A proposal for two 40-storey buildings at Bella Vista is being fast-tracked by the NSW Government's Housing Delivery Authority (HDA), bypassing the Government's own Transport Oriented Development (TOD) rezoning for the precinct, which was gazetted only a year ago.
The TOD program was an initiative of this Government aimed at upzoning land to increase supply and accelerate housing in locations close to Metro stations. The program upzoned land in Bella Vista-Kellyville and five other precincts across Sydney. The rezoning for Bella Vista-Kellyville was completed in November 2024. Under the TOD program, the original proposal for 9-11 Mawson Avenue, Bella Vista allowed for three buildings at eight, 18 and 22 storeys in height, which would have resulted in approximately 430 new dwellings.
The HDA has now allowed for a private developer to submit a new proposal to allow for two 40-storey towers, resulting in more than 900 dwellings for the site. This more than doubles the existing planning controls, which were only recently put in place by Government. The proposal will be assessed by the Department as a State Significant Development.
Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne said if this proposal is allowed to progress, the Government's TOD rezoning may as well be shredded.
"If the NSW Government trashes its own freshly minted planning controls, then the public of NSW cannot take a word they say seriously," Mayor Byrne said.
"How can you spend all that time and money on completing detailed planning studies and urban design testing to put in place new controls, only to then throw everything out the window as soon as a developer comes along with an overcooked proposal?
"Apart from the proposal being wildly inappropriate for that site, residents are fed up with the Government's plans for our community that aren't supported with the infrastructure our community needs.
"The TOD rezoning of Bella Vista-Kellyville will bring more than 23,200 people to this area, and it came without any announcement from the Government for a primary or high school, or funding for additional sports fields and community facilities.
"We've seen a similar case with the Government scrapping its recently adopted Place Strategy for the Cherrybrook Precinct just last week to allow for triple the number of dwellings than was originally proposed for that precinct.
"The Government is bulldozing councils and the communities they represent with these planning reforms."
Mayor Byrne welcomed calls from the Lord Mayor of Parramatta, Clr Martin Zaiter, for councils that are meeting their housing targets to be exempt from the HDA.
"When it comes to helping the state and federal government meet their Housing Accord targets, no one is doing more to help them than The Hills Shire, with 4,213 dwellings approved during the accord period," Mayor Byrne said.
"I'm glad that City of Parramatta has also voiced serious concerns with the Housing Delivery Authority.
"Under the HDA, the NSW Government is letting developers dictate how this state should be built and completely disregarding every planning rule there is.
"The Government has a real conflict of interest in its planning functions, as it stands to gain windfall profits for the land it holds and is also delivering windfall profits to the developers of these sites.
"We are not a state that operates without a planning framework. Yet we're seeing developers in cahoots with the NSW Government gambling with our communities.
"If the Government isn't going to require developers to comply with plans, then is there anything off limits?
"I call on the Government to work with us, rather than despite us, as they are currently doing with the Housing Delivery Authority. I also call on the NSW Opposition to hold this Government to account – at the moment, councils are being completely blindsided."
