A proposed aged care development in Sydney’s inner west is emerging as a key test of the New South Wales government’s drive to rapidly boost housing supply. The planning minister, Paul Scully, is set to decide on the Junction Street project in Forest Lodge, which includes a 12-bed aged care facility and 71 independent living units, under the state significant development pathway.
Environmental and emergency agencies have raised serious concerns about the flood-prone location. The Conservation Programs, Heritage and Regulation group warned that design measures cannot adequately mitigate the high flood hazard, posing an unacceptable risk to life for a seniors living development. The NSW State Emergency Service said the plans introduced significant risk to life, increasing both population and vulnerability on a site with limited evacuation opportunities.
The site, comprising car parks and a former hat factory, lies in a basin along a tributary of Johnstons Creek. The City of Sydney council’s flood risk assessment identifies it as storage for flood water and a floodway during a probable maximum flood event. The developer, Corio Developments, has proposed mitigation measures including constructing residences on an elevated undercroft car park, but agencies remain unconvinced.
The state significant development pathway, which bypasses council approvals, has been used increasingly by the Minns government to meet its target of 377,000 new homes by 2029. Over 1,000 applications are currently awaiting determination. The outcome of the Junction Street proposal may signal the government’s willingness to override environmental concerns in its housing push.
One resident objecting to the development questioned whether building high-density seniors housing in flood-prone areas is a sensible response to climate change. The developer has requested a 25% floor-to-land space bonus for seniors housing under the NSW planning act. Scully’s decision is expected after the department considers Corio’s response to flood risk concerns.
