Better
urban planning.
Better
housing affordability.
Better
environmental protections.
Better
public housing.
The Better Future Coalition is a grassroots initiative of concerned Community Groups across the Inner West.
We take positive action to ensure that the growth of our suburbs is planned properly for our community, the environment and future residents.
We support:
- Sympathetic Development – Appropriate scale and density
-
Meaningful Community Consultation – Our voices matter!
-
Better Affordable Housing Quotas – Not driven by developer profits
-
More Public Open Space and Amenity – A good quality of life for all
-
Public Housing – Support for those who need it
Will the Inner West Council’s massive redevelopment plan create a Fairer Future for everyone?
The proposed new Local Environment Plan will change what we love about the Inner West forever, wiping out homes, businesses, trees, sun and sky, but will it solve Sydney’s housing affordability crisis?
The poorly publicised Fairer Future Plan aims to add more than 36,000 dwellings to the Inner West in two Stages, with another 8,000 along Parramatta Rd announced recently.
Built by private developers for profit, this brand new housing will cost more and only add to affordability woes. With no new provisions for open space, the potentially 90,000 new people who settle here will share the already second lowest amount of open space per person in the State.
What’s at risk?
- Overshadowing of streets and public spaces
- Suburb Character lost to massive demolitions in our neighborhoods
- Affordable Housing in existing older accommodation
- Smaller apartments, fewer homes for families
- Access to internal Sunlight
- Environmental damage and climate impacts
- Small business impacts from lost car parking and construction disruption
The Problemswith the (Un)Fairer Future Plan
Better Future Coalition have identified many serious problems with the Plan that need to be carefully considered and addressed by the community and Council:
In what is already the 4th densest Council area in NSW, proposed new dwellings total 44,000, with up to 10 storey high-rise in some suburbs.
Excessive scale and density
Lack of awareness about the impacts of the plan are still widespread in the community.
Poor community consultation
No new playing fields, parks, libraries or swimming pools for potentially 90,000 new people living in the Inner West.
Lack of new public green space or playing fields
The plan results in the demolition of existing housing at huge scale. Our suburbs will be unrecognisable.
Loss of suburb character and heritage
Only 2% rising to 5% after 5 years is earmarked for Affordable Housing.
Affordable housing
Council’s definition of ‘affordable’ is defined as 80% of market rent. It should be 30% of income.
Problematic affordability definition
Will be priced out of the Inner West. High land values mean more costly housing when private sector developers build for profit.
Young people and essential workers
Renters in older accommodation and boarding houses will be hard hit, facing eviction as their buildings are sold to developers.
Renters
Existing low-income housing including boarding houses will be lost to rezoning and demolition for new apartments.
Low-income housing
Lack of public housing
The smallest proportion of new apartments will be 3 bedroom and above.
Lack of family-friendly housing
Creating apartment and unit complexes with no parking spaces ignores the need for work vehicles and impacts small business.
Lack of parking
We vote YES to
- Sympathetic development – appropriate scale and density across the Inner West
- Meaningful community consultation – our voices matter
- More transparency from Council
- More public open space and amenity – a good quality of life for all
- Updating infrastructure to support population increase
- Protecting our natural environment
- Better affordable housing quotas – not driven by developer profits
- Protection for low income and Public Housing – support for those who need it
- More family-friendly homes
- An audit of empty existing buildings
- More parking
- Preserving industrial land and jobs
What's happening?
Over 430 people at a public meeting overwhelmingly rejected Inner West Council’s misleading and poorly publicised ‘Our Fairer Future’ draft local development (LEP) plan.
The grassroots-organised meeting hears from speakers who are locals and experts alike. They explain what a Local Environment Plan is, highlight the issues and outline the impacts of this massive increase in housing scale and density.
Council holds a Public Forum where 80 people are allowed to speak.
Council has published community feedback showing an overwhelming lack of support for the plan.
A protest rally is held outside but hundreds of
people are unable to access the chamber for the
Forum. They’re shunted into a library where sound and vision is so poor most of them leave. The first hour is stacked with speakers who support the plan and are congratulated by the Mayor. The Forum is a farce.
At a rowdy meeting, 8 Inner West Labor councillors vote for the scheme, which could allow high-rise blocks up to 22 storeys. The 7 Greens, Liberal and Independent councillors vote against.
The proposal to rezone swathes of residential land is narrowly successful despite backlash from protesters
In the media
To contact Better Future Coalition please email
betterfuturescoalition@gmail.com
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