valued and consulted through the planning process, particularly where wholesale changes are slated across our neighbourhoods. Unfortunately, this hasn’t happened here.”

“Labor, who control both the local council and the state government, are pushing ahead with their rezoning plans and trying to sell it as a way to make housing more affordable. But experts have warned this would actually increase land values, without any real impact on rental affordability in the Inner West. That would obviously be a disaster for so many young people looking to stay in the area.”

Shetty added that the Minns Government cannot “seriously expect the private sector to solve our housing affordability crisis, without making their own significant investment in more public and universal housing.”

“We’ve got some really great opportunities to do that right now utilising vacant, publicly owned land in Bays West, Glebe Island and Blackwattle Bay. But instead, these places are also being handed over the private market, to let it rip.”

Biggest housing increase in NSW

John Stamolis was an independent councillor for the Leichhardt—Gulgadya ward from 2017 to 2024, and was on the Leichhardt Council before the present municipality was created. He recently featured on a panel of opponents to current plans for the neighbourhood.

“Leichhardt is a suburb of 7,000 dwellings. It lies within the fifth most densely populated council of all 125 in New South Wales. The state government and Inner West Council will add 10,000 more dwellings.”

Speaking to the City Hub, Stamolis said that this is the biggest housing increase slated for any suburb in NSW, equivalent to adding all of Pyrmont and Lilyfield.

“Leichhardt has always taken on housing supply targets, but these new targets are simply unreasonable. There are no plans to increase open space or other amenity as the population more than doubles.”

Stamolis lost at the last election. “No candidate suggested that they would put forward or support such a massive scale of development in the Inner West and especially in Leichhardt.”

He continued that “areas all over Australia must work together and take on their share” to resolve the housing crisis “in a way that is fair and balanced.”

“No single suburb can, or should, be expected to take on an unreasonable load.”

Stamolis accused the Labor-dominated council of “caving in” to a government of the same stripe.

The Inner West Council and the office of planning minister Paul Scully were contacted for comment.