Issuu

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE

The Hills Shire Council’s Advocacy Priorities 2026 – 2029

Mayoral message The Hills Shire has been one of the fastest growing local government areas in New South Wales for more than three decades. While we have enthusiastically partnered with successive governments to support Sydney’s growth – we’ve never received the required infrastructure investment to match the boom in our population. Now, the NSW Government has set us the highest housing targets in the state. The current infrastructure issues we face are not a mess entirely of the current government’s making. But under their policies, our issues will be supercharged. Traffic will get worse. Commutes will get longer. Overcrowding in our schools will worsen and demand for sporting fields will multiply. We’re expecting more than 140,000 additional people to call the Hills home in the next 15 years. The NSW Government has introduced a range of policies that have contributed to this rapid growth, including the Transport Oriented Development program, which will allow for 11,600 new homes just between Bella Vista and Kellyville alone, the Low- and Mid-rise housing reforms, which greenlights an extra 9,968 dwellings in the Hills and the lifting of the cap on the Castle Hill Showground precinct to allow for an extra 4,500 dwellings. On top of that comes the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) which is disregarding planning controls and fast-tracking absurd overdevelopment proposals. Our population is booming, and with it, so is the demand for infrastructure. Our residents have rightfully had enough. In March 2025, I launched Council’s Fight for a Fairer Hills Future campaign, which called for urgent state and federal investment in critical road upgrades, schools, sports fields, Box Hill and other local infrastructure our community needs in the face of unprecedented population growth. The Fight for a Fairer Hills Future campaign had an incredible impact in more ways than one. During the campaign, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a $220 million upgrade for Windsor Road, which has since been matched by the NSW Government, $11.7 million of state funding was announced for infrastructure in Box Hill, as well as a new pop-up school, and temporary additional parking at Kellyville Metro. Our campaign petition was backed with more than 20,000 signatures from local residents, businesses and other stakeholders, which allowed for our community’s infrastructure concerns to be heard in NSW Parliament on Thursday 18 September 2025. Our residents, who struggle daily with gridlocked roads and making their way to public transport, overcrowded schools and sports fields, were feeling heard by all levels of government. But it’s clear that our infrastructure and housing issues won’t be solved by one level of government over one term of parliament. It’s clear that fighting for a better result for our residents won’t be a one-off campaign. It has to become our business as usual. That’s why we have produced this document – Fairer Hills Future. This is our vision for the policy and infrastructure investments needed to make life better for our residents. We’re not demanding anything unreasonable. Just the essentials needed for a community expected to burden as much housing as we are. We will take the items listed in this document to every member of state and federal parliament that we meet, with the hope that they will get on board to help deliver a Fairer Hills Future.

MAYOR OF THE HILLS SHIRE, DR MICHELLE BYRNE

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

10 Priorities to 2029 The infrastructure issues we face cannot be solved by Council alone. That’s why we will advocate to the state and federal governments on the following infrastructure and policy priorities to 2029.

Top 5 Infrastructure Priorities 1.

Fund a major upgrade of Old Windsor Road between Celebration Drive and Windsor Road and a major upgrade of Windsor Road from Boundary Road to Showground Road

2. Secure the Outer Sydney Orbital (M9) corridor, including the section of the corridor from Richmond Road to the Central Coast 3. Extend the Sydney Metro from Tallawong to St Marys or at least Schofields 4. Secure public transport options from Box Hill to Rouse Hill 5. Identify, fund and build schools in the Hills, prioritising schools within the Castle Hill Showground precinct and Box Hill

Top 5 Policy Priorities 1.

For the NSW Government to respect existing strategic planning frameworks and return planning powers back to councils

2. State and federal governments to fund essential infrastructure in growth areas 3. Expand essential infrastructure list to include libraries, community centres and indoor recreation facilities 4. The Federal Government to develop a National Settlement Strategy 5. Biocertify Western Sydney for faster housing approvals and completions Windsor Road, Rouse Hill 4

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

The Hills Shire is one of the fastest growing areas in Australia. It is subject to the largest housing targets of any LGA in NSW. We’re proud of the people, businesses, development and investment our Shire attracts – and we’re also proud that as a Council, we’re playing our part in Sydney’s future. A diversity of new residents is coming to live in the Hills, some in growth areas around Sydney Metro stations, others in growth precincts such as Box Hill. As a Council, we’re on the ground every day, speaking to both these new residents as well as the people who grew up here. We understand what makes them tick. And it’s clearer than ever that our residents are fed up. They’ve always known the Hills is a place of change – but for them, the enormous scale and speed of change is not matched by investment in the basics that create a great place to live. This is not what they were promised, by us as a Council and by governments of all colours.

