Image Caption: (L-R) MP Mark Hodges, Mayor Byrne, Peter Ernst President of the West Pennant Hills Valley Progress Association, and General Manager of The Hills Shire Council Michael Edgar.
The Hills Shire Council has strongly rejected the NSW Government's State-led rezoning proposal for the Cherrybrook Station Precinct, warning it will overwhelm infrastructure and undermine years of strategic planning.
Council has resolved to request a pause to the implementation of the proposal and will request an urgent meeting with the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully MP to discuss serious concerns with the proposal.
The state proposal seeks to replace the previously endorsed Cherrybrook Place Strategy with a plan to build 9,320 dwellings on the 55-hectare site, nearly triple the amount of the original strategy.
Of these, approximately 5,000 apartments are earmarked for the Hills side of the Cherrybrook Station Precinct- a dramatic quadrupling from the previously planned 1,275 units.
Building heights would also soar under the Minns Government plan, rising from a five-storey cap to as high as 19 storeys south of Castle Hill Road and 28 storeys to the north.
Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne, said the scale of the increase is unacceptable and represents a serious breach of trust with the community.
"This is a TOD [Transport Oriented Development] in name only, not in practice. The steep slope, the already clogged roads, and the plan's lack of opportunities to work, socialise, and access daily needs-such as schools, shops, businesses, and other civic spaces-within the walkable southern catchment all defy proper TOD principles. This is environmentally sensitive land, and it is not as though this precinct is expected to solve the housing crisis in the short term," Mayor Byrne said.
"Quadrupling the number of units on The Hills Shire side without the infrastructure to support them, is not planning-it's dumping density and walking away."
The Hills Shire Council has also raised the issue of a lack of planning for new roads, sports fields and schools as part of the proposal.
The original Place Strategy acknowledged the need for new schools and 2-3 sports fields even under the lower housing numbers.
Mayor Byrne stressed that the community had been assured that the Place Strategy-developed over years of technical studies, consultation and inter-agency work-would guide future development.
She also criticised the one-month consultation period for the development proposal despite the dramatic increase in scale.
"It is reckless to throw out years of planning and then give only four weeks of consultation for such a major proposal," Mayor Byrne said. "Our community deserves better than this rushed, top-down approach."
Council has also highlighted other risks, including a known landslide hazard on steep slopes south of Castle Hill Road. The Minn's Government's draft proposal does not include sufficient detailed geotechnical assessment to inform the precinct plan.
Mayor Byrne said the Government must halt the rezoning until the hazard is properly assessed and independently reviewed.
"We cannot move ahead with a rezoning of this scale when there is a known geotechnical hazard sitting under a substantial part of the precinct," Mayor Byrne said.
"We are concerned that the measures required to address the landslip hazard may compromise adjoining properties and infrastructure and could lead to the complete loss of trees-resulting in a visually dominant and oppressive precinct.
"Public safety must come first. The Government must pause this process until comprehensive investigations at the site are completed and a proper solution to the issue is identified.
"It is simply unacceptable to rezone land for high-rise towers without adequately understanding the stability of the slopes beneath them or exactly how those slopes will be stabilised to facilitate safe and orderly development. The Minister must ensure the hazard is properly mapped, assessed and addressed before any rezoning progresses."
Adding to the concern, the Government intends to cap developer contributions, limiting Council's ability to fund infrastructure in the precinct.
"We've already seen what happens when proper planning is ignored. Box Hill is still without key roads, footpaths, parks and drainage because developer contributions were arbitrarily capped to keep costs down," Mayor Byrne said.
"We are now chasing the NSW Government for $207 million to deliver infrastructure our residents were promised-and that figure is growing daily."
The Hills already faces significant growth pressures, with 15,455 new homes forecast over the next five years and 17,000 approved but unbuilt dwellings, including 5,500 apartments near Metro stations.
"The Government should be unlocking approved homes and delivering infrastructure, not imposing unrealistic densities that our roads and services cannot support," Mayor Byrne said.
Council will prepare a detailed submission opposing the proposal and continue urging the Government to extend the exhibition period to February 2026.
"The Hills community will not be steamrolled," Mayor Byrne said.
"This rezoning is not in anyone's best interests, not the current residents or residents in the future. Council will fight for a fair, sensible and infrastructure-led approach."
