Latest news with #InnerWestCouncil
The Age
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
The plan to build more 11-storey unit blocks in Sydney's inner west
Apartment blocks up to 11 storeys will be allowed around train stations in Sydney's inner west after the local council objected to a state-imposed rezoning and drew up its own plans to deliver more than 30,000 new homes. The Inner West Council on Tuesday revealed its long-awaited proposal to boost housing supply after it objected to the government's transport-oriented development (TOD) scheme to rezone land within 400 metres of dozens of train stations across Sydney to allow six- or seven-storey unit blocks. Under the council's proposed changes to planning rules, buildings of mostly six to 11 storeys will be clustered around Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Croydon and Ashfield stations, as well as light rail stops and main streets in a bid to more evenly distribute higher density housing across the municipality. Mayor Darcy Byrne said council staff and consultants had pieced together the proposal 'block-by-block' as a nuanced alternative to the government's blanket rezoning that came into effect last year. 'The draft plan is an excellent start … [This] is a blueprint for how we can fix the housing supply crisis in our own backyard,' Byrne said. The government of Chris Minns has forged ahead with plans to encourage the construction of more units around 37 train stations under its rezoning scheme as it attempts to meet its share of the National Housing Accord target to deliver 377,000 well-located homes throughout the state by mid-2029. Loading The council's proposal, dubbed its 'fairer future' plan, enables the construction of 31,000 homes within 15 years. Another 3000 to 5000 homes are proposed for the state-led Bays West precinct around the future metro station at Rozelle. The council has a target to deliver 7800 new homes within five years. The council planning documents said the changes 'support local housing needs up to 2039 and exceed the Inner West's five-year housing target and state government's targets'.
Sydney Morning Herald
13-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The plan to build more 11-storey unit blocks in Sydney's inner west
Apartment blocks up to 11 storeys will be allowed around train stations in Sydney's inner west after the local council objected to a state-imposed rezoning and drew up its own plans to deliver more than 30,000 new homes. The Inner West Council on Tuesday revealed its long-awaited proposal to boost housing supply after it objected to the government's transport-oriented development (TOD) scheme to rezone land within 400 metres of dozens of train stations across Sydney to allow six- or seven-storey unit blocks. Under the council's proposed changes to planning rules, buildings of mostly six to 11 storeys will be clustered around Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Croydon and Ashfield stations, as well as light rail stops and main streets in a bid to more evenly distribute higher density housing across the municipality. Mayor Darcy Byrne said council staff and consultants had pieced together the proposal 'block-by-block' as a nuanced alternative to the government's blanket rezoning that came into effect last year. 'The draft plan is an excellent start … [This] is a blueprint for how we can fix the housing supply crisis in our own backyard,' Byrne said. The government of Chris Minns has forged ahead with plans to encourage the construction of more units around 37 train stations under its rezoning scheme as it attempts to meet its share of the National Housing Accord target to deliver 377,000 well-located homes throughout the state by mid-2029. Loading The council's proposal, dubbed its 'fairer future' plan, enables the construction of 31,000 homes within 15 years. Another 3000 to 5000 homes are proposed for the state-led Bays West precinct around the future metro station at Rozelle. The council has a target to deliver 7800 new homes within five years. The council planning documents said the changes 'support local housing needs up to 2039 and exceed the Inner West's five-year housing target and state government's targets'.
