2026 will see the beginning of the dramatic transformation of Ku-ring-gai from a place of trees to a place of to concrete, high rise, traffic gridlock and environmental and heritage degradation. 

Ku-ring-gai Councillors voted, behind closed doors, to pass their Alternative plan to the Transport Oriented Development (TOD) for Gordon, Killara, Lindfield and Roseville with heights ranging from 10-28 storeys. Regretably, also behind closed doors, they abandoned the legal action against the NSW Government. This was the one and only bargaining chip left to stop the State Significant Developments spot rezonings undermining Council’s plan utterly.

NSW Labor are NSW Liberal are now on a unity ticket with the new Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Planning System Reforms) Act 2025.

Not only is Ku-ring-gai in  a dire situation but the new planning legislation will impact on every suburb across NSW and overwhelm communities with unsustainable growth.

Both NSW Labor and NSW Liberal are using the “Housing Crisis” as an excuse to push high rise for developers.  The results will be unliveability, traffic choked roads, overwhelmed sewerage infrastructure, pressure on water and energy, along with extreme and dangerous heat sinks as a result of  increasing temperatures and loss of urban forests.

The development industry has become so powerful that they are dictating to NSW Planning what they want.

The new planning laws have abandoned any semblance of community input on how their suburbs will be planned.  The new laws are more centralized, open to and corruption and abandon principles to protect the environment and heritage.

The Environmental Defenders Office has criticised the new Planning laws that Labor and Liberal supported.  It was refreshing to attend Jacqui Scruby’s, Independent MP for Pittwater, public meeting where she expressed opposition to the new legislation, and explained how the Low to Mid-Rise Housing would impact the Northern Beaches.

We need a NSW Government in 2027—one who will stand up to developers and go back to supporting their key role in listening to and representing the community.

19 December 2025