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You are here: Home / UrbanGrowth, SMDA & RWA Plans & Activities / Waterloo Public Housing & Metro Station Redevelopment

Waterloo Public Housing & Metro Station Redevelopment

On 15 December 2015 the NSW Government anounced that a station on its proposed Metro railway line would be built at Waterloo. The Metro anouncement was accompanied by the anouncement that the Waterloo public housing estate would be redeveloped over the next 15-20years with community engagement starting in 2016. In this section of the website you will find details of these projects as they unfold.
Inderpendent Assistance during Master Planning
Non Government Agencies and Community Groups have requested mechanisms for assistance for community members independent of LAHC and UrbanGrowth during the master planning process. This is being guided by the Groundswell agencies, Here you can get information on the Capacity Building Program run through Inner Sydney Voice or the Waterloo Community Development project run through Counterpoint Community Services.
Waterloo Metro Quarter Master Planning
The Metro Quarter is the site above the proposed Waterloo Metro Station. It has its own State Significant Precinct (SSP) study requirements. Early Visioning and study preparation was undertaken jointly with the Waterloo Estate SSP. On 18 May 2018 it was announced that the Metro Quarter master plan would be decoupled from Waterloo Estate master plan and that development of the Metro Quarter would be fast tracked to be built by 2022, two years before the station is scheduled to start operation. The announcement came simultaneously with 13 days notice of a 21 day "non statutory" exhibition of the draft master plan proposal for the above and below ground aspects of the site. The announcement broke undertakings given by LAHC, representing themselves, UrbanGrowth and Transport for NSW, that there would be a 6-8 weeks break between the release of the Visioning and consultant report summaries before there was any master plan consultations. During this time there was to be workshops run by the consultants on the main studies so the community understood the issues raised by the consultants that should be reflected in the the master plan. The decoupling makes it difficult to deal with site wide issues such as what community facilities might be best located on the estate or at the station.
Joint "Master Plan" studies and consultants
On 29 May 2017 Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) issued details on the way in which Urban Growth and LAHC consultants will undertake the studies required by the the Department of Planning. Waterloo Estate, including private land within the Consolidated Estate boundary, and the Metro Station above ground now called Waterloo Metro Quarter were declared as two State Significant Precincts (SSPs). The Study requirements in the SSPs are what NSW Planning and Environment require as a basis for setting new planning controls. Given the substantial overlap in the SSP requirements for both sites the studies are being done together and divided up among consultants. They will be tailored to a specific SSP site when placed on formal public exhibition. The consultant's studies cover the SSP requirements in a different way to the studies listed in the SSP. In everyday dealing during the master plan it will be these consultant studies which we are calling the "Master Plan" studies. There are also other studies being undertaken which are not required for planning controls but which deal with more "people" rather than SSP requirements and these are also included in this section.
Joint Engagement and Visioning
Here we have pulled together information about community engagement leading up to and during through the Visioning phase of the Waterloo Master Plan. The visioning phase was undertaken for both the Waterloo Metro Quarter and the Waterloo Estate even though each area had its own State Significant Development Study Requirements. Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) lead the engagement on behalf of UrbanGrowth and Transport for NSW. Following Visioning the Master Planning for each site was done separately.
Waterloo Metro Tunnel and Excavation
Here we have gathered specific information about the demolition of the Waterloo Station site, the digging of the station hole and the tunneling needed for the construction of the Waterloo Metro Station. This is the work being undertaken by John Holland. It is separate from the station fit out and what is built above the station which is referred to as the Metro Quarter.
For More Information
Below are the links to the major government bodies dealing with Waterloo
Community Activity
There are many groups and projects happening in Waterloo. Here we have an over view of some of the players and information about their activities as they unfold.
State Significant Precinct (SSP) Declarations and Study Requirements
On 18 May 2017 Waterloo Estate, including the private land within the Consolidated Estate boundary, and the Metro Station above ground now called Waterloo Metro Quarter were declared as two State Significant Precincts (SSPs). While the SSP requirements for each site have a lot of overlap there are some differences which we have highlighted in our comparison. Here is information about the SSP Declarations and the Study requirements. Please note however that the Study requirements are what NSW Planning and Environment require as a basis for setting new planning controls. The studies as undertaken by consultants cover these requirements in a different way. There are also other studies being undertaken which are not required for planning controls but which deal with more "people" rather than SSP requirements.
Waterloo Redevelopment 2016
To help keep everyone accross the proposals for the Waterloo redevelopment as they unfold REDWatch is bringing together key documents related to the Governments Plans for the Estate.
The 2015 Announcements
The details of the announcements and the initial reactions to them can be found here.
Earlier Studies on Waterloo & Redfern Public Housing Redevelopment
The proposal for the redevelopment of the Waterloo Public Housing Estate linked to the Metro station follows earlier studies undertaken by the Premiers Department's Redfern Waterloo Partnership Project in 2003-4 and the Redfern Waterloo Authority / Sydney Metropolitian Development Authority's Built Environment Plan Two. The latter was undertaken in tandem with the Federally funded Housing NSW Draft Master Plan. During these studies, and other proposed redevelopments of public housing, many issues have been raised by the community. This background has been documented on the REDWatch website and the relevent links can be found here.
Waterloo Estate Options
On 2nd August Land and Housing Corporation released the outline of the three options for the redevelopment of the Waterloo public housing estate that they propose to discuss with the Waterloo community in September and October 2018. Here is some information about the announcement and the options options.
Waterloo Estate Preferred Plan
On January 23 2019 Minister Prue Goward released an outline of the preferred Master Plan for the Waterloo Estate. Here is material relating to that Master Plan.
City of Sydney involvement in Waterloo
The City of Sydney was vocal in 2016 about the densities proposed for the redevelopment of the Waterloo Estate and surrounding areas. They have supported groups during the masterplanning process as well as having Council staff involved in the Department of Planning Process. With the public release of the masterplans for Waterloo Metro and Waterloo Estate Council again raised their concerns. Here is some of the statements and decisions of City of Sydney Council regarding Waterloo.
Michael Cassel to replace Anne Skewes as head of Land and Housing Corporation.
In the Newcastle Herald article below of 20 September 2019, it was announced that Michael Cassel would move from the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation to head up the Land and Housing Corporation responsible for the Communities Plus program and the Waterloo and redfern public housing redevelopments. Anne Skewes is moving to Crown Lands.
Waterloo South rezoning proposal
In mid May 2020, Land and Housing Corporation lodged an application for the rezoning of the Southern portion of the Waterloo Estate SSP area. On 29 May, Council released an acknowledgement of the lodgement along with some high level details of the proposal. On 31 May LAHC, through a media drop to The Sunday Telegraph, provided some additional information. The Communities Plus website for Waterloo will presumably be updated. This section of the website deals with the Waterloo South rezoning proposal.
LAHC post zoning planning.
With the exhibition for Waterloo South finalised in the first half of 2022 Land and Housing Corporation are starting the tendering process and planning for the early stages of the redevelopment of the Waterloo public housing estate. This includes contamination drilling on Waterloo South expected in August 2022 and planning for relocations and project delivery. LAHC are responsible during this stage of the redevelopment until contracts are entered into with a development consortium involving a developer, financing and a Community Housing Provider (CHP) that will run the new social housing. This section of the website deals with announcements and activities relating to this part of the redevelopment process.