The Queen Street & West Woollahra Association

Welcome to WARR

Woollahra Against Radical Rezoning

The Queen Street & West Woollahra Association's fight to preserve our heritage against the NSW Government's community destroying rezoning plans.

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Woollahra & Edgecliff Rezoning - an existential threat to Woollahra's heritage and lifestyle

The NSW Government has released it's proposal for rezoning Woollahra and Edgecliff. As expected and feared, this is a nightmare for all local residents, as you can see from the Government's graphic below. The government is proposing rezoning to allow up to 34 storey towers in much of the area to construct 9,400 new homes, quadrupling the population from around 9,000 to 30,000, but claims there is no new infrastructure investment required in the short or medium term. The plans would see the character and village atmosphere that we love so much totally destroyed and the Premier admits that they will do nothing to solve Sydney's housing affordability crisis. The QSWWA has said all along that these will $4 million luxury apartments only the rich can afford and the AFR seems in full agreement (click here) .

It is essential that as many residents as possible lodge a submission opposing these plans and also make their views heard on social media. To understand what the proposed rezoning plans mean for the whole area and your specific street, see our NSW Govt Proposal section and then go to the NSW Planning Portal here, scroll to the bottom and click the Make a Submission button. Then get all your neighbours and friends to make submissions and keep posting against it on social media. The more submissions and posts against this proposal, the more it puts pressure on the Government to change.

To involve the whole community in this fight, the QSWWA is campaigning under the banner of Woollahra Against Radical Rezoning or WARR. To register to receive regular updates, please sign up here. The campaign needs volunteers. If you are able to help as part of a working group, please tick which areas in which you can assist.

Click here for the QSWWA's Media Release

Comparison of now and the NSW Government rezoning proposal for 9,400 new dwellings.

Drag the slider - left is current, right is potential 9,400 new dwellings.

Why Support Woollahra Council's Alternate Approach

The inevitable claim from the Government will be that we are all NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) and it’s the rich eastern suburbs not wanting to do their share in solving the housing crisis. But that is totally wrong. It’s about ensuring any rezoning plans are based on planning best practice and respect the heritage value of the area, so that, despite increased density, the suburb retains its charm and character and its important heritage architecture. To that end, the Woollahra Council has developed an Alternate Approach, applying planning best practices while respecting heritage. Full details can be found on the Council website here. In total, it identifies opportunities for a net increase in dwellings of between 2,200 and 3,650, depending on whether you assume 150 sqm or 100 sqm units. The report is very detailed and thorough. An overall image of what this might mean for Woollahra and Edgecliff is shown below and you can find out what this means for your own part of Woollahra on our webpage here.

This Alternate Approach, while only identifying opportunities for 25-33% of what the Government is targeting, is still extreme in some places and, in normal circumstances, there are a number of proposals that the QSWWA would oppose. For example, it proposes allowing building a 20-storey tower and a 12 storey tower on the old Paddington Bowling Club site in Quarry Street and 4 storey unit blocks along the south side of Forth Street. However, given how bad the Government proposal is likely to be to achieve 10,000 dwellings, this is likely to be our “least worst” option to demonstrate that Woollahra can contribute to increased housing and isn’t just a pack of NIMBYs. Please take the time to study the Alternate Approach in detail so you have something to compare the Government’s approach with once it is released. The Village Voice article on the Alternate Approach can be found here. Full details of Woollahra Council's Alternative Approach can be found on their website here.

Woollahra Council Alternate Approach for rezoning Woollahra and Edgecliff

Drag the slider - left is current, right is potential 2,200-3,650 new dwellings.

For further details on individual precincts, click here.

ABN 98 002 872 43

PO Box 16, Woollahra, NSW 1350

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