Mobilising community to overhaul proposed Waterloo overdevelopment

Local residents and businesses are invited to a meeting to discuss the future of Waterloo following the release of NSW Government plans to triple the number of dwellings in the area.

The session at Alexandria Town Hall on Wednesday 6 March will give local communities and businesses the opportunity to share ideas on the future of Waterloo.

The City of Sydney calls for a proposal that strikes the right balance between the needs of current and future residents while accommodating the growing population.

“The NSW Government’s concept plans for Waterloo are a gross overdevelopment, unprecedented in Australia,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“We’re holding this public meeting because people who live in Waterloo are telling us that they want to live their lives in a community, not a state government experiment in overdevelopment.

“The NSW Government’s proposal is little more than a glossy brochure and a press release. It provides few details, and the artist’s impressions obscure the terrible outcomes this plan will produce for the public.

“The brochure fails to mention that the open space and parks will be shrouded in shadow by multiple towers up to 40 storeys high.

“Of the 4,788 additional dwellings proposed on the Waterloo Estate, the redevelopment will only provide an extra 28 homes for social housing tenants.

“The state government’s planning experiment will negatively impact on the lives of our most marginalised residents, and trample on the rich history of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the area.”

The NSW Government’s proposal also fails to consider the cumulative impact of other state-led developments nearby, including the Waterloo Metro Quarter development proposed by the state government’s own developer, UrbanGrowth.

This site, located just next door, will inflate the precinct with another 700 apartments in three towers of up to 25, 27 and 29 storeys.

Of these new dwellings, only 70 homes will be set aside for social housing, and as few as 35 for affordable rental units.

Around 4,300 extra vehicles will be added to an already dense and congested area. Up to 3,850 car parking spaces are planned for Waterloo Estate and 427 spaces for the Metro Quarter, even though it sits directly over a new metro station.

“Residents in Waterloo are telling me they are deeply distressed and concerned. The government’s so-called community ‘consultation’ has lacked any proper detail and ignored the impacts” the Lord Mayor said.

“We’re holding a public meeting to discuss the government’s proposal with all concerned Waterloo residents and businesses. We need to find a better way forward.”

The public meeting will take place from 6pm to 7.30pm on Wednesday 6 March, at Alexandria Town Hall, 73 Garden Street, Alexandria.

For media inquiries or images, contact Alex Cauchi. Phone 0467 803 815 or email [email protected]

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matthew Phillips. Phone 0436 817 973 or email [email protected]