News.com.au
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
$660 fine for drivers who park over someone else's driveway in Inner West Council
Aussies are shocked over a massive fine council is throwing at a mistake many thoughtlessly make. Parking your car on a driveway or across part of a driveway in your neighbourhood may seem harmless to most, but it is now an act punishable by a $660 fine and getting your car towed in one council area. In busy, crowded suburbs, many visitors and residents have taken to invading on homeowners' driveways when looking for parking on crowded streets. This has caused outrage in suburbs, as residents call on the council to take action. The issue has blown up in a Sydney council that received 4393 complaints of cars parked in driveways in a year. The Inner West Council will now more than double the fine attached to offending parking, from $330 to $660 in an effort to help residents. A council spokesperson said the response had been 'overwhelmingly positive', as the community asked council to step in to resolve 'cars blocking driveways'. 'Fines and having the offending vehicle towed will occur following a complaint from a resident who has been affected by their driveway being blocked,' the spokesperson said regarding the new rules. 'Residents parking across their own driveways will not be fined or have their vehicle towed.' Councillor Chloe Smith said the change was absolutely needed in the crowded suburb. 'There's absolutely a need for tougher measures, particularly in the inner west where it's densely populated. We have narrow streets and parking is at a premium,' Ms Smith said. 'I had a family contact me who relied on their cars to drop kids to child care who couldn't exit their driveway and also a person who had a loved one in hospital and needed to use their car to visit them. 'It can be a really frustrating and galling experience for people.' The law also serves to ensure a safe and fair use of public footpaths. This comes after a Gold Coast mum was aghast when she received a near $200 fine for this exact mistake, parking on her own driveway. The local council claims part of Megan Pass's driveway is located on council land and she is breaking the law by parking on it. 'I had no idea,' she told the NewsWire. 'I find it ridiculous, I don't have a footpath and I've never had anybody say anything.' Another mum from Perth was also fined for parking on her driveway despite doing so for more than a year with no complaints.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Aussie council doubles fines to $660 in crackdown on controversial driveway act
It's an issue that has in the past bitterly divided Australians, and now, one major council on the east coast has vowed to take drastic action to stop cars from parking over driveways. While some argue that homeowners should be allowed to park across their own driveways, others warn that such allowances could make it harder to enforce penalties against drivers who block access illegally. Under road rules across much of Australia, it is illegal to stop or park across any part of a driveway — even your own — as it is considered to obstruct public access. Driveways are considered part of the road reserve, and in most cases, councils and transport authorities have the power to issue fines to vehicles parked in breach of the rules. In Sydney this week, the Inner West Council said it had received an incredible 4,393 complaints concerning the contentious act in just a year. In response, it will now reportedly order tow trucks to remove vehicles obstructing driveways and will raise fines for offending drivers from $320 to $660. Yahoo News Australia has reported previously on the controversy, with several incidents occurring in just the last few months alone. A tradie in January challenged a $320 fine he received for parking across his driveway while opening the gate to drive in. Speaking to Yahoo News, Mark branded the fine "unfair". While some residents see briefly stopping across their own driveway as harmless, the law is designed to ensure safe and fair use of public pathways. This technicality is part of what fuels the controversy, with many believing that common sense should override the rule in cases where a driver is clearly using their own driveway. Others argue that allowing exemptions would open the door to confusion and make enforcement of genuine offences more difficult. In December, debate was sparked after another vehicle was snapped over a driveway in Sydney's east. In June, a Lake Macquarie couple told Yahoo how they believed they were "screwed over" by their council, after copping a $362 parking fine for parking across their driveway — despite doing the same thing for the past 12 years. Back in June, a Canberra man copped a $132 fine for parking outside his home. Photos show the Nissan tucked in nicely behind another vehicle in their driveway, but the back of the vehicle hung over the boundary line, ultimately "blocking the footpath". This part of the driveway is public property and does not belong to the residents, therefore making the park illegal. Inner West Council will now tow vehicles blocking driveways to nearby parking spots and notify police to inform the owners of their car's new location, The Daily Telegraph reported. This marks a change from the current process, where rangers first try to contact the owner before issuing a $330 fine. The council is believed to be the first inner-city local government to implement such towing measures. Councillor Chloe Smith said she had heard distressing stories from residents impacted by illegal driveway parking, including missed medical appointments and childcare drop-offs. She stressed the need for stricter action in the densely populated inner west. "It can be a really frustrating and galling experience for people," Smith said. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
The Age
23-04-2025
- Business
- The Age
Developers want to build 1100 apartments. Two councils are alarmed
An inner Sydney council is fighting a mammoth $880 million proposal to build more than 1000 apartments beside Parramatta Road, arguing the towers would overshadow houses on the opposite side of the busy thoroughfare, despite the development sitting outside the council's boundaries. The Inner West Council has objected to property giant Deicorp's plan to build 1185 homes, including 219 affordable housing units, in six towers up to 31 storeys between Parramatta Road and Queens Road in Five Dock. The City of Canada Bay council has also lodged a formal objection to the 'state significant' Kings Bay Village proposal, which will be decided by the NSW government. Deicorp reportedly purchased the 3.12-hectare industrial 'super site' next to Rosebank College for $260 million in 2023. It submitted plans seeking to leverage the Minns government's 30 per cent height and floor space incentives for developers who added affordable housing units to projects for a minimum of 15 years. The policy has triggered Sydney-wide opposition from councils and residents, who have criticised the proposals for their scale, potential traffic congestion, and time limit on affordable housing. In the latest battle over the scheme, the Inner West Council is complaining that the suburb of Croydon, south of Parramatta Road, would be 'significantly impacted' by the Kings Bay Village project, which includes units, offices, shops, a recreational facility and a public park between the future Five Dock and Burwood metro stations. In a submission to the Planning Department, the council argued the buildings would block sunlight from single-storey homes on Lang, Dalmar and Byron streets on the mid-winter solstice, or the shortest day of the year, on June 21. The council said this was at odds with the solar access requirements in its development control plan (DCP) or the detailed planning and design guidelines that inform new developments.
