‘Sick of overdevelopment’: Backlash over plans to build 6300 homes in one Sydney suburb

A Sydney council is facing a backlash over plans for buildings up to 20 storeys to cater for the city’s booming population as the area’s state MP says residents are sick of continued overdevelopment.

Campsie, in the City of Canterbury Bankstown, is forecast to grow from having 24,500 residents in 2016 to more than 39,000 in 2036.

More than 6300 new homes will be built to house the area’s population under the draft Campsie Town Centre master plan.

An artist’s impression of the redevelopment of the Campsie town centre.Credit:City of Canterbury Bankstown

Canterbury Bankstown Labor mayor Khal Asfour said the master plan for Campsie, which includes buildings between 42 and 66 metres high, was a response to “what people are telling me they want”.

“They love living in Campsie, but they don’t love what is currently there,” he said. “It’s drab and needs a facelift.”

But Sophie Cotsis, the Labor member for Canterbury, said there were no plans for “meaningful upgrades to infrastructure” in the area, which had experienced strong population growth.

“Residents in Canterbury and Campsie are sick of the continued overdevelopment in the area, which has come without any upgrades to roads, schools and Canterbury Hospital,” she said.

Canterbury Bankstown Labor mayor Khal Asfour said Campsie was drab and needed a facelift.Credit:Lyndal Irons

A Facebook group called Save Campsie from Hyper Development was created last year by residents concerned about plans to build thousands of new homes.

David Reynolds, who administers the page, said he was concerned about the impact of the council’s plans on schools, traffic and parking as well as the provision of open space and affordable housing.

Reynolds said the council’s plans appeared to lack sufficient funding, which raised the prospect of rate rises. “Gaps in required funding have been identified with potential impact on residents,” he said.

Asfour said the master plan was designed to improve access to transport and open spaces, redevelop Canterbury Hospital and reconnect the town centre to the Cooks River.

More than 6300 new homes will be built in Campsie under the council’s master plan.Credit:City of Canterbury Bankstown

But more money from the NSW government was required to improve infrastructure, he said. “In particular, we would like to see more investment in Canterbury Hospital, local schools, and a bypass around the centre to encourage through traffic to avoid congesting Campsie’s vibrant main street,” Asfour said.

Public consultations on the master plan concluded last month, with about 300 residents providing feedback.

Twenty-storey towers would be restricted to three sites in the suburb, which is 12 kilometres from the Sydney CBD. Mixed-use buildings between 42 and 66 metres are earmarked for eight sites subject to provision of affordable housing and infrastructure.

“These are all carefully located so they don’t overshadow parks or take away from the experience of walking through the streets,” Asfour said.

Cotsis said many residents were distrustful of further development after the “shady development deals in the area” involving former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire which were uncovered by an Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation into the former Canterbury Council.

“The decisions that prompted the ICAC scandal have left lasting damage for the people in Canterbury and Campsie, with numerous large developments being built in already congested areas suffering a shortage of services and crumbling infrastructure,” she said.

The NSW government has said 725,000 additional homes would be needed by 2036 to cater for Sydney’s growing population. The City of Canterbury Bankstown is required to build 25,000 new homes by 2026 and 50,000 by 2036.

Asfour said the council had managed to reduce the 2036 housing target from 58,000 to 50,000.

“The state government has again shown its hand by discriminating against our LGA,” he said. “Look at the targets they set councils like Hunters Hill, Mosman or the northern beaches.”

Northern Beaches Council will absorb up to 3500 new dwellings between 2021 and 2026. Mosman Council will house 250-300 new homes and Hunters Hill is obliged to meet a housing target of 150-200, according to the Planning Department.

Housing targets to cater for Sydney’s growing population have been controversial, with some councils in 2020 seeking to reduce the number of new dwellings because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Planning Minister Anthony Roberts did not answer questions from The Herald.

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