For this post REDWatch has used
the details initially available on its website www.waterloorenewal.com.au
in the “About the Draft Concept Plan” section. REDWatch has provided
comment on the material released in bold italic after each section. More
clarification may follow as the issues in this post have also been raised with
Stockland through its drop-in sessions but clarity has not been received as
yet. For ease of access REDWatch has also combined in a single PDF the Concept
Plan maps that have individual links below at –
Waterloo
South Concept Plan combined maps.
The website contains the
following sections and REDWatch comments are also provided by these headings:
New community spaces, shops and
services
A green, leafy and sustainable
neighbourhood
Safe and convenient connections
Benefits of the draft Concept Plan and
proposed changes
About the Draft Concept Plan
The Waterloo renewal project will
enhance the strength and diversity of Waterloo, a unique urban village on
Gadigal Land. The renewal will deliver new homes, community places, and green
spaces which prioritise the health and wellbeing of social housing tenants and
more sustainable mixed communities.
New and better homes
for all
- Around 3,000 new homes
- 50% of new homes as social and affordable housing
- More homes for Aboriginal people
- More comfortable and accessible homes for older people,
key workers and families - Designed so that buildings can’t be identified by their
tenure type – social, affordable or market
Click here to see a draft plan of the proposed
location and shape of social, affordable and market buildings in 3D. A 2D Plan
is also available here.
REDWatch Comment:
The project delivers at least
3,300 new homes when you account for the 10% design excellence bonus Stockland
plans to use. If the size mix of social, affordable and commercial homes was
the same as the 2022 proposal then it would deliver 3370 new homes so lets say
between 3300 and 3400 is the likely outcome not 3,000 which understates the
size of the development.
The planning controls say 50% of
Gross Floor Area (GFA) needs to be social and affordable housing and as the
social and affordable housing units are smaller on average than the market
housing then you actually end up with more than half the units being social and
affordable. On the 2022 rezoning assumptions it works out to around 52.4% will
be social and affordable. The final figures will be determined by the final
housing size mix within each tenure.
The More comfortable and
accessible homes for older people may only work for social and affordable
housing – Stockland have indicated it wants to reduce the requirement for
silver liveable apartment standard and accessible car parking for market
apartments as if there is not a requirement aging in place in market housing
especially when there is a push for older people to downsize.
Stockland told a REDWatch meeting
that the Concept Plan would show both where the 7% affordable housing agreed to
be in perpetuity would be and where the 13% affordable housing that might not
be in perpetuity would be. This has not happened so the map shows what might
start off as affordable housing not what might remain affordable housing after
long term financing finishes. Clarification is needed about the Stockland
consortium’s plans for the 13% affordable housing that government left up to
the developer to provide that may be only for a limited period and may not have
rents set at percentage of income like the in perpetuity 7%.
The
maps give us no information about what the actual building heights are so we
can not assess for example where the 10% design excellence has been
accommodated in the floor widths or where buildings have gone higher. This is
important information as it will be set in the planning controls coming from
this consultation. Information subsequently presented to tenants shows that
apart from the four high-rise towers that are constrained by flight
restrictions Stockland has not been able to accommodate the extra floorspace
without increasing height. The new plan has 9 buildings that are higher than
the 13 story height that caped the 2022 plan (1×22; 2×19; 1×18,1×17,1×16, 3×15).
Stockland have not just added the 10% increase to heights but have reworked the
plan to provide more space at ground level and to deal with solar access issues
in the 2022 proposal.
Proposed Design Excellence
changes are not revealed in in the released material even though it is argued
buildings will be designed so they can’t be identified by their tenure type.
Stockland have proposed to change the design excellence requirements that give
them the extra 10% floorspace by limiting design competitions to buildings over
100meters i.e. the four towers. Council’s latest proposal seeks to require
competitions for buildings over 35 metres (9-10 stories). Stockland argue that
design competitions would delay the building of urgently needed social and
affordable housing. Stockland outlined it wants an alternative approach in its
Scoping Proposal but has not made public how it plans to deliver the same level
of design excellence across all tenures to ensure they can’t be identified by
tenure type.
New community spaces,
shops and services
- Community facilities located near open spaces to
support gathering and social connection - A variety of spaces – for cultural expression, local
services, health and wellbeing, and learning - Skills exchange and redeployment hub to deliver jobs
and training pathways - Retail spaces for supermarkets, cafes and local
businesses
Click here to see a draft plan of the proposed
location for community and other ‘active’ uses.