The numbers Twenty years ago, we were told that we needed to incorporate an additional 36,000 new homes by 2031. Since then, successive governments promised that infrastructure will be in place before these communities moved in. This is the basis of sustainable, sensible development. An increase of population demands upgraded infrastructure, services and facilities to support everyone’s quality of life. It requires federal, state and local government investment to equip a growing community with what it needs to prosper.

SO, WHAT HAPPENED?

IN THE PAST 20 YEARS 41,000 new homes

BY 2031

Will likely increase to 56,000 homes

THE HILLS SHIRE’S POPULATION

83% INCREASE

*Between 2006 and 2031

From a community of 136,000 people in 2006, we’ll be home to just shy of a quarter of a million people within just a quarter of a century. And the long-promised infrastructure? The people and businesses of the Hills are barely getting by with the basics.

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Yes, we have a Sydney Metro line – we’ve welcomed it, we’ve worked across government to integrate it into the Hills, the community is engaged and renewed suburbs are coming to life. But what we don’t have is sufficient public transport to the stations or the sufficient parking required for the residents whose only way to get to the Metro is by car. New or upgraded infrastructure is talked about in press releases, but we’re not seeing any genuine movement, either in terms of planning processes or on-theground change. We’re experiencing rapid population growth and increased housing density through a churn of inconsistent and unsustainable policies such as the Housing Delivery Authority, Transport Oriented Development and Low- and Mid-rise housing reforms. These ad hoc reforms continue to place massive pressure on existing infrastructure, particularly in western border communities like Bella Vista, Kellyville, North Kellyville, Box Hill and Gables. Windsor Road is just one example of many. Over the past 12 months, travel times on Windsor Road increased by nine minutes for the morning commute between Gables and Norwest. It’s not only our residents being impacted by this – people living in Blacktown LGA are battling Windsor Road as well. And this will only get worse – with the opening of Rouse Hill Hospital, and as more homes pile into the Shire’s greenfield areas and around the Metro precincts, our already struggling infrastructure will fall woefully behind.

This equates to 56 per cent more homes than the community expected.

Box Hill 6

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

A fully developed North West Growth Area, which includes part of the Hills Shire, Blacktown and Hawkesbury LGAs, will have a population equivalent to Canberra’s. Think about the level of investment needed to support transformation of this scope. Under the National Housing Accord, the Hills Shire alone has the highest five-year housing target in NSW (23,300 homes). This target reflects zoned capacity - and we are ready to meet this target:

More new homes were approved in the Hills Shire than any other LGA in NSW in 2024-25. We have land zoned for more than 56,350 additional homes We have land zoned for more thanhave 56,350 additional We land zoned forhomes more than 56,350 additional homes

17,012 17,012 17,012 7,700 7,700 7,700

We have strategic capacity for a further 7,700 dwellings We have strategic capacity for further 7,700 dwellings Weahave strategic capacity for a further 7,700 dwellings

We don’t need a panic-driven approach to housing here. Through decades of careful, strategic planning, often co-funded by and developed with the

Dwelling Completions

3,500

Average Annual Dwelling Completions

3,000

Dwelling Approvals Average Annual Dwelling Approvals

Based on recent dwelling completion data, most councils will struggle to achieve their Housing Accord targets. This is in part due to external influences like supply issues, high construction costs, and workforce pressures that slow housing development.

Think about the contribution we could collectively make to the North West – and this could occur in the short term, when housing affordability and the cost of living is really biting.

Over the past five years, we’ve approved 17,012 homes in the Hills Over the past five years, we’ve approved homes in the Hills Over the17,012 past five years, we’ve approved 17,012 homes in the Hills

4,000

Even though Council is approving homes at a record rate, we still need to double the number of home completions to meet the NSW Government’s housing target.

Councils don’t build the houses. Councils don’t even decide how many development applications are approved in a year. The only way we can shift the dial on housing completions is if the market is led by significant delivery (not just announcements) of schools, roads, transport, sewer, power and water.

56,350 56,350 56,350

Figure 1: Dwelling Completions vs Dwelling Approvals

NSW Government, we are doing what’s required. And we are ready to work with all levels of government to create the parameters for more people, more housing and more jobs for the Hills Shire in a way that prioritises our community.

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE INTRODUCTION

The future

In the Hills Shire alone, we have almost 18,000 dwellings approved but not yet constructed, from residential lots in growth areas to multi-unit housing within Metro precincts and town centres. A further 5,700 dwellings received master plan approval in the Bella Vista and Kellyville precincts. There’s no shortage of zoned or approved housing capacity in this area. The NSW Government must use the levers at its disposal to turn these approvals into completions. As we’ve seen time and time again in the Hills Shire, infrastructure investment leads to housing completions.

