The City of Ryde has restated its commitment to working with the NSW Government in striking the right balance between jobs, homes, and essential infrastructure as it outlined serious concerns with the government's stage 2 rezoning proposal for the Macquarie Park Innovation District (MPID).
The government's rezoning proposal and its latest version of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is again centred on significantly more housing for the MPID that will see well over 15,000 additional apartments built.
This will include Build-to-Rent housing, all located within the vital employment lands, decimating those businesses that drive innovation and enterprise.
This housing is in addition to over 22,000 apartments already planned for Macquarie Park and would likely mean that additional key infrastructure, including schools, open space, and major health facilities, would be required above what is already planned. This housing will not only replace at least 23,000 new jobs that have been promised to the community, but severely jeopardise those 70,000 jobs that already exist in the MPID.
The City of Ryde has significant concerns with the Stage 2 rezoning including:
- Lack of committed infrastructure, including energy and water, shortage of guaranteed open space, and recreational opportunities for what has been a strong and vibrant community
- Excessive residential population growth resulting from Build-to-Rent developments (where all dwellings/apartments are maintained by the developer as one lot and will be rented above market rent and not be sold). This type of residential development has not been included in the proposal's infrastructure delivery plan. The risks are there will not be enough infrastructure (such as schools and open space), Council's ratable base will be severely impacted, resulting in loss of services, programs and projects in catering for this additional population
- Loss of innovation and enterprise, and employment land as Build-to-Rent development will be located in employment zones
- Adverse amenity impacts from locating residential development next to conflicting land uses
- No commitment by the NSW Government to limit the explosion of data centres in the MPID, not only impacting the enterprise and innovation, but also the Government's plans for the provision of significant housing that could be provided adjacent to the Macquarie Park Metro Station – where housing is most desired.
City of Ryde CEO Wayne Rylands said that meaningful collaboration with the NSW Government in addressing these concerns would ensure that Sydney's original innovation district remains an economic powerhouse where brilliant minds flourish and world-changing ideas are brought to life.
"The City of Ryde will continue to seek secure, guaranteed funding from the NSW Government to deliver infrastructure, stop excessive Build-to-Rent housing, protect employment land uses with high quality innovation employment, and locate the proposed housing uplift to locations where there is infrastructure and facilities to support the community," he said.
"City of Ryde is not a NIMBY Council. We support significant housing uplift that is combined with up-front provision of the necessary infrastructure and is combined with excellent employment opportunities – it is about Striking the Right Balance!"
About Macquarie Park Innovation District
The Macquarie Park Innovation District (MPID) is recognised as a hub of innovation and enterprise, accommodating a vibrant community of businesses, workers, students, and residents. The MPID offers "opportunity and lifestyle" for businesses, residents, and visitors, including a strategic location, a dynamic business and innovation ecosystem, a highly skilled workforce, a high quality of life, and a pipeline of our country's most intelligent minds. The MPID is already a globally competitive innovation district - making an annual economic contribution of $13.6 billion to the NSW economy. It is also estimated that every year over $700 million is invested in R&D in MPID, translating to $2.6 billion in benefits to the Australian economy. The City of Ryde has long been an advocate for maintaining the prominence of MPID, ensuring it remains Australia's premier "innovation" employment hub.
Council's submission to the Macquarie Park Innovation Precinct Stage 2 Rezoning Proposal can be viewed here
