Canterbury-Bankstown Councillor Harry Stavrinos has criticised a controversial new plan that would allow 4,000 new homes — more than double the NSW government’s original target — to be built in Wiley Park and Punchbowl, with buildings reaching up to 18 storeys.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the council voted this week to endorse its own alternative to the state’s transport-oriented development (TOD) scheme, which initially required just 1,600 new homes across the two suburbs.
Under the new proposal, high-density zoning would be extended up to 800 metres from the metro stations, replacing low-rise homes with buildings up to 62 metres tall.
Stavrinos, from the Our Local Community party, voted against the plan, questioning the scale of the development.
“I’ve never seen a report come to council where a council is endorsing more than what the state government is putting forward,” he said.
He argued that the arrival of the metro line did not justify such aggressive rezoning, aligning with other independent, Liberal and Greens councillors who also opposed the move.
Despite objections, the plan passed with Labor councillors voting in favour, including Cr David Walsh, who defended the proposal as a “vision” for a more walkable, well-serviced urban future.
Councillor Barbara Coorey, another vocal opponent, labelled the proposal a “super TOD” that would “rip the heart and soul out of Wiley Park and Punchbowl,” likening it to Hong Kong’s Happy Valley.
The plan comes as Canterbury-Bankstown Council continues to pursue higher density in other suburbs, having already rezoned Bankstown for 14,000 new homes, and now pushing similar proposals for Lakemba and Belmore.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