2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000

2024/25

2023/24

2022/23

2021/22

2020/21

2019/20

2018/19

2017/18

2016/17

2015/16

2014/15

2013/14

2012/13

500

Kellyville Metro Station parking 8

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE INTRODUCTION

Figure 2: The Hills Shire’s housing capacity Zoned Capacity (2021) Strategically Identified Capacity Release Areas Urban Growth Boundary Metro Line Metro Station The Hills Shire LGA Boundary

Gables 2,905

Box Hill 10,981

North Kellyville 1,551

Rouse Hill 811 877

Balmoral Road 2,671

Castle Hill 4,515 4,272

Bella Vista/ Kellyville

Cherrybrook 420

5,304

10,224

Norwest

Hills Showground 8,391

2,706 3,563

Baulkham Hills 6,145

The community – what it needs and deserves The people and businesses of the Hills Shire are doing the heavy lifting. We’re making room for growth, and we’ve always supported city-wide transformations like Sydney Metro, Western Sydney International Airport and the Outer Sydney Orbital. We’re working cooperatively with all levels of government and with our neighbouring councils to help achieve a genuinely sustainable future for Sydney’s North West – one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. But something needs to give. We want to reignite the opportunities that growth can bring, yet we cannot do this if investment or action on transport, environmental and social networks remain stagnant.

The increase in population, in commuters, in cars on the roads, in children in school, in patients needing health services and in businesses ready to invest and thrive cannot occur without a parallel increase in road upgrades, public transport services, schools, sports fields, open spaces and health facilities. This document sets out the state of play for 2026. We know that governments must carefully prioritise public investment; we also know that every item our Shire needs can’t be funded overnight. We’ve nominated both infrastructure investment and policy shifts that can make real change for the ratepayers and voters in the Hills Shire and surrounding LGAs. We see some of these as quick wins – opportunities to optimise investments already made, or announcements already promised, to bring relief and betterment to our communities sooner.

Windsor Road, Rouse Hill 10

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

Roads The Hills Shire is vast, and public transport links are limited. Sydney Metro services and initiatives to focus development around Metro stations are welcome, yet they’ll only ease congestion in the short term. Car trips remain inevitable. We call on the NSW Government to: 1. Upgrade Windsor Road and Old Windsor Road 2. Plan, identify and secure the corridor for the Outer Sydney Orbital, including the section from Richmond Road to the Central Coast 3. Reclassify Annangrove Road as a state road and commit to the Round Corner bypass

Upgrade Windsor Road and Old Windsor Road Windsor Road and Old Windsor Road run through the heart of the fastest growing area in NSW – straddling the Hills Shire and Blacktown Local Government Areas where there is a combined housing target of 45,000 new homes in five years. Windsor Road and Old Windsor Road are two important production corridors serving the North West. These corridors carry significant regional traffic volumes and freight. More than 50,000 motorists use Windsor Road every day. Windsor Road will also be the main access road for the planned Rouse Hill Hospital. This corridor needs billions of dollars to make it ready for the incoming residential population and the hospital. By 2041, this population will be around the same size as the current populations of the ACT and Tasmania combined. Following advocacy through our Fight for a Fairer Hills Future campaign, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed $200 million to widen and upgrade Windsor Road before the 2025 election. The Federal Government committed an additional $20 million for a planning study to improve travel times on Old Windsor Road between Kellyville and Northmead. The NSW Government then matched the Federal Government’s funding for the Windsor Road upgrade. However, this upgrade will only apply to a small stretch of Windsor Road near Rouse Hill Hospital. The community was rightly frustrated that this intervention, while welcome, will not go anywhere near addressing the chronic and rapidly worsening congestion issues on Windsor and Old Windsor Roads. In just twelve months, commute times during the morning peak on Windsor Road blew out by nine minutes. We call on the NSW Government to:

• get started on the current commitment to widen and upgrade Windsor Road near Rouse Hill Hospital • commit to upgrading Windsor Road from Boundary Road to Showground Road and • commit to upgrading Old Windsor Road from Celebration Drive to Windsor Road.

Plan, identify and secure the corridor for the Outer Sydney Orbital, including the section from Richmond Road to the Central Coast The Outer Sydney Orbital is nationally critical. Efficient north–south connectivity through Western Sydney and beyond will directly lead to faster and more reliable road travel for freight and passenger movements. The proposed Outer Sydney Orbital corridor ends at Richmond Road. A long-term approach requires early identification and protection of a corridor from Richmond Road to the Central Coast. Without this, we’ll see knock-on congestion and economic impacts between Richmond Road, Windsor Road and the North West Growth Area – on top of the existing and crippling congestion on Windsor Road and Old Windsor Road. Once completed, the orbital will ease congestion on local roads in Rouse Hill, Baulkham Hills and Castle Hill – three centres that will increase in population from 25,784 people to 57,384 people over the next 20 years under the NSW Government’s Low- and Mid-rise housing reforms. The Outer Sydney Orbital will also connect businesses in Box Hill and Annangrove to the Western Sydney International Airport and the Central Coast.

