Developer brings Lords Road back to the table
Wednesday 07 November 2018
Inner West Council has received a revised Planning Proposal for Lords Road, a site in Leichhardt and one of the last pieces of increasingly scarce industrial land in area.
The Proponent’s previous highly controversial proposal to rezone the land to allow for 315 apartments was refused by the State Government’s Central Sydney Planning Panel in September 2017.
The decision to refuse that proposal was a major win for the local community and the businesses located at the Lords Road premises, which have been fighting the proposal since 2014.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that the proposal was refused when Council and the Community stood up to the State Government.
“The community and Council have fought and won a battle to save valuable employment lands at Lord Road,” he said.
“Despite the NSW Government having been forced to kill off this rezoning, within a matter of months the proponent is seeking to bring the proposal back to life.
“Our officers will scrutinise this new proposal to determine how Council will proceed now.”
The Proponent has revised their proposal, which now includes:
- A proposed zoning change from IN2 Light Industrial to R3 Medium Density Residential
- Two hundred and thirty five dwellings
- Additional permitted uses including 3,000sqm community, creative and employment uses
- A proposed FSR change from 1:1 to 2.4:1
- Five buildings around the site perimeter ranging from 3-9 storeys with a proposed reduced level height limit of 35m
The new Proposal is still in the very earliest stages of being assessed.
What happens now?
- Council is required to assess the Proposal, taking into account all relevant planning policies and State and local transport and environmental strategies and the outcomes of community engagement that is meant to be undertaken by the Proponent;
- The assessment will be provided to the Inner West Local Planning Panel for advice;
- A report on the proposal, which will include the advice from the Panel, will be provided to a Council meeting;
- Council will decide whether the proposal warrants being sent to the gateway process with the Department of Planning. The Gateway process determines whether there is statutory approval for the proposal to proceed to further community consultation; and
- If the Council determines not to forward the proposal to gateway, the proponent could ask the Department of Planning to review such a decision.
For further information, please contact Kate Walsh on 0421 224 366 or kate.walsh@innerwest.nsw.gov.au