An artist’s impression of a proposed redevelopment in Turramurra,which Ku-ring-gai Council rejected in 2023.
My family’s home is within 400 metres of one of the four selected railway stations in the LGA. Developers are swarming,our streets face vast and unknown change,and our homes have become ground-zero as we prepare to become the front line of this stand-off. I wonder if our street could become a Legoland of apartments with museum-like heritage listings dwarfed in between.
Let me say up front:I am not opposed,per se,to the state government’s plan to increase density and to build homes around stations. Indeed,within most factions in this debate in Ku-ring-gai,there is agreement that the current housing situation is untenable and solutions are needed. Density near transport makes sense to most people,including me.
So the question is not whether it needs doing. It all revolves around what it means to do it “well”,when it will happen,and how to frame enabling – rather than disabling – processes. I came to Ku-ring-gai as a parent,not as a politician,but these are the processes of representation that have galvanised me to stand as a local independent in the council electionsin September.
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The experiences of community that we have come to treasure seem far removed from macroeconomic policies that shape housing supply and demand. As state and federal remits,these policies include tax reform,immigration,zoning,regionalisation,roads,rail. One can assume they have not been effective,as the battleground has moved to local councils expected to accelerate residential growth through density.
Surely,an institution (let’s call it local government) should be stepping in to moderate this with a housing strategy. Residents need certainty about how and where development will be managed so we can make informed decisions.
Critical NSW government policies,for starters,are at risk of being gaily abandoned. The target for the urban tree canopy is an increase to 40 per cent by 2036. Councils cannot meet this unless it is baked into development.