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE CONNECTED PEOPLE AND PLACES

Connected People and Places

We call on the NSW Government to identify and protect a corridor from Richmond Road to the Central Coast for the proposed Outer Sydney Orbital.

Reclassify Annangrove Road as a state road and commit to the Round Corner bypass Annangrove Road Annangrove Road is currently the only direct link between the North West Growth Area and the State Arterial Road Network to the east within the Hills and Hornsby Shire LGAs. This road carries traffic between industrial, commercial, residential and rural areas and also acts as a flood evacuation route. Annangrove Road is a sub-arterial road, but this road already experiences traffic volumes approaching 20,000 vehicle movements per day – equivalent to traffic volumes along state roads. This volume will only increase as the North West Growth and Metro precincts continue to develop.

Windsor Road 12

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

Dural and improve regional traffic flow through Box Hill. The Round Corner bypass could serve as an interim orbital until the M9 is delivered.

Other essential regional road upgrades

However, there isn’t a contributions plan that covers the widening of Annangrove Road from Edwards Road to Kenthurst Road. There is no current funding source for this.

In the Hills, we are experiencing a road crisis as much as a housing crisis - we’ve identified 46 regional road upgrades that we need in the short to medium term to service future growth. Figure 3 illustrates the 15 big-picture and game-changing upgrades. These are essential if we’re to restore capacity in the local road network, reduce congestion, support efficient freight movements and improve quality of life.

As we wait for the M9 and M8 motorways to be built, we call on the NSW Government to reclassify Annangrove Road as a state road and upgrade the whole of Annangrove Road to four lanes.

We call on the NSW Government to reserve a corridor between Annangrove Road and Old Northern Road for the Round Corner bypass and commit to funding the construction of the Round Corner bypass.

Round Corner bypass Dural – Round Corner currently acts as a rat run to Pennant Hills Road to access the M2 and M7. Annangrove Road to Old Northern Road is a bypass corridor that would relieve significant congestion at Kenthurst Road and Figure 3: 15 essential road upgrades the Hills needs 1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7.

8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Annangrove Road upgrade from Windsor Road to The Water Lane (note: fully funded) The Water Lane upgrade from Annangrove Road to Nelson Road (note: fully funded) Terry Road upgrade from Windsor Road to Mason Road Signalisation upgrades along Norwest Boulevarde (including Lexington Drive, Columbia Court, Reston Grange and Edgewater Drive) Commercial Road upgrade from Rouse Hill Town Centre to Withers Road Withers Road upgrade from Commercial Road to Annangrove Road Old Windsor Road upgrade from Celebration Drive to Windsor Road (including signalisation upgrades at Celebration Drive and Memorial Avenue) Signalisation upgrade at the intersection of Windsor Road and Showground Road Signalisation upgrade at the intersection of Showground Road and Victoria Avenue Round Corner bypass from Kenthurst Road to Old Northern Road New Line Road upgrade (including signalisation upgrade at Old Northern Road) Bridge connection from Edwards Road to Ross Place over Caddies Creek Boundary Road upgrade from Windsor Road to Old Pitt Town Road Windsor Road upgrade from Memorial Avenue to Showground Road Grade separation from Windsor Road to Old Northern Road

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE CONNECTED PEOPLE AND PLACES

Council is currently working to upgrade the section of Annangrove Road between Edwards Road and Windsor Road. This upgrade was made possible through a combination of Contributions Plans 11 and 15 and Special Infrastructure Contributions (SIC) funds.

Box Hill North C

Box Hill C

2 C

Kenthurst

1 6

Annangrove C

North Kellyville

Round Corner C

M Rouse Hill C

Glenhaven Kellyville

M Kellyville

Dural

Bella Vista

Norwest

9 8

Castle Hill

Cherrybrook

Baulkham Hills

Blacktown

Winston Hills

The full list of 46 regional road upgrades can be viewed on the Fight for a Fairer Hills Future webpage on Council’s website.

Annangrove Road, Rouse Hill 14

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

Extend Sydney Metro from Tallawong to St Marys or at least Schofields

As commuter numbers grow, the only sustainable solution is for people to leave their cars at home.

Short term priorities

Extending Sydney Metro services will provide our residents with access to Western Sydney International Airport, Bradfield City Centre and outer Western Sydney.

We call on the NSW Government to reinstate the on-demand bus service to Metro stations.

