Lords Road overdevelopment finally refused

The State Government has bowed to overwhelming public pressure and finally refused the application to rezone 67-73 Lords Road in Leichhardt for overdevelopment.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said the Planning Minister’s hand was forced after Council and local residents stood up to the State Government’s reckless grab for inner west industrial land.

“This has been a very long hard fight for Council and the community,” said Mayor Byrne.

“Together we’ve kept up the pressure on the State Government to refuse the rezoning, and we have had a very significant win for the Leichhardt community.”

On Friday 16 March, Council received official notification that the redevelopment proposal was being refused.

The Department of Planning has agreed with assessment of both Leichhardt Council and the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel, that the proposal:

• Does not meet the need to protect employment land and would have resulted in the loss of local businesses and jobs.
• Does not meet the requirements of the Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy.
  
  “While both Council and the Planning Panel recommended against the rezoning, in recent months, the Planning Minister repeatedly refused to sign off on the rezoning refusal,” said Mayor Byrne. 
  
  “The developer has also been allowed to submit revised plans behind closed doors, while leaving Leichhardt residents and Lords Road businesses in limbo. 
  
  “Thankfully, common sense has prevailed and the site is now protected,” he said.
  
  “I’d also like to say thank you to all the local people who stood up to the Government and helped us to win this fight.”