Can we preserve the essence of our local areas while addressing the pressing need for more affordable housing? A new alliance of groups and residents “with special skills who live in and love Sydney, its Inner West, Inner South West and middle ring historic suburbs” thinks so.
The Residents Action Coalition was recently formed in response to “rushed, undemocratic, destructive plans” that were quietly released by the NSW Government just before Christmas. At the heart of their concerns are the ‘Transport Oriented Development Plans and the Diverse and Well-located Homes Reforms’ which they see as a significant threat to heritage and strategic local planning.
Members of the Coalition see heritage buildings and precincts “as people’s assets to be protected and managed well for future generations.” Heritage-rich streets, small groups of shops, and distinct industrial precincts give residents across the city a sense of place and community.
They reject the false narrative that heritage and housing cannot co-exist and that community engagement (ie NIMBYism) and local planning and land use zoning are at the root of the housing crisis. These residents argue that instead of drawing 400 and 800-metre circles around stations and town centres, we need local councils and communities to work on local place-based planning.
They argue that current proposals leave the housing crisis in the hands of developers who potentially stand to benefit from the speculative market: “The plans do not detail mechanisms or protections to meet the stated goals of improving supply, affordability, diversity, choice, and amenity or creating ‘thriving local communities,’ and in some cases will have the opposite effect.”
In response to their concerns, the Residents Action Coalition has prepared a petition to the Government, urging more inclusive and sustainable approaches to urban planning.