REDWatch Comment:
The maps show us where it is
proposed to put Council’s community facilities as well as active use areas for
shops services or community uses. It does not go into detail about what those
spaces might be used for and for how long. Some uses might only be temporary
for example as there may not be much retail interest and so spaces might have
community uses initially but not in the long term when retail interest in the
site grows and competes for space. Stockland has indicated an interest in
managing the retail at least initially.
There are two sites on Cooper
Street that are active use but are not residential. There is no information
about Stockland’s is thinking about these two sites.
The planning controls set a
maximum limit on non-residential floor space in Waterloo South as well as a
minimum space to be used for community facilities health facilities and
childcare. In the latter 2,000sqm was allocated to a health facility that if that
is ruled out or downsized may make room for other community facilities or the
Consortium’s educational establishments. Each use proposed potentially
completes with others for limited space. REDWatch has gone into this issue in
some detail in Some Issues
for consideration in the Waterloo South Concept Plan.
Stockland have said it wants to
deliver “education establishments” and “creative industries” as active street
frontages but have not specified any detail and these uses were not in the
initial planning approval for the site. Stockland has also said it wishes to
redefine what is covered by community facilities but no details of what is
proposes has been made public. Stockland has said in Stage 1 it wants to
“skills exchange and reemployment hub”, a “social enterprise incubator” and a
“local Aboriginal health service facility” while ruling out a general health
facility which is specified in the 2022 planning controls. The community needs
transparency about what Stockland is proposing so there can be an open
conversation about what the community thinks and what then gets locked into the
planning controls.
Community Gardens was a focus of
community input in earlier planning stages but has been dropped from Homes
NSW’s People and Place plan. The Homes NSW Plan recognises the community desire
for public toilets in a community with lots of older people who may not go out
regularly because of incontinence but waters down the recommendation on this.
Are these community asks covered in Stockland’s plans or is there an assumption
that Council will provide these in its parks and community centre. Council has
not decided what it will do with its community facilities or park there is a
tendency to assume that certain services will be provided by Council and hence
do not need to be provided by the Consortium in its space. The community can
miss out on things it needs as a result.
One area that is within
Stockland’s purview is what it will do to ensure ongoing access to goods and
services for low-income people in the long term. This aspect seems to be
missing from the current discussion and references to it in Homes NSW People
and Place has also been removed.
Community need should drive what
is delivered not just what provides the best return for Stockland in areas
where it can change commercial rents. We need now to know what Stockland will
provide with the areas it controls.
A green, leafy and
sustainable neighbourhood
- Two new public parks for everyone to enjoy
- A variety of additional green spaces – pocket parks,
plazas and courtyards – to gather, relax and connect with neighbours - Tree-lined streets that are leafy, cool and
people-friendly - Landscaping in outdoor spaces designed to manage
rainwater, reduce heat, and keep Waterloo South cooler and healthier
Click here to see a draft plan of the proposed
location of parks and outdoor spaces
REDWatch Comment:
This map does not distinguish
between what will be public open space and what will be private space for the
occupants of the surrounding buildings. It is hence difficult to identify
potential public pocket parks and plazas from private spaces people might walk
past.
There is currently no maps that
deal with tree retention and removal nor with the deep soil areas for tree
replanting that might deliver “leafy, cool and people friendly” places. Tree
retention is very important for keeping the area as cool as possible while new
trees grow. Stockland have previously flagged in its scoping report that it
needs to make changes in tree removal in response to the amendments proposed
under the rezoning. This will be especially important for Stage One as the
Consortium has indicate it will use a mechanism for clearing the first site
which does not require public consultation.
While landscaping is referenced
there is no landscaping plan which Stockland needs to produce for this Concept
Plan.
The Concept Plan needs to deal
with what Stockland can control in the Concept Plan. Planning for the Council
parks and its community facilities will happen at a later stage.
Safe and convenient
connections
- George Street becomes a lively, green and welcoming
main street - A creative, vibrant Cooper Street connecting the new
parks - Prioritising walking and cycling by closing key streets
to cars - Wider and safer connections across the precinct,
including ‘shared zones’ where people are proiritised - New streets:
- West Street extended south to John Street
- Cooper Street extended south past John Street
Click here to see a draft plan of the proposed streets
and connections
REDWatch Comment:
Safe Connections are also
dependent on the interaction between people and motor vehicles. Stockland have
said it is making changes in traffic and parking surround updating the car park
locations, accessible car parking rates, and entries but there is no map on
display that shows where car park entries are expected or where traffic flows
are likely to happen.
REDWatch notes that the bike path
has been diverted around Waterloo Green in this proposal. The earlier Homes NSW
proposal ran the bike path past Waterloo Metro which seems to have made more
sense if there was to be a diversion that Council keep opposing. One concern
raised has been the increased potential conflicts between bike delivery drivers
and pedestrians, this is a growing community safety issue.
