Rise Up, Sydney: The Community Rally Opposing Unchecked Rezoning Across Sydney

On Saturday 17 October at 2pm, The Paddington Society and Doing Density Better are hosting “Rise Up, Sydney – A Conversation in the Park”. The community rally, to be held at Goddard Park, Concord NSW, seeks to amplify community concerns pertaining to poor planning, unchecked rezoning, and high-density redevelopments happening across Sydney.

It comes after the Minns Labor Government proposed major state-led rezoning across Concord, Burwood, and Canada Bay, not to mention their recently announced plans to add up to 9,400 new homes near train stations in Woollahra and Burwood, plans locals have since described as a “resident’s nightmare”.

A Word From The Rally’s Organisers

“Sydney is changing fast,” reads the official event description. “Major planning reforms are reshaping our suburbs, increasing density and allowing much larger developments — often without the infrastructure, affordable housing or meaningful community consultation that good planning requires.

“We want housing that people can genuinely afford, close to jobs and family. We want schools, transport, health services, parks and other infrastructure to keep pace with population growth. We want good design, liveable neighbourhoods and protection for the places and heritage communities value. And we want local people to have a genuine voice in decisions that will shape their neighbourhoods for generations.”

According to The Paddington Society, the forum will not just focus on Concord, but the Minn’s Labour Government’s refusal to listen to communities across Sydney’s suburbs.

“This is bigger than any one suburb,” reads The Paddington Society’s own event listing. “It’s about people, homes, parks, schools and transport being planned properly and not sold off to developers for luxury apartments, while councils and communities are left out of the conversation and residents are being forced out of their neighbourhoods.

“We need to expose the facts around minimal ‘affordability’ of new apartments and highlight the lack of infrastructure planning to accommodate this massive increase in residents.”

Organisers are urging residents to pack a picnic; carpool with family, friends, and neighbours; and to help demonstrate through strength in numbers that this is an issue Sydney locals care about deeply.