Many of us have been following Ku-ring-gai Council’s opposition to the proposed Transport-Oriented Development (TOD) in the area.

This topic is widely discussed within the community, and I’m often asked for my opinion on how it will unfold, especially now that Ku-ring-gai Council is taking legal action against the State Government.

In early May, Ku-ring-gai Council informed the community that they had called for more consultation and infrastructure investment in areas affected by the NSW Government’s transport-oriented development plans.

Within Ku-ring-gai, the TOD planning controls apply to areas around Roseville, Lindfield, Killara and Gordon railway stations.

Mayor Sam Ngai has pointed out that the fundamental concerns regarding infrastructure, urban tree canopy, and heritage remain unaddressed. Numerous extraordinary Council meetings have been convened to discuss the TOD issue, but the community is yet to see any alternative proposed by this Council.

Mayor Sam Ngai has claimed that "future residents are getting ripped off" by the Minns Government. While he openly criticizes the government, he also urges them to adopt an inclusive and consultative approach, seemingly unaware that you attract more flies with honey than vinegar.

On Monday 20 May 2024, there was a Parliamentary Hearing by the Upper House at which Mayor Tanya Taylor from Willoughby City Council and Mayor Sam Ngai were in attendance.  Mayor Ngai was asked how much Ku-ring-gai Council had spent on the full-page newspaper advertisements opposing the TODs. He refused to provide cost expenditure in running the full-page advertisements, called on the residents to “WAKE UP”, and was accused of being ‘evasive’ during the inquiry.

The Post has recently enquired as to a cost estimate that ratepayers are bearing for the media campaign in opposing the TODs. Mayor Ngai has been asked to come back to the Committee with evidence of expenditure and when this is publicly available, The Post will share this information.

Mayor Tanya Taylor also spoke about the potential impact of the TODs in the neighbouring LGA of Ku-ring-gai. In June 2023, Willoughby City Council rezoned to accommodate an additional 6,500 dwellings in areas close to transport and amenity and all within a small LGA of only 23 square kilometres.

“Whilst the stations identified in the TOD program are not located specifically within the Willoughby LGA, areas around Roseville and Crows Nest station’s TODs extend into Willoughby so, naturally, community interest is high. This is particularly evident in areas such as Naremburn, where there are concerns about impacts on important heritage areas,” stated Mayor Taylor.

Interestingly, Steven Head, General Manager of Hornsby Shire Council also attended the Parliamentary Hearing on 20 May and did so on behalf of NSROC (the Northern Sydney Region of Councils – 8 local Councils presenting a united voice on key issues, representing Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, Mosman, North Sydney, Ryde and Willoughby).

Mr Head acknowledged the housing crisis and went on to share concerns about how the blanket one-size-fits all reforms fall short especially in regard to environmental considerations such as bushfire, flood, biodiversity, heritage matters and crucially – waste management.

Mr Head called for State Government to “calibrate the settings for each individual location”. During the meeting, Mr Head stated that from a Hornsby Shire Council perspective, “I’d say that we’ve been quite satisfied with the collaborative nature of engagement from departmental officers…we’ve had opportunity to approach the Minister on a number of occasions and have a worthwhile discussion there.”

I believe that Hornsby's position on the TOD's reflects the good governance of the Hornsby Shire Council in planning for increased dwellings in their Master Plan as have Willoughby City Council.

My read on Ku-ring-gai’s legal action is that should the State Government relent and allow them the same 12 months afforded to other Councils to do the planning work required, perhaps the legal action may not go ahead which would certainly be in the best interests of the ratepayers of Ku-ring-gai.

Perhaps Ku-ring-gai could take some lessons from Willoughby and Hornsby Councils in how to plan for the future and work with the State Government.

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