10,000 new houses planned for Woollahra Station – where are they being built?

The NSW government has said that it will finally open a train station in the suburb of Sydney in the center of Woollahra, after a partially complete facility was left in the 1970s.

Local opposition turned out to be too strong for the NSW government in 1972 when the Sydney Morning Herald stated that a “struggle” had broken out over the Woollahra train station, in the inner east of the city.

In the first place, efforts were led by the Woollahra Committee Conserve, which argued that the station would generate too much traffic.

As such, the partially finished station has been sleeping for 50 years.

But now Prime Minister Chris Minns has said that the government will not be put off by the local opposition and will not only finish and open the station, but will re -open the area to increase housing density.

“This new train station enables us to deliver a maximum of ten thousand new houses in the heart of Sydney, close to jobs, public transport, green space and essential services,” he said.

When announcing the relocation, the NSW government revealed that the approvals of homes in Woollahra are consistently lower than other LGAs in Sydney, and the population has fallen by 11 percent in the last 50 years, while the larger Sydney region has expanded 74 percent.

A representation of the new Woollahra train station, set to open in 2029. Image: NSW GOV

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The state of the state for housing and homelessness, Rose Jackson, doubled the prime minister’s claim that the plans would continue, and stated that the current government “was not afraid to assume Nimbys to deliver more accommodation where the space and infrastructure is to support it. This new station is simply logical”.

Working at the station is expected to start in 2027, with completion planned for 2029, while the re -use of the area is expected to take two years.

How will the area accommodate new houses?

The Woollahra train station is in a corridor that is currently considered an R3 zone for planning purposes.

This means that developments for average density such as mansions, villa houses and terraces are allowed the highest level of density for new development.

In the north of Woollahra Station in Edgecliff is the primary zone R3. But south of the station, this zone with medium density is only about two blocks wide, where the zoning quickly steps to R2.

Under R2 destination plans, developers and home builders are allowed to build detached single-family homes, double occupations and semi-detached houses.

The government has made it clear that housing with a higher density around the station and will be housed in Edgecliff, so these zones will change.

If R4 destination plans are introduced, it can make a high-rise building possible, often in larger apartment complexes.

As a location in the city center, there is currently not much empty on the site for grabbing in the area. So the development is expected to take place gradually once the changes have been made, whereby existing buildings make way for newer constructions with a higher density.

The government has said that affordable homes will also be part of the development on the site with the final amount of affordable homes that must be determined as part of the re -use process.

Brand points from Woollahra and the surrounding area. Image: NSW GOV

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Meet opposition frontally

On a realization of a report from the Productivity Commission of February 2024 that Sydney was adults aged 30 to 40, Mrs. Jackson appealed to the emotions of Woollahra – and age when announcing the decision to suck the area again.

“For so many many, the Australian dream went out of reach and if nothing changes, our city will be one without grandchildren,” she said.

The government emphasized that it had already assessed the infrastructure of the area and discovered that local schools have the capacity to accept an intake of children, and essential services could accommodate the number of new residents.

“Sydney Water and Infrastructure NSW have confirmed that there is capacity in the water and waste water systems to accommodate the proposed 10,000 homes without major upgrades,” the government said.

Mr Minns marked that the government intended to pay for part of the construction of the Woollahra train station by means of “Value Capture” on increased land value by charging an amount per house to real estate developers who realize higher prices thanks to the station upgrade.

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