1. Extend Sydney Metro from Tallawong to St Marys or at least Schofields 2. Reinstate the on-demand bus service to improve access to Metro stations 3. Secure public transport connections between Rouse Hill and Box Hill

Already, around 22 per cent of Hills Shire workers live in the Penrith and Blacktown LGAs, compared to 39 per cent of workers who live within the Hills LGA. People are moving to and from these regions for work every day – and they’re currently using their cars. We call on the NSW Government to extend Sydney Metro to St Marys or at least Schofields to connect people to Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport services. Extending the Metro to Schofields station would be an effective stage one of this project.

Reinstate on-demand bus service to improve access to Metro stations Sydney Metro stations do not have enough parking, and the NSW Government has made it clear there won’t be any new commuter car parking around Metro stations. Today’s residents struggle to find parking at Metro stations like Kellyville past 7am. Imagine what it will be like with a population increasing by 71 per cent in the next 15 years.

This would be a huge quick win for the NSW Government and will make a genuine difference to people’s lives. It could be as simple as extending existing services, like the Cooee Busways model that runs in Blacktown LGA to Metro stations and shopping centres.

Secure public transport connections between Rouse Hill and Box Hill New residents moving into Box Hill and Gables have no choice but to use their cars. These areas will be home to close to 70,000 people when fully developed, and more than a third have moved in already.

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE CONNECTED PEOPLE AND PLACES

Public Transport

As well as the missing link from Tallawong to St Marys, the Government should also investigate extending the Metro from St Marys to Box Hill and Gables. Box Hill alone will eventually be home to 50,000 residents and a Metro station in this precinct would divert traffic from Windsor Road. We call on the NSW Government to invest in public transport connections from Box Hill and Gables to Rouse Hill, the Metro network and bus services.

Figure 4: Light rail conversion of the North-West T-way

Bella Vista

Proposed Light Rail within the existing T-way corridor Interchange

Sydney Metro North West Westlink M7

Meurants Lane Norbrik Drive

Stop

Troubador

Reference point (context only)

Joseph Banks Drive Abbott Road Bus link to Seven Hills station Seven Hills station

Powers Road Johnstons Fitzwilliam Road Constitution Hill Briens Road Mons Road

Westmead Hospital

Westmead

T1 Western Line • L4 light rail • future Metro West

Norwest Metro station 16

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

1. Investigate replacing the existing T-way bus service with light rail from Westmead to Bella Vista and the potential to extend this service to Norwest 2. Investigate a mass transit link between Castle Hill and Parramatta via Baulkham Hills

Investigate replacing the existing T-way bus service with light rail from Westmead to Bella Vista and the potential to extend this service to Norwest Around 12 per cent of Hills residents work in Parramatta, and 10 per cent of people working in the Hills come from Parramatta and Cumberland LGAs. The current T-way runs along Old Windsor Road from north of Westmead Hospital to Rouse Hill Town Centre, and to access it, buses get stuck in local traffic. Replacing the T-way with a light rail would alleviate this issue and could be extended through Norwest, which is set to be the Hills’ primary employment hub. We call on the NSW Government to investigate replacing the existing T-way bus service with a light rail from Westmead to Bella Vista and extend to Norwest.

Figure 5: Proposed metro, Parramatta to Castle Hill via Baulkham Hills Proposed metro: Parramatta - Castle Hill via Baulkham Hills Potential Extension: Castle Hill - Glenhaven - Dural Sydney Metro M1 - operating Sydney Metro under construction (Southwest, Metro West)

Rouse Hill Norwest

Kellyville

Already, more than 30,000 cars travel through the intersection of Windsor Road, Old Northern Road and Seven Hills Road every day. As the NSW Government’s Low and Mid-rise housing reforms currently stand, they allow for an extra 3,000 dwellings in Castle Hill and an extra 4,250 dwellings in Baulkham Hills. That’s a 36 per cent surge in housing for Castle Hill, while Baulkham Hills will see its numbers more than triple from 1,900 to 6,150 homes. Altogether, that’s a total of 7,250 additional dwellings for Castle Hill and Baulkham Hills. This unplanned growth needs the infrastructure to match. A Metro between Castle Hill and Parramatta via Baulkham Hills or bus T-way would reduce traffic on the roads. We call on the NSW Government to investigate a mass transit link like a bus T-way or Metro spine between Castle Hill and Parramatta via Baulkham Hills.

