The exhibition documents can be
found at Planning NSW - Waterloo Estate (South)
Concept Exhibition. The key document is the Waterloo South Concept Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to which almost all the
other documents are Appendices supplying additional information. The last
Appendix KK contains the Rezoning Report with the Draft LEP Maps, Revised
Design Guide, Connecting with Country Framework and Retail Market Demand Assessment.
You can find further information about the exhibition and documents on the
REDWatch website at Waterloo South Concept Plan and Rezoning on
Exhibition until 2nd June 2026.
This is the bit of the planning
proposal that deals with how people might be impacted positively or negatively
by the development. REDWatch is aware that Council and some other stakeholders
have concerns about the adequacy of the existing recommendations. From
REDWatch’s perspective more needs to happen in the management plan to guarantee
that community cohesion is rebuilt and that a successful social mix outcome is
achieved in the longer term.
For example, since 2010 there have been lots of meetings
with a focus of what is necessary to deliver the promise of “social mix” from
mixed tenure developments. The study and plan have a section on “Changing
social mix and impact on existing communities” which it recognises as a “High
Negative”. The management plan proposes a number of measures it expects to move
the outcome to become a “High Positive”. REDWatch thinks public housing tenants
will have some ideas on what needs to happen to deliver the best possible
outcomes from the redevelopment, so if nothing else put your thoughts into a
submission.
Across a range of areas, the Social Impact Management Plan
makes 82 recommendations. There are three questions that need to be asked: a)
have all the possible impacts (positive and negative) been identified; b) do
the recommendations adequately address the problem and improve the situation,
are there any recommendations needed but are missing and; c) what needs to
happen to make sure that these recommendations are implemented so that positive
improvements actually result.
Community Facilities
The rezoning
proposes to introduce “educational establishment” as a permissible use into the
5,000 sqm community facilities part of the development. The EIS on page 94
spells out that this needs to be a school or a tertiary institution constituted
by or under an Act. REDWatch is concerned that Stockland seems to be talking
publicly about something less formal that does not need this change. REDWatch
would not want to see space that could be used for local community activities
given over to an external educational facility. This is especially
because there has been a lot of talk about what the community wants to see, but
none of it is currently guaranteed. REDWatch would like to see people say what
they want the redevelopment to deliver and for Stockland and Council to then
cooperate about who will do what in their spaces. At the moment, because
Council has not yet decided what it will do with the space it gets, it is easy
for Stockland to make assumptions about what things the Council facility will
do that will not happen.
Non-Residential space uses
REDWatch is
concerned about the adequacy of the Retail Market Demand Assessment especially given the
importance of the need for low cost retail to service the public housing
community who are primarily on pensions and benefits. While a low-cost
supermarket would go a long way towards servicing this cohort, there is also a
need for other low-cost services and outlets – tenants complain about the
recent loss of the cheap bread shop, the cheap greengrocer, bulk billing
doctors and where to get a cheap haircut and perm.
The retail market demand assessment does not address this
issue even though its figures show that 92% of social housing households have
low incomes of under $52,000 per annum it does not look at what is necessary to
service this part of the community in long term retail. It is clearly a desktop
study with no input from locals about where they shop and why. It does not even
distinguish between the lower cost full range supermarkets and the more
expensive metro versions of the same brand. The Concept Plan needs to be able
to guarantee there will be long-term low-cost facilities.
The Social Impact Management Plan makes some
recommendations about what is needed to deliver “Improved retail access and
diversity”. People should look at these and ask if they are adequate to move
the impact from a “Low Negative” to a “High Positive”. With the approach to
preserving diverse retail not mapped out, REDWatch remains concerned about
Stockland’s proposal to move 2,000 sqm from non-resident, such as retail, to
residential uses. Our concern is that if there is not enough non-residential
space and effective mechanisms to reserve space for low-cost retail and
community needs, that a shortage of space may lead to high rents and retail
focusing increasingly on those who can pay more for goods and services.
Affordable Housing
REDWatch is keen
to see all Affordable Housing in perpetuity. We are pleased to see that 7%
remains in perpetuity and the undertaking in the EIS that the balance 13% will
be for at least 25 years. If financing for an affordable housing block cannot
be secured in perpetuity at the build stage REDWatch would like to see first
right of refusal arrangements put into the contract so that if government
policy has changed at the end of that period of at least 25 years or if the CHP
has the financial capacity so it can acquire the stock in perpetuity at the end
of the 25-year financing arrangement. There is a difference between the wording
in the EIS and the design guide, which is not binding. To avoid ambiguity,
REDWatch wants the development conditions to make all affordable housing based
on a rent of no more than 30% of household income and managed by a CHP for both
that which is in perpetuity and that guaranteed affordable for 25 years.
Design Excellence
REDWatch is
concerned that the design excellence provisions are not following those of the
City of Sydney for buildings over 35m. The project has committed to a tenure
blind approach and yet the private buildings will have design excellence
delivered by a design competition whereas for social and affordable housing,
design excellence will be determined by a panel in response to a proposal put
up by an invited architect. One other change proposed by the Concept is to
allow the same architect to deliver more than one building on a block. In the
2022 proposal architects were limited to one building on a block to deliver
diverse building designs.
Planning Controls and Concept
To date the
comparisons drawn against the concept proposal have been the 2022 approval to
which the Department of Planning added 10%. There has not yet been an external
examination of the Stockland Concept. REDWatch is aware that Council has a
range of concerns about the planning controls and the concept proposal, but we
have not seen the details and given the time available we have not been able to
form our own views. It will be interesting to find out more about Council’s concerns.
The Department of Planning will need to assess these potentially competing
views.
One document that it is reasonably easy to get an idea of
the changes proposed is the proposed Revised Design Guide. To make this easy-to-follow Stockland
has used the 2022 design guide and track changes, to remove what it wants to
take out and add in. Here you can also see the changed diagrams against the
2022 versions and get a good idea of what is proposed to change and what is not
by flicking through and looking at what is in red. Just remember the Design
Guide is just a guide and it does not have the same binding effect as the
zoning or what the Department approves or conditions.
We know we have just scratched the surface of the issues
that could be explored, but hopefully if you have not had time to dive into the
documents, this gives some ideas to work on.
On the REDWatch website you can also see the Counterpoint
Submission on Waterloo Concept Plan May 2026, which will give you more ideas.
This information is extracted from a REDWatch email update issued on 28 May 2026.
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