This document covers the following areas:

• The accelerated combined rezoning and planning pathway used
• Next Steps in delivery and planning for Stage 1
• Changes proposed to the Sydney Local Environment Plan (LEP) Planning Controls
• Changes proposed to the Design Guide
• Changes proposed to Design Excellence process
• Stage 1 public benefits and community infrastructure deliverables
• Indicative location of housing types across Waterloo Estate (South)
• Indicative stages for Waterloo Estate (South)
• Studies and Issues to be looked at in the Rezoning and the Concept Plan SSDA
• Social Impacts to be Assessed and Managed

This document is based primarily on the Scoping Proposal for a Rezoning and Concept State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for Waterloo Estate (South) dated 20 August 2025. This report was prepared to request The Planning Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) which sets out the concurrent Study Requirements for the Rezoning and for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS) for the Concept State Significant Development Application (SSDA). The Scoping Proposal has to set out details about the project and what the proponent wants to do. It hence also provides the community with information that has not been otherwise available to date.

You can get an overview of the current 2022 controls that apply to the site from REDWatch’s presentation to the Waterloo Redevelopment Group at REDWatch Refresher on the Waterloo South Planning Proposal - 18 June 2025

The accelerated combined rezoning and planning pathway used

Homes NSW / Stockland applied for the “Prioritising rezoning that delivers social and affordable housing program” and this was approved by Planning NSW on 10 June 2025. This program allows both the Rezoning and the Concept Plan State Significant Development Application (SSDA) to be dealt with together on an accelerated timeline.

That accelerated time line, according to the Scoping Proposal, envisaged an Explanation of Intended Effects provided to Planning NSW by October 2025and a package of material for public exhibition by the end of December 2025. Stockland have subsequently advised that these timeframes are no longer valid as developing the draft Concept design to a stage suitable for community input has taken longer than anticipated.

Stockland expect, as detailed to the October REDWatch meeting, to lodge the Concept Application and Rezoning package (including the EIE) with the Department towards the end of Q1 2026. This remains an estimate, as the final timing will depend on the extent of community feedback, the resulting design refinements, and completion of the required technical studies under the SEARs.

The Scoping Proposal Application and Planning NSW’s requirements based on the application (SEARs) have been made public. Initial feedback on Stockland’s Scoping Proposal from Council and State Government bodies has been provided to Stockland but this information is not yet public. Stockland have been asked to address any concerns raised by agencies and to make their application for both processes in line with the SEARs.

Next Steps in delivery and planning for Stage 1

As the land is owned by Homes NSW and Stockland have also indicated that they propose to:

• Use a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) process that for demolition of the buildings and removal of trees in Stage One. This process needs to be made public but does not necessarily require exhibition.
• Use an Early Works SSDA will seek Crown development consent for the removal of approximately 60 trees, including 25 street trees (subject to detailed arborist assessment) and the construction of basements on the Stage One site (Blocks 8&9).
• Prepare the Stage 1 SSDA(s) for the development of buildings in the Stage One area.
• Under changes Stockland proposed for Design Excellence, the “initial planning strategy has the market and social/affordable dwellings split into separate applications because of the different design excellence pathways they will be subject to and therefore the different amount of time it will take to prepare each application”.

It is important to note that the combined rezoning and concept plan SSDA appear on the Planning NSW web site as “the future delivery of 3,000 dwellings”. This was the figure before the 10% design excellence bonus and changes made by the NSW Labor government. The planning controls specify a percentage of floor space be given to different tenure types and the final number of dwellings will be determined by the average unit size delivered as social, affordable or private housing.

Changes proposed to the Sydney Local Environment Plan (LEP) Planning Controls

The planning controls were originally proposed to include a possible increase of 10% floor space for design excellence. The rezoning made this 10% design excellence bonus in addition to the proposed floorspace. Page 20 of the Scoping Proposal notes ”the text in Section 4 of the Design Guide confirms that the City of Sydney the Design Guide envelopes were designed to accommodate 265,000m2 gross floor area, however the LEP permits approximately 286,000m2 gross floor area if design excellence is awarded”. The Scoping Proposal says the rezoning will not seek to increase the maximum GFA currently permissible across the Waterloo South Estate.

• Amend Height and FSR Maps - Rectification to the height controls in the Sydney LEP 2012 are required as they are currently inconsistent with the building envelopes established in the Design Guide, nor do they fully accommodate the floor space achievable under the design excellence bonus applicable to the site.
• It is proposed to make “education establishments” and “creative industries” allowed as active street frontages.
• It is proposed to remove the approved requirement for a Health One or medical facility and reduce by 2,000sqm land to be used for purposes other than residential accommodation or add “education establishment to replace medical facility. REDWatch notes that Sydney Local Health District continues to be interested in having a health facility within the Waterloo South development but it has been deleted by Homes NSW or Stockland.
• Allow rooftop access to communal open space and related amenity structures from the height of the building measurement in line with City of Sydney Housekeeping Amendment to the LEP.
• Change to definition of community facilities
• Changes in traffic and parking surround updating the car park locations, accessible car parking rates, and entries map. These amendments are in response to changes to the building layouts, flooding planning levels, and land uses.
• Changes in tree removal in response to the amendments proposed under the rezoning. These updates will outline the proposed strategy for tree retention and removal.

