The NSW Government’s announcement on 25 August 2025 to build a new Woollahra railway station on a long abandoned site on the eastern suburbs railway line has sent shock waves across Greater Sydney.

Yet again, NSW Planning Minister takes out his colour pencil and draws a circle around a train line as his solution to solving the housing crisis. This time the circle is 800-metre wide that will rezone to build up to 10,000 new apartments. This simplistic ‘one size all’ planning attempt yet again fails to provide good place based planning that respects an area’s heritage, character and environment.

The rezonings will allow developers to make super profits to achieve the proposed 10.000 new apartments. Some believe that it will lead to the building of 50 new apartment towers of at least 30 storeys high. Never in the history of Sydney’s planning has such overdevelopment occurred, abandoning good planning principles. This massive rezoning will dramatically transform one of the few green low density suburbs left in the eastern suburbs and transform it to yet another Bondi Junction.

A Devastating Impact on Heritage and Environment

This “one-size-fits-all” planning approach—drawing an arbitrary 800-meter circle around a station to dictate building heights—ignores the area’s unique character. The rezoning will cover 800m radius from Woollahra Station and to within 400m of Edgecliff Station. Nearby suburbs like Edgecliff, Double Bay, Paddington, and Bondi Junction, will also feel the impact of this rezoning where property prices will skyrocket and heritage is sidelined.

The environmental toll is equally alarming. High-rise developments will disrupt local ecosystems, removing mature trees and habitats critical for native wildlife. The loss of green spaces will exacerbate urban heat and diminish the air quality. Moreover, the proposal lacks adequate planning for infrastructure, including traffic management, parking, and education facilities. Liberal leader Mark Speakman and MP Kellie Sloane have highlighted that Woollahra’s existing schools cannot support the influx of 10,000 new homes, underscoring the government’s failure to address these critical needs.

A Recipe for Unaffordable Housing and Community Displacement

Far from delivering affordable housing for young people and essential workers, this rezoning will drive property prices to unprecedented levels, with homes already valued between $5 million and $10 million becoming even less attainable for young Australians.

The average price of a two-bedroom unit in Woollahra is $1.6 million or $900 a week to rent. Only 1000 of the 10,000 apartments are planned to be “affordable” by the NSW Planning Department.

As soon as Premier Minnis announced the rezoning developers appeared to immediately start knocking on Woollahra residents’ doors, asking for them to sell their properties. Just as they did in Ku-ring-gai when similar rezoning plans were announced for housing within 400 metres of the Transport Oriented Development (TOD).

Yet again this appears to be developer led planning to make super profits to build luxury apartments.

Other announcement for more density includes 15,000 apartments at Burwood North and 3200 apartments at Broadmeadow. The NSW Government remains “disappointed” that it couldn’t build 25,000 apartments at the Rosehill Racecourse this year. Thank fully the Australian Turf Club refused to sell.