“Resident’s Nightmare”: Woollahra Community Fights “Misleading” Government Rezoning Proposal

A Woollahra community group is opposing a new NSW Government rezoning proposal, which would allow for 9,400 new homes to be built in the area, calling it a “developer’s dream and a resident’s nightmare”.

According to Giles Edmonds, President of The Queen Street & West Woollahra Association, the plans to “knock down and rebuild” Woolahra and its neighbouring suburb of Edgecliff are “poorly thought through”, “underfunded”, and won’t help housing affordability. 

“Here was an opportunity for the State Government to adopt best practice planning principles and create a win-win for everyone,” said Edmonds, “and instead they propose quadrupling the population by flooding the area with 34-storey high rise buildings for up to 20,000 new residents while denying that any new infrastructure will be required, let alone budgeted for.”

Woollahra Fears Turning Into A Second Bondi Junction

Among the community group’s major concerns is that Woollahra will turn into a second Bondi Junction, with the new high rises stealing sunlight, interfering with weather systems, and overcrowding the neighbourhood.

 “They can put up to 34 storey buildings in much of the area with no sensible spacing between them. There doesn’t seem to have been any thought as to what this means for the wind tunnels this will create and the overshadowing and lack of light at street level,” said Edmonds.

“You only have to walk around Bondi Junction to experience these adverse impacts directly, and that is created by buildings much lower than 34 storeys. The Government’s street scene graphics are completely misleading.” 

NSW Government Proposal Will Only House The Rich

The association has also claimed that while the proposal purports to tackle housing affordability, its new developments only stand to benefit the wealthy.

“[The new developments] won’t be cheap units either. They will be luxury apartments selling at $4 million plus. New luxury apartments in Rose Bay developments are starting around $4.5 million for a 2-bedroom unit with 3-bedroom units starting at $6.5 million. This week’s Wentworth Courier is advertising apartments in the new 55 William Street, Double Bay development from $4.5 million. 

“Under rezoning, there will be a fairly small component of new apartments built as affordable housing, but that still means they can be rented out at up to 75% of the market rate. Typical gross rental yield on a 2-bedroom $4 million apartment is 2.5- 3.5%, which is $100,000-140,000 per year. How many young families or essential service workers will be able to afford $75-105,000 per year rental out of their after-tax income?

“To make matters worse, much of the rezoning and rebuilding requires demolishing the lower cost, more affordable units currently available in many of the historic low-rise post-war unit block in the area, exacerbating the lack of housing affordability. 

Woollahra Community Demand Greater Funding & Thought To New Infrastructure

The third and final concern brought forth by The Queen Street & West Woollahra Association relates to infrastructure. According to Edmonds, it is “astounding” that the government has not invested sufficient finance or thought into new infrastructure Woollahra and Edgecliff will require if they are expected to triple their populations.

“Quadrupling the population from around 9,000 to 30,000 will require a new primary school, a new secondary school, upgraded hospital facilities, improved streets and car parking, upgraded water, sewage and drainage, kindergartens, child-care facilities, sports facilities, the list goes on,” said Edmonds.

“The Government’s own graphics even show a new Chiswick Community Centre – yet there is no funding allocated for it or any infrastructure at all. Woollahra is one of the most expensive areas in Australia to buy land and to build, so when the infrastructure is built, and it will have to be to attract people to buy these units, it’s likely to cost billions of dollars. 

“Is this the most productive use of Government expenditure, investing in infrastructure to allow people to buy $4million plus apartments?” 

The community group is now urging Woollahra and Edgecliff residents to provide their feedback on the “nightmarish” proposal, which will be on public exhibition until October 7.