Dural (Round Corner)

Hills Showground

Tallawong

Investigate a mass transit link between Castle Hill and Parramatta via Baulkham Hills

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE CONNECTED PEOPLE AND PLACES

Future priorities

Glenhaven

Bella Vista

Cherrybrook

Castle Hill Baulkham Hills

Epping Northmead Westmead

North Parramatta

Chatswood

Parramatta

Interchange T1 • T5 • light rail • Metro West Sydney Olympic Park

Bankstown

Sydney CBD

Sydenham

Parramatta Light Rail 18

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

1. State and federal governments to fund essential infrastructure in growth areas 2. Identify, fund and build schools in the Hills, prioritising schools within the Castle Hill Showground precinct and Box Hill 3. Increase state and federal funding towards active recreation areas 4. Expand the Essential Works List to include libraries, community centres and indoor recreation facilities 5. Provide additional emergency services in The Hills

State and federal governments to fund essential infrastructure in growth areas The unprecedented rate of development in Box Hill is a case study of the current system’s failure to align growth with infrastructure delivery. When the NSW Government rezoned Box Hill for urban development in April 2013, planning anticipated capacity for: • 9,600 new dwellings • 28,000 new residents • 17,700 jobs. The Government’s State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 increased the density, and the overheated market saw residential development at double the planned rate, as developers sought to maximise their development sites. Box Hill now faces an overall predicted yield of: • more than 16,030 new dwellings • 49,000 new residents. This is a 75 per cent increase on the 2013 precinct plan. Already, around 75 per cent of this growth is approved. There is a funding shortfall of around $207 million for essential local infrastructure in Box Hill. A precinct of around 50,000 people – more than the population of places like Coffs Harbour, Orange or Port Macquarie – will be lacking. There are clear reasons for this shortfall:

The cap on contributions limited what Council could collect from developers to fund infrastructure – and even though the cap came with a promise that the NSW Government could fund the shortfall between the capped rate and the actual certified rate, this never happened. Council is forced to prioritise the rollout of the most critical infrastructure, such as roads and parks. Developers are forced to use residential land for temporary drainage basins to manage flood risks, because Council can’t build the essential stormwater infrastructure. If the necessary drainage systems were in place, the NSW Government could add 150 homes to its Housing Accord numbers. The NSW Government has also historically forced Council to use undervalued estimates for land and infrastructure costs in Box Hill’s Contributions Plan, to reduce contribution rates. These low estimates, combined with rising land and capital costs, also cause insufficient funding.

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE ENRICHED LIFESTYLE

Enriched Lifestyle

The people living in Box Hill are already experiencing a lack of service across roads, public transport, sports fields, footpaths and drainage. We call on the state and federal governments to fund essential infrastructure in growth areas, including Box Hill’s $207 million infrastructure shortfall.

• NSW Government cap on development contributions • NSW Government-imposed reductions in infrastructure cost estimates and • the skyrocketing costs of infrastructure – a blow out from $742 million to more than $1 billion

2013 PLANNED CAPACITY

CURRENT GROWTH

2013 PLANNED CAPACITY

CURRENT GROWTH

9,600 new dwellings

16,030 new dwellings

28,000 new residents

49,000 new residents

Box Hill 20

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

Already, 46 per cent of Hills Shire schools are over their enrolment cap by 100 students. The Hills is home to nine out of the 20 schools with the biggest enrolments in NSW. In our growth areas alone, we’ll need at least 13 new public schools: nine primary schools, three high schools and one K-12 school. These numbers will increase if we see even more development through the Lowand Mid-rise housing reforms and Housing Delivery Authority. Larger schools (capacity of 3,000 students) also have a huge impact on road networks, and don’t contribute enough open space, onsite staff parking or traffic management at drop off and pick up for their school communities. These schools rely on local infrastructure provided by Council, such as sports fields. Castle Hill Showground precinct A cap of 5,000 new dwellings was originally placed on the Castle Hill Showground precinct to ensure new housing development did not outpace essential infrastructure for the area, such as a school.

Box Hill Despite the new growth projections in Box Hill, which will result in 49,000 new residents instead of the originally planned 28,000 residents, no new schools have been identified for Box Hill. To serve the incoming population, Box Hill needs three primary schools and a K-12 school. We call on the NSW Government to:

• Prioritise a new primary school in the Castle Hill Showground precinct • Prioritise three primary schools and a K-12 school in Box Hill

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE ENRICHED LIFESTYLE

Identify, fund and build schools in the Hills, prioritising schools within the Castle Hill Showground precinct and Box Hill

• Develop and consult with Council on an upfront framework linked to identifying and acquiring land for public schools • Address the impacts of larger schools on road networks and local infrastructure through policies such as staggered school hours.

In 2023, the cap was removed by the NSW Government, allowing an additional 4,500 dwellings without a commitment to build a new school in this precinct. Figure 6: New public schools (not yet delivered)

Sydney Metro North West corridor

Primary school

High school

K-12

Cherrybrook

Castle Hill

Hills Showground

Norwest

Bella Vista/Kellyville

Rouse Hill

Box Hill

North Kellyville

Gables (Box Hill North)

Balmoral Road Release Area

TOTAL

Growth areas

Castle Hill High School 22

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

interest in the spaces that will create healthy communities.

