City of Ryde Mayor Clr Trenton Brown has restated Council's desire to work collaboratively with the State Government on its proposed Macquarie Park Innovation District (MPID) rezoning plans, which will have a devastating impact on local employment opportunities and completely overwhelm existing infrastructure.
The Macquarie Park Transport Oriented Development (TOD) rezoning proposal, which is Stage 2 of the NSW Government's overarching plans for the MPID, is on public exhibition until 9 August 2024.
In a Mayoral Minute carried at Council's 23 July 2024 Ordinary Meeting, Clr Brown called on the State Government to work collaboratively with the City of Ryde to address critical issues relating to the impact of their plans on employment, infrastructure, and open space within the precinct.
"I'm urging the NSW Government to engage in thorough consultation with the City of Ryde and broader MPID community to ensure that Sydney's original innovation district remains an economic powerhouse where brilliant minds flourish and world-changing ideas are brought to life," he said.
"By working collaboratively together, a plan can be created that supports employment, guarantees infrastructure funding, provides for social and affordable housing, and fosters an innovation precinct that benefits all."
Clr Brown said the State Government's plans failed to provide a clear strategy for sustaining and enhancing employment opportunities within the community, raising concerns about the future economic stability of the MPID.
"The proposed rezoning will turn the MPID - which contributes $13.6 billion to the NSW economy and is home to 63,000 highly skilled workers and 44,000 higher education students - into a housing dormitory and data centre hub," said Clr Brown.
"And it comes with no commitments or plans for the serious infrastructure upgrades and open space that will be required for a significantly increased residential population."
Clr Brown said the provision of open space appeared to be completely dependent on developers enacting 'incentive clauses' whereby the developer can obtain significant uplift or extra residential development in a trade-off for open space that the State Government should be funding.
"There will be considerable alarm in our community when they discover that infrastructure investment required by the NSW Government has been replaced with incentivised 58-storey buildings on the former Peter Board High School site, which had previously been promised as open space," he said.
"Further, proposed development within the MPID will require substantial upgrades to other existing infrastructure, including transportation, utilities, and community services.
"Despite this, there is no clear commitment or detailed plan from the government on how these essential needs will be met or funded. Without a firm financial commitment by the State Government for open space and other infrastructure, our existing and future communities risk being left with inadequate resources to support a significant increase in residential population and development activity."
The Mayoral Minute determined that City of Ryde CEO Wayne Rylands will write to the Secretary for the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) seeking an extension of the public exhibition period until 30 August, given the lack of time for staff to review the proposal, undertake community consultation and report back to Council at its 27 August 2024 meeting.
Clr Brown will also write to the NSW Premier, The Hon. Chris Minns MP, and NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, The Hon. Paul Scully MP, seeking a collaboration with Council that will strike the right balance between housing, employment, and the appropriate provision of infrastructure in the MPID.
Clr Brown encouraged the Ryde community to add their voices to this vital issue by providing a submission to the Macquarie Park TOD rezoning proposal. The site can be found here
