‘The town cannot cope’: Sydney suburb fights NSW government over housing tower

Exclusive: Residents of a historic suburb in Sydney say they fiercely oppose the NSW government’s plans to build a 95-unit affordable housing complex opposite a hospital.

Homes NSW announced its major redevelopment plan for the former Camden Nurses Quarters in the south-west Sydney suburb of Camden in June last year.

Do you have a story? Contact reporter April Glover at april.glover@nine.com.au

The site on Menangle Road has now been earmarked for three multiple-storey buildings with social and affordable homes – an upgrade from an earlier concept of about 10 low-rise apartments.

Camden resident Kristie Adams is one of dozens of locals who want to block the construction.

Adams told nine.com.au she has been accused of being a NIMBY (not in my backyard) over her opposition to the development.

But she said while the community happily supports more social and affordable housing in Camden, high-density apartments in the small suburb will cause a traffic “mess”.

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“In Camden, there is no public transport infrastructure. We don’t have a train station. We don’t have a light rail. We don’t have a metro,” Adams explained.

“You have to have a car if you live here, the public transport. There’s no infrastructure ... it’s already a bit of a mess.

“So if we increase the density above what’s already here, the town cannot cope.”

The proposed complexes would have 48 off-street parking spaces.

Due to its proximity to the hospital, locals fear health workers will be left with limited parking.

Until recently, the space had been used as a pseudo parking lot for staff.

“All of those car parking spaces are gone and those poor nurses and workers are actually having to park in the surrounding streets already,” Adams said.

Adams raised more than $3800 to kickstart a grassroots campaign to “save” Camden from overdevelopment.

She and dozens of other community members have petitioned the NSW government to revert its plans to the original 10-dwelling development.

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Members of the Camden Residents’ Action Group said they were “shocked” by the scale, height and bulk of the proposed site during a community drop-in session in May.

“The artist’s impressions show monolithic buildings that signal social difference and ‘otherness’ within what is a cohesive Camden community,” the group wrote in a letter addressed to Homes NSW.

“We know that the vast majority of residents opposed to this particular development feel the same way about the imperative to protect Camden’s unique heritage and have no issue with SAH wherever located as long as it blends into the existing sense of place and community.”

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The community’s other gripe is the NSW government’s map out Camden’s town centre, zoned seemingly to fulfil the requirement of the state’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing (LMR) policy.

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The policy allows low and mid-rise housing to be built within an 800-metre walk from nominated town centres and transport hubs.

Adams and other locals argue the actual town centre is more than one kilometre away from the Menangle Road site.

But according to a dog leg-shaped map on the NSW government website, the suburb’s town centre actually extends down Menangle road, to the intersection of Park Street.

“Now, if that dog leg was not drawn, then where the government is proposing to build this building would not be eligible to be built this density because it would be too far away,” Adams said.

“This part of Camden should never have been included in the LMR and for so many reasons ... flooding, historic impacts, heritage, lack of infrastructure.”

The project has passed the design concept stage and is now awaiting rezoning approval after lodging a state significant development application (DA).

A spokesperson for Camden Council told nine.com.au the council formally objected the state government’s LMR application in the area.

“Specifically, the Camden town centre is not considered an appropriate location for the policy, given the limited public transport, flooding risk and evacuation limitations and the heritage character of the area,” the spokesperson said.

“The social and affordable housing development proposed by Homes NSW is classified as ‘State Significant’, meaning any application will be lodged, assessed and determined by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.

“Council is aware of the strong community interest in this development and will conduct a thorough review of any exhibited proposal with the view to making a submission on the project.”

Not everyone in Camden is against the development.

Fellow resident Lea Janes told nine.com.au that “housing is needed” in NSW and that Camden should not be exempt from infrastructure that supports more affordable homes.

“Australians are already finding it hard to get rentals in general housing –there’s no more room in the cities, to think that the little towns Like Oran Park, Austral, Leppington, would not have to spread out and become the next accommodation placements would be naive,” she said.

“Camden is there... these towns are in place and the government was always going to reach there eventually when space ran out.

“Change happens, they don’t have to like it ... get over it.”

NSW Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson told nine.com.au that Sydney is suffering from a lack of housing. 

“The scale of the homelessness crisis is no secret, so anyone who wants to stop us from building more homes should consider what that means for the people currently sleeping rough on our street,” Jackson said.

“Fundamentally, you cannot solve homelessness without homes.

“We are trying to get on with that job, but it is disappointing to be faced with opposition at almost every turn.

Homes NSW’s statement in full:

The Camden Redevelopment Project will deliver fit for purpose housing for those in need. We are transforming underutilised government land into 95 social and affordable homes across three buildings. 

In the middle of a housing and homelessness crisis we need to build more homes. This development will provide safe, secure and affordable homes for local workers, older women and families struggling in the private rental market. 

The NSW Government has a responsibility to take action on behalf of the 586 households on the waitlist for social housing in Camden.  Only 1.3 per cent of homes are social or affordable housing in Camden and there has been a 400 per cent increase in the social housing waiting list in this community. 

Homes NSW builds its homes in line with all current planning rules. The proposed development includes basement car parking with 48 spaces which is more than minimum requirement in the State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP). 

As part of the planning process, Homes NSW has commissioned an independent traffic impact assessment to assess potential impacts on traffic, parking, access and the surrounding road network. The assessment will be available to view during public exhibition.