The council viewed comparisons to Chatswood or Burwood North as unsound. “Despite the introduction of a metro station, Five Dock is expected to remain a local centre serving local needs and is not intended to become a strategic centre,” it said.
Canada Bay councillors were due to discuss the church’s proposal at a meeting in May, but it lacked a quorum after two officials declared conflicts of interest. The staff report was sent to the Planning Department, which is now evaluating the church’s proposal.
A map showing the church-owned site in Five Dock town centre, next to the under-construction Metro West station.Credit: Planning portal documents
Andrew Katay, the rector at St Alban’s and senior minister at Christ Church Inner West, said use of land near metro stations was an “open question”, but he had confidence in the planners who put together the church’s proposal.
“What we’re experiencing right now is the turbulence of change,” he said. “I’ve got theories about how much people like to get cranky about stuff. The next day they sort-of move on.”
Any rezoning of the land for high-rise development would be lucrative for the Sydney Anglicans. Katay noted maintenance of the current heritage buildings relied on philanthropy.
“We, the church, really aren’t into maximising profits from property,” he said. “What we’re really into is a living, vibrant Christian community in a world that, frankly, needs hope.”
Canada Bay Liberal mayor Michael Megna, who was appointed in January, declined to comment. Deputy mayor Joseph Cordaro did not return calls.
Greens councillor Charles Jago said the church’s plan was too tall and would sacrifice the heritage-listed hall. “Everybody in Five Dock is against this kind of density,” he said.
“I don’t have any problem with the idea of building up not out,” he said. “Otherwise, we’re chopping down koala habitat in forests on the edge of Sydney.
“I’m really aghast at the poor quality of these proposals. Traffic is already pretty tough there, parking is pretty tough. Yes, there’s a metro. But that’s not an appropriate place.”
Others feel different. At the May 2023 meeting at which councillors adopted the seven-storey plan for Five Dock, one affected landowner, John Jameson, told them they were making a mistake.
Such height limits were in “direct contradiction” to the state and federal governments’ push for more housing near transport hubs, he said, and “failed dismally” to help fix the housing crisis.
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“Five Dock needs plastic surgery,” Jameson said. “It needs to attract significant capital investment from major developers. If we don’t change these controls … Five Dock will end up like Leichhardt, a dead urban village.”
The government is yet to present any concept plans for development directly above the Five Dock metro station, which would set a precedent for the area. Plans for seven of the eight accelerated precincts are due to be released this year, but the remaining Bays West plan is expected to take longer.
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