Sydney is growing fast. Last year, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that Sydney’s population grew by 107,538 people in 12 months, reaching an all-time high of 5,557,233 people (and counting). To accommodate those people, there are a heap of new houses being built across the city – with a whole new CBD coming to life on the doorstep of the new airport, and Sydney Olympic Park and Austral due to grow by 476 and 334 per cent respectively. Now, the NSW Government has released the details for a development much closer to the CBD – with 10,000 new homes due to be built in Woollahra and Edgecliff over the next few years. To keep the new residents of the Eastern Suburbs connected to the city, Woollahra is officially getting a train station – the first new heavy rail station to be built in Sydney in more than a decade.
The confirmation of the Woollahra train station comes as the NSW Government seeks to tackle the housing crisis by building more well-connected homes across the city. According to data from the NSW Productivity Commission, Sydney is losing twice as many young people as it is gaining, with the city’s wildly inaccessible housing market (the second-most expensive in the world) the main reason.
The NSW Productivity Commission also found that Woollahra is the most feasible Local Government Area (LGA) in NSW to welcome new housing developments, but housing approvals in the area consistently lag behind other LGAs. Over the past 50 years, while Sydney’s general population ballooned (growing by 74 per cent in 50 years), the population in Woollahra has declined by 11 per cent. This is largely due to the houses in the area being primarily large, expensive homes – but the rezoning initiative that’s coming to life along with the new train station will include a dedicated portion of affordable housing. Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, explained that the project will help balance out development in the city, stating: “This new train station will allow us to deliver up to ten thousand new homes right here in the heart of Sydney, close to jobs, public transport, green space and essential services.”
The idea of a train station in Woollahra (along the Eastern Suburbs line) was first introduced back in the 1970s, but the development was abandoned due to costs. With the aim of helping to build a better-connected city, work will begin again on the site that was initially earmarked for the station. Once operational, the Woollahra station will connect Sydneysiders to the CBD in just 8 minutes.
In terms of timelines, the rezoning is expected to take around two years, with an opening date for the station still yet to be announced.
And while there’s likely to be backlash from some residents of the Woollahra area, the plans will ultimately provide well-connected, affordable housing options for people who might otherwise be pushed out of the city.
Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Rose Jackson, explained that the government is “not afraid to take on NIMBYs to deliver more housing where there is the space and infrastructure to support it. This new station just makes sense.”
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