Changes proposed to the Design Guide

The Scoping Proposal indicates the following changes will be made in the Design Guide:

• Staging and Implementation Update to include proposed project staging This section is to be amended to reflect the indicative staging of the Concept scheme.
• Land Use Update - location of non-residential uses at ground level and update the active street frontages map Minor refinements are proposed to reflect the Concept Scheme.
• Community Facilities & Services - Remove reference to Health One facility Include reference to alternative uses such as an Education Establishment. Change required as Health One Facility is no longer proposed within the precinct.
• Public Space - Include reference to additional public open space proposed at the southern end of George Street
• Update Tree Strategy to reflect trees proposed to be retained and trees to be removed and minor refinements proposed to reflect the Concept Scheme.
• Transport, movement & Parking - update carpark locations and entries map and minor refinements proposed to reflect the Concept Scheme.
• Building Layout, form & design – there are three major changes proposed in this section of the design guide:
• Amend provision regarding max. floorplate of tall buildings to enable floorplates larger than 720sqm GFA above 15 storeys
• Reduce the requirement for silver liveable apartment standard and accessible car parking for market apartments
• Update design excellence requirements to reflect revised design excellence strategy
• Other changes in building layout and form include:
• Remove detailed building sections and redundant images from the Design Guide
• Update building height in storeys map
• Update floor to floor heights
• Update building setbacks map
• Update roof level communal open space and green roofs map
• Update the ground level deep soil and planting locations map
• Minor refinements proposed to reflect the Concept Scheme.

Changes proposed to Design Excellence process

The concept SSDA will seek approval for an alternative Design Excellence Strategy for the precinct.

The Scoping Proposal says: To prioritise the delivery of more social and affordable homes for communities in need, amendments to the Design Excellence Strategy are proposed. Streamlining the design excellence process across the precinct will not only accelerate the delivery of social and affordable housing and support tenant relocations directly into new homes, but it will also bring the Design Excellence Strategy into alignment with contemporary practice.

The proposal seeks to remove the previous design excellence process with:

• Direct appointment of architects for the concept plan, First Nations Architect/Advisor Concept Landscape Architect, social and affordable housing and community buildings.
• Competitive design processes for all market housing buildings exceeding 100m in height, including a minimum of three (3) competitors invited for each competition, unless a design competition exemption is granted as per clause 6.21D(2) of the Sydney LEP 2012 and/or an approach similar to the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) competition exemption pathway is agreed with GANSW.
• A Design Review Panel (DRP) be formed for each Stage to review the various buildings and landscape proposed within that Stage and guide the project to achieve design excellence.

Stage 1 public benefits and community infrastructure deliverables

The Scoping Proposal references several public benefits and community infrastructure items it proposes to deliver in Stage One including:

• Skills exchange and reemployment hub
• Social enterprise incubator
• Local Aboriginal health service facility
• Educational establishment
• A Council owned community facility and public park
• Childcare centre
• Activation of the Ground Plane with retail (particularly along George Street)
• Precinct Management Deed and place activation funding

The development proposed within the first stage of the project (Stage 1 – Block 8 and Block 9) is anticipated to include the following mix of housing:

• Approximately 600 market housing dwellings
• Approximately 400 social housing dwellings
• Approximately 70 affordable housing dwellings

Stage One includes two of the four residential towers as well as part of the George Street retail precinct.

Indicative location of housing types across Waterloo Estate (South)

Figure 6 in the Scoping Proposal shows the proposed concept SSDA Scope and shown possible locations for different housing types.

At the REDWatch October meeting Stockland said that the locations of the 7% affordable housing in perpetuity would be shown separately from the 13% affordable housing that may not be in perpetuity. The map in the Scoping Proposal does not draw that distinction.

Indicative stages for Waterloo Estate (South)

Figure 5 (page 17) of the Scoping Proposal shows a colour coded map of the development blocks in Waterloo South. The report text says “The first detailed SSDAs will relate to Block 8 and Block 9, being the first of six indicative stages of the Waterloo South development illustrated at Figure 5”.

Studies and Issues to be looked at in the Rezoning and the Concept Plan SSDA

The Planning Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) set out the concurrent Study Requirements for both the Rezoning and for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS) for the Concept State Significant Development Application (SSDA). It includes a long list of studies that need to be undertaken or revised to support the proposals put forward in the Concept Plan and rezoning. It also includes issues that need to be addressed in the studies, rezoning or Concept Plan SSDA. REDWatch has noted at least 61 studies or issues that need to be addressed.

REDWatch has asked Stockland to make public details of the studies and the consultants responsible for their preparation.

In addition, the 2022 planning controls and the 2022 design guide sets out requirements like showing where different sorts of housing will be located across the site and other site wide issues that need to be determined before any individual Development Applications are made.

Social Impacts to be Assessed and Managed

The SEARs request the proponent to:

• Provide a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) prepared in accordance with the Social Impact Assessment Guideline for State Significant Projects. Social Impact Assessment in accordance with the guidelines
• Provide a Preliminary Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) to identify and mitigate impacts from the development on local communities. Preliminary Social Impact Management Plan.

Given historical concerns about the social and health impact of the redevelopment of a major public housing estate and the relocations on tenants, the inclusion of this study requirement allows tenants and agencies to raise a wide range of foreseeable positive and negative impacts and to suggest how these can be impacted through a Social Impact management Plan. The 2019 Health Impact Assessment, recently made public is a good starting point.

This overview of the Homes NSW Stockland Scoping Proposal of 20 August 2025 was produced by REDWatch and updated 15 October 2025