Our active recreation network is already at capacity. State-led housing initiatives need state-led

The Hills needs 42 new playing fields. Some are funded or partially funded; 11 are unfunded:

Sydney Metro North West corridor

Yet to deliver

Funded/ partially funded

Unfunded

Cherrybrook

Castle Hill

Hills Showground

Norwest

Bella Vista/Kellyville

Rouse Hill

Box Hill

North Kellyville

Gables (Box Hill North)

Balmoral Road Release Area

Baulkham Hills Town Centre

TOTAL

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE ENRICHED LIFESTYLE

Figure 7: Playing fields the Hills needs to keep up with our population

Increase state and federal funding towards active recreation areas

Growth areas

Infill and remaining

Council recognises the costs and amenity impacts of playing fields in high density areas such as the Metro precincts. Council will continue to work with the NSW Government to: • consider new synthetic playing fields • establish shared-use agreements with local schools • provide playing fields in existing open space areas or on surplus public land and • investigate indoor recreation facilities to meet some of the demand for active recreation.

As the key driver of new housing in our area, we call on the NSW Government to assist with the funding of playing fields, particularly those that will support stateled housing growth. We also call on the NSW Government to support and fund synthetic fields and make Crown land available for recreational infrastructure.

Local sports teams supporting the Fight for a Fairer Hills Future campaign 24

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

New communities need easy access to libraries, community centres and indoor recreation centres. How infrastructure is currently funded in new areas: • For each new growth area, Council prepares a section 7.11 contributions plan. • If these plans exceed the contributions threshold of $30,000 per dwelling in growth areas or $20,000 per dwelling in other infill areas, the plan must comply with the Essential Works List. Most applicable plans in the Hills Shire exceed the thresholds. • Contributions plans are reviewed by the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal.

– doing so would add to the cost of housing. Drawing from Council funding for construction of these facilities also contradicts the user-pays and nexus principles that underpin the contributions planning framework. We call on the NSW Government to work with councils to identify a clear funding source for libraries, community centres and indoor recreation facilities.

Provide additional emergency services in the Hills Over the past 20 years, our population has almost doubled from 136,000 to 220,000. Yet emergency services infrastructure has remained largely unchanged while the region they’re tasked with protecting has expanded and our roads grow more congested by the day.

The Essential Works List only allows for the funding of base-level embellishment – not the capital cost of building community centres, libraries or indoor recreation facilities. Council is hindered in funding these assets because they’re not currently part of the Essential Works List. The result of the current system is new residents in growth areas do not have access to these facilities.

We call on the NSW Government to provide additional emergency services infrastructure within the North West growth corridor, including:

We have a growing population in large precincts that don’t have halls, meeting places, libraries or places to play indoor sports. There isn’t a clear and sustainable funding source as many of these indoor venues can’t be funded through contributions plans

• A new Fire and Rescue station

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE ENRICHED LIFESTYLE

Expand the Essential Works List to include libraries, community centres and indoor recreation facilities

• A site for a new SES headquarters within the Bella Vista/Kellyville precinct • A new police station at Rouse Hill

• A new Ambulance station

Box Hill & Nelson Community Centre, Anthony Skarratt Reserve

Castle Hill Library 26

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

1. Respect existing strategic planning work and return planning powers back to councils 2. Exempt the Hills Shire from the Housing Delivery Authority 3. Protect employment land 4. The Federal Government to develop a National Settlement Strategy

Respect existing strategic planning work and return planning powers back to councils Flexibility is one thing – confusion and uncertainty is another. Councils, communities and the market need to know where they stand. Instead, we face shifting goal posts. We’re working to a draft Sydney Plan that is so open to adaptability it could destroy the ambitions of decades of cooperative, communityled strategic planning. We have no ability to clarify to the people of the Hills where, when and what type of development the NSW Government envisages. We’re hamstrung. We can’t even share a positive vision for the Hills. Ongoing and reactive policy reforms create uncertainty for all stakeholders. They fuel speculation, delay development and increase development costs. This system today allows the private sector to make more money by seeking windfalls through upzoning or multiple applications for uplift, rather than constructing and selling a housing product.

Restore local planning powers to councils The NSW Government’s recent reforms such as the Housing Delivery Authority, Low- and Mid-rise and Transport Oriented Development program undermine years of strategic planning. One-size-fits-all controls have no regard for local character or amenity. Residents have little say on what’s happening in their suburbs. The community thinks Council and Councillors are in charge of planning, when significant planning decisions are made by third-party panels. The Local Environment Plan has been endorsed and signed off by the NSW Government, but it is constantly overridden by recent policy changes like the HDA, TODs and Low- and Midrise reforms. We call on the NSW Government to respect existing strategic planning work and restore planning powers to local government – the tier of government who knows their communities best.

