Dear Members

We hope our Mailchimp Enews communications this year have been helpful in updating you with the work and activities for which FOKE has been involved in. State Significant Development submissions have certainly kept us very busy.

In this newsletter edition we discuss the impact that State Government and Council Plans that will have on Ku-ring-gai.

FOKE is now on continual watch for and making submissions to the State Significant Transport Oriented Developments in-fill development applications which have been lodged on the NSW Government Major Projects Portal since February this year and as recently as December 2025.  

We are also closely monitoring and making submissions to the State Significant Developments (SSDs) being assessed by the Sydney North Planning Panel (SNPP).  Three of which have been determined and refused by the SNPP.  Three SSDs have also commenced legal action with the NSW Land and Environment Court (L&EC). FOKE has given evidence based on our submissions to two L&EC conciliation hearings in the last few weeks.

To date 37 State Significant Development applications have been lodged on the major project portal. In total this will approximately yield 5000 new apartments within Roseville, Lindfield, Killara and Gordon.  FOKE has made submissions on a significant number of the 37 currently.

Since NSW Planning Minister Scully’s gazettal of Council’s TOD Alternative Plan in November, the Major Projects Portal is indicating that several of the SSDs which seemed to have stalled are now indicating that they are getting closer to being decided by the Department of Planning and/or Minister.  With the State Government’s desperation to fast-track housing developments, we are concerned some decisions will be announced before the end of the year.

In September 2025, the State Government made changes to the Community Participation Plan which now only allows for a 14-day public exhibition period for in-fill affordable SSDs, reduced from a 28-day public exhibition period.  The change by the NSW Government is clearly designed to fast track developments and minimise public participation and consultation.

We wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a safe, fulfilling, and healthy 2026.

Kind regards

Kathy

PRESIDENT

19 December 2025