Councillor Linda Scott comments on Waterloo anouncement

Urban renewal of Waterloo must include strong investment in green spaces and childcare

City of Sydney Labor Councillor is calling on the NSW State Government to commit to investing in vital community infrastructure and services as part of the urban renewal of Waterloo following the announcement of the location of the Sydney Metro station.

“Today, the NSW Liberal Government has outlined their vision for Sydney's future written by developers, for developers. This is not a plan for Sydney's future for the whole community,” said Linda Scott.

“The urban renewal of Waterloo, currently home to 4,000 public housing tenants, must be done with great sensitivity, in-depth community consultation, and with a commitment to invest in infrastructure,” said Linda Scott.

The NSW State Government has announced plans to demolish 2,000 public housing apartments to make way for a Sydney Metro station in Waterloo, as well as 10,000 new dwellings in the precinct.

“Plans for 10,000 new dwellings in Waterloo must be accompanied by a detailed strategy for the provision of public infrastructure and community services such as open green space and new childcare centres,” said Linda Scott.

“Successful urban renewal projects must invest in community infrastructure and a commitment to deliver affordable housing. Current public housing tenants in Waterloo affected by these plans must be given iron-clad assurances of returning to the upgraded social housing dwellings,” said Linda Scott.

The City of Sydney’s Draft Sports Facilities Demand Study projects that by 2031, an additional 20-25 multi-use courts and 28.5 additional sporting fields will be needed to meet demand for active green space in the LGA.

“There is a critical need to create new green spaces, especially sporting fields, in the inner-city. With 10,000 new dwellings planned for the area, delivering new open spaces for children and local residents to play must be a priority,” said Linda Scott. 

“Without investment in new green spaces, the future will be bleak for Waterloo,” said Linda Scott.

The City of Sydney’s Childcare Needs Analysis 2013 project a gap between supply and demand for childcare places across the entire LGA of 3,369 by next year, which is set to grow to 5,976 by 2031.

“The inner-city is experiencing a childcare shortage that has already reached crisis point due to years of lack of investment in new childcare centres. Plans for 10,000 new dwellings in Waterloo, without any strategy for new childcare centres, will only exacerbate the childcare crisis, putting at risk the future of local parents who will be unable to return to work,” said Linda Scott.

“It’s clear that greater investment is needed in childcare to ensure that local parents can return to work, but the Baird Government has offered no detail on how they plan to do this,” said Linda Scott.

Source: Media Release dated 16 December 2015.