Close attention needs to be paid
especially to cross site connections and how they will be managed and
maintained to keep them safe for pedestrians. Clarification on what will be
public open space and what will be fenced private space is required as will be
landscaping along these routes to ensure good eyes on these paths.
Ideally you would want George
Street as the main street activated by people rather than cars but only the
southern end is a shared zone so presumably George Street is the main car
route. Cooper Street has been made a
shared zone which has the advantage of linking the two parks but only has the
east side activated with most of the western side privately owned.
Designing with Country
We acknowledge the deep and
ongoing connection of Aboriginal people to Waterloo and Redfern. Our goal is to
weave Aboriginal culture and knowledge through every part of Waterloo South –
not just in planning and design but in construction and activation.
It starts with Connecting
with Country – listening to and learning from Gadigal Traditional
Custodians, Elders, Knowledge Holders, and local Aboriginal residents and
organisations to embed their cultural values and aspirations into every aspect
of the Project.
Designing with Country is about translating these
values into the new buildings and spaces of Waterloo South – where Aboriginal
cultural narratives are visible, respected, and celebrated.
Several Designing with Country
sessions are being held with the local Aboriginal community to continue to
share, evolve and develop the emerging Designing with Country principles for
Waterloo South. These principles will continue to evolve through ongoing
conversations with the Aboriginal community.
REDWatch Comment:
REDWatch welcomes the commitment
to Connecting with Country and the involvement of the Aboriginal community in
the design work, this has been more lip service that actuality in the past.
It is important also to recognise
the connections of many migrants, working class and public housing communities
have to Waterloo and to also acknowledge these connections when looking at
consultation around building and place names. It has suggested for example that
people who have made major contributions to the area and to public housing in
the area like Marg Barry, Ross Smith and others should also be recognised in
some way.
Benefits of the draft
Concept Plan and proposed changes
The overall scale of the Waterloo
South renewal was approved in 2022 after many years of consultation.
The approval set new planning
rules in the Sydney Local Environmental Plan to deliver over 3,000 new homes,
and a Design Guide showing what future buildings might look like. However,
there are a few inconsistencies between these two documents that impact how
many homes could be delivered.
Information about the past
approval is available on the NSW Government’s Waterloo South planning page.
Building on the 2022 approval and
the emerging Designing with Country principles, the draft Concept Plan is
designed to make Waterloo South an even more comfortable, safe, green
and connected place for everyone.
The draft Concept Plan does
not propose to increase the overall amount of development or the number of
homes already allowed under the planning rules. It keeps a similar skyline,
with four tall towers and the rest as mostly mid to low-rise buildings.
The location and size of some of
the buildings is slightly different when compared to the Design Guide – with
some buildings getting lower or removed, and others getting taller.
These changes are designed to
provide:
- More
sunlight to homes, courtyards, parks and public spaces – including 7% more
sunlight to the park in Stage 1 - New
outdoor spaces – including additional pocket parks and plazas - Safer,
wider and clearer connections between buildings - More
space in outdoor areas to retain more mature trees - A more
‘open’ feel at the street level - More
social and affordable housing – previously 33.5% of all new homes, now
50%.
Come along to one of the upcoming
sessions – online or in person – to see more detailed plans about what’s
proposed, ask us questions and provide your feedback.
REDWatch Comment:
A number of changes have happened
since the 2022 approval that impact the Concept Plan so see REDWatch
primer for Waterloo South Concept Plan and Rezoning Consultation – October 2025
and associated documents including Some Issues for consideration in the
Waterloo South Concept Plan for a broader view of the changes and
possible implications.
No height information was initially released on the
website and Stockland have argued above it keeps “similar skyline”. Height
information released to tenants brings this into question with now a building
opposite the main park rising from 13 storeys to 22 stories and buildings
towards Mt Carmel going from 13 stories to 16, 17, 18 and 19 storeys.
REDWatch has previously also questioned the
3,000 units claim and the 50% figure for affordable and social homes. The claim
to retain more mature trees seems in conflict with Scoping report that
indicates more trees will be removed
REDWatch remains concerned that
there are no topic focused sessions in the consultation. There are only two
presentations and the rest are based around people making comments and asking
questions around display boards.
We encourage everyone with an
interest in Waterloo South to attend the engagement sessions and to raise the
questions of concern to you. You can also flag any concerns you have with
REDWatch by emailing mail@redwatch.org.au
This document was produced on 29
October 2025 and uses the text on www.waterloorenewal.com.au
at that time, it has also been updated on 31 October with height information provided to tenants.