The Minns Labor Government will deliver Sydney's first new heavy rail station in more than a decade - enabling up to 10,000 new homes by rezoning land around Woollahra and Edgecliff stations, right next to the CBD, to tackle the housing crisis and rebalance growth across the city.
Recent reports by the NSW Productivity Commission have warned that Sydney is losing twice as many young people as we are gaining, while also finding that Woollahra is the most feasible Local Government Area (LGA) in New South Wales to build new housing.
Despite this, housing approvals in Woollahra consistently lag well behind other LGAs, and the population has declined by 11 per cent over the past 50 years while Greater Sydney as a whole has grown by 74 per cent.
The new station that will be an 8 minute trip from Sydney CBD, will be located on the Eastern Suburbs train line in Woollahra, where a station build was started in the 1970s but never completed.
To enable the delivery of new homes the NSW Government will lead a rezoning of Woollahra and Edgecliff stations similar to other state led rezonings to allow additional homes to be built around the stations.
Affordable housing will also make up a proportion of development on the site with the final amount of affordable housing required, to be determined as part of the rezoning process.
The area surrounding the new station is within walking distance of major green and recreational space including Cooper, Trumper, Rushcutters Bay and Centennial Parks.
The Eastern Suburbs train line between Bondi Junction and Sydney CBD also has the lowest passenger usage rates during the AM peak of any line on the Sydney network, with only 43% of operating capacity during the AM peak currently being utilised by passengers.
Additionally, there is also significant capacity in essential services with existing capacity for hundreds of additional students at public primary and high schools.
Sydney Water and Infrastructure NSW have confirmed there is capacity in the water and wastewater systems to accommodate the proposed 10,000 dwellings without major upgrades.
The rezoning is expected to take around two years and will further support the Government's housing targets that rebalance the delivery of new homes around existing infrastructure.
Value capture will also be used to ensure the public retains some of the value unlocked through the rezoning and to offset the cost of bringing the station online.
We know that housing costs are the biggest single cost of living pressure facing the people of NSW with Sydney ranked as the second most unaffordable city in the world to buy a home.
That's why the Minns Labor Government is committed to building more housing in the right places, where people want to live - to improve affordability, reduce building and infrastructure costs and to build a better New South Wales.
Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns said:
"We are delivering on our promise to rebalance the delivery of new housing from the West of Sydney that has accepted the overwhelming number of new homes without infrastructure, towards the East and North of Sydney where there is existing infrastructure.
"For too long, young people and families in NSW have been forced to choose between moving away from the Sydney CBD or not being able to afford a home at all.
"This new train station will allow us to deliver up to ten thousand new homes right here in the heart of Sydney, close to jobs, public transport, green space and essential services."
Minister for Transport, John Graham said:
"I applaud Neville Wran for his foresight, including a future station at Woollahra when his government completed the Eastern Suburbs line. That future has now arrived, and will deliver housing and transport close to the Sydney's CBD.
"For decades, this site has been an opportunity squandered to provide an eight-minute, direct train trip to the Sydney CBD and allow more people to get out of their cars in the eastern suburbs.
"We look forward to working with the local community to provide an accessible station that complements active transport and other transport connections."
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully said:
"The Minns Labor Government is getting on with the job, beginning a state led rezoning around Woollahra and Edgecliff to unlock up to 10,000 new homes close to the CBD, transport and greenspace.
"Completing Woollahra train station will help keep us on track to rebalance Sydney's housing growth and tackling the state's housing challenges.
"It has always been the Minns Government's approach that opportunities for new homes and jobs should be pursued alongside new transport investments."
Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Rose Jackson said:
"For so many the Australian dream has slipped out of reach and if nothing changes our city will be one with no grandchildren. I want our city to dream again - a dream of affordable homes for all and a future for every family.
"That's why we're locking in a dedicated portion of affordable housing from the start, giving people from all walks of life a fair chance to live in quality homes, close to opportunity.
"We are not afraid to take on NIMBYs to deliver more housing where there is the space and infrastructure to support it. This new station just makes sense."
