“Get the infrastructure sorted first” – that was the message from Wollondilly Shire Council as it voted not to support a Draft Planning Proposal received for land on Macquariedale Road and Wilton Road at Appin; noting that although the proposal has strategic merit and aligns with the State planning framework, it does not have site specific merit, with many planning matters remaining unresolved.

In addition to 15,000 homes in Wilton, land is already rezoned for 12,900 homes in Appin as Wollondilly plays a key role in seeking to address the housing crisis, however the infrastructure plans are not yet in place to enable the homes to be built. What is needed is binding infrastructure plans, before any more land is rezoned.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, Council identified key issues around a lack of infrastructure provision and the dwelling cap. Specific concerns were raised about assumptions made in the Transport Management and Accessibility Plan (TMAP), the lack of a finalised Precinct Structure Plan, no exhibited Draft Development Control Plan, no State Planning Agreement and no finalised Local Contributions Plan.

The draft proposal seeks to rezone part of the site from RU2 Rural Landscape to Urban Development Zone (UDZ) and retain the existing Cumberland Plain Conservation land as C2 Environment Conservation, seeking a 40-hectare minimum lot size for the C2 zone and no minimum lot size for the UDZ zoned land.

Following Local Planning Panel advice that the Draft Planning Proposal should not proceed to Gateway determination, Council recognised that adequate work had not been undertaken to understand the dwelling distribution across the remaining area of West Appin in Greater Macarthur, in line with the cap.

Deputy Mayor Matthew Deeth said, “If this Planning Proposal was to proceed, it would result in inadequate, unplanned infrastructure and servicing from the NSW Government and the developer.”

“Council recognises the importance of delivering housing supply to meet Sydney’s long-term needs. However, it is reasonable for our community and future residents to expect to be able to flush a toilet, drive on a road in their neighbourhood and send their kids to a local school. What we are asking is for infrastructure to be in place before people move into their homes.”

“Support for the proposal would lead to inconsistent and unfair development opportunities across all the landowners within the available land. The Appin (Part 1) Precinct rezoning has already utilised 12,900 of the 15,000 dwellings nominated for West Appin for this developer. This leaves 2,100 dwellings remaining for 576 hectares of urban development land, but if the draft proposal proceeds, there would be only 788 dwellings left under the cap.”

“As the Planning Proposal Authority, Council is not satisfied that adequate provisions have been made for potable water for this proposed development or that long-term wastewater arrangements can be guaranteed by Sydney Water. This is a major issue that needs to be addressed.”

“The proposed local centre will be located close to the existing Appin Village and is likely to significantly impact businesses there as well as the Wilton Town Centre, while Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment concerns need to be clarified through further engagement with the Environment and Heritage Group.”

“We also haven’t seen an updated Acoustic Report to address the noise associated with the nearby Appin Coal Seam operations. Confirmation from the Department of Education on school site zoning preferences has also not been provided,” he said.

“For the sake of our current and future residents, and due to the range of concerns we have at this point, Council can’t support the current proposal.”

“The State Government has already rezoned Land in Greater Macarthur for 12,900 lots and the same infrastructure planning matters are unresolved, and there are currently no houses under construction.”

“Council calls on the developer to work to resolve the outstanding issues with the State Government, and we also welcome the developer to work more collaboratively with us on the local planning matters once the key strategic issues are settled.”

In the meantime, the proponent has applied to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure seeking a Rezoning Review, which would remove Council as the Local Plan Making Authority.

Council will notify the Department’s Rezoning Review team of its decision, and will call on the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to resolve the dwelling cap issue. It will call for comprehensive strategic planning to be carried out for all of Greater Macarthur - including a full staging and sequencing plan, consistent with the draft Special Infrastructure Contributions.