Exempt the Hills Shire from the Housing Delivery Authority The Hills Shire Council is already the leading council in NSW when it comes to development approvals and tackling the state’s housing crisis. Current planning pathways and years of master planning and technical analysis – often fully funded by the NSW Government – puts Council in a better position to provide short-term housing supply compared to the ad hoc approach of the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) pathway. At the time this document was prepared, the HDA has considered 57 expressions of interest for sites in the Hills Shire, and has declared 33 as State Significant Development, representing a combined yield of 14,688 dwellings.

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE PLANNING POLICY

Planning Policy

These proposals sit in areas already subject to extensive local and state master planning, with established controls that support sustainable urban design and a level of development that can be supported by local and regional infrastructure. The HDA pathway is not resulting in new homes. Instead, the market is looking to optimise development yields rather than building new homes. Industry is incentivised to develop cheaper land – land earmarked for the jobs of the future where residential outcomes aren’t suitable. This unplanned residential density inhibits the funding and provision of critical upgrades to roads, open spaces and community facilities. The HDA does not consider strategic merit – it results in inappropriate built form. We’re already seeing this at 9-11 Mawson Avenue in Bella Vista where a 40-storey building is proposed next to five- or six-storey residential flat buildings, despite the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure finding that 22 storeys should be the maximum for that land. This is not a sustainable, attractive nor sensible future. We call on the NSW Government to remove the Hills Shire from the Housing Delivery Authority given the existing capacity in the Hills and years of strategic and master planning processes.

34-46 Brookhollow Avenue, Norwest The Housing Delivery Authority has fast-tracked 800 apartments on this site, which was initially submitted to Council as a maximum of 76 apartments. 28

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

Protect employment land Council is planning for more than 56,500 new jobs in our strategic centres, busy retail areas and on industrial and urban services land by 2046. We base our ambitions on best practice planning, recognised around the world, that people must have access to a greater diversity of jobs closer to where they live. It’s a no brainer. With the highest growth rate in NSW and more than sufficient zoned capacity to achieve our housing target twice over, we must protect land for employment. We must create the settings that provide the right types of jobs and avoid people travelling long distances to work every day. And, in theory, the NSW Government agrees. In the draft Sydney Plan, the Minister states that ‘…protecting and strengthening employment and industrial lands will further provide critical spaces that support jobs, local manufacturing, innovation and economic prosperity.’ Castle Hill, Norwest and Rouse Hill attract private investment by offering the market a choice in terms of where and when to invest. Yet we’re already seeing the negative impacts of speculation fuelled by NSW Government policies that open the door to residential encroachment into commercial cores.

In Norwest, for example, the Housing Delivery Authority pathway has allowed residential uses on land designated for employment only uses on five sites on Brookhollow Avenue alone. This artificially inflates land values and limits the feasibility of strategically identified urban services or commercial outcomes. Allowing residential development on commercial land puts our critical employment land at risk. We must retain land for commercial and office development, even if the market only moves on these opportunities in the long term. The short-term focus on residential zoned capacity should not occur at the detriment of sensible, long-term jobs growth. Residential outcomes on employment lands should be used sparingly and should support favourable commercial development. This needs to be reflected in the State Planning Policy.

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE PLANNING POLICY

We also call on the NSW Government to require the Housing Delivery Authority to only issue development consents for proposals with a suitable infrastructure agreement or mechanism in place.

We call on the NSW Government to:

• reinforce the essential role of strategic centres in providing future employment supply • redefine its housing policy to ensure it does not affect employment lands and • cease Housing Delivery Authority approvals on commercial land.

Norwest Business Park 30

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

LGA Boundary Urban Growth Boundary Box Hill Business Park Annangrove Road Employment Area

Boundary Rd Old Pitt Town Rd Annangrove Road Pitt Town Rd Employment Area

Terry Rd

Rouse Hill Strategic Centre Norwest Strategic Centre Norwest Service Norwest Central

Box Hill Business Park

Annangrove Rd

Windsor Rd Rouse Hill Strategic Centre

Norwest Innovation

Samantha Riley Drive

Castle Hill Strategic Centre

Windsor Rd

Winston Hills Employment Area

Old Northern Rd

Glenhaven Rd

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE PLANNING POLICY

Figure 8: Employment land in the Hills

Green Rd

Gilbert Rd Memorial Ave Norwest Showground Rd Old Windsor Rd Strategic Centre

Metro Station

Castle Hill Strategic Centre Castle Hill Rd

Norwest Boulevarde Seven Hills Rd Winston Hills Employment Area

The Federal Government to develop a National Settlement Strategy The infrastructure crisis playing out in our region is a result of the disconnect between the Commonwealth decisionmakers who determine migration numbers, and the state and council planners who deal with the exponential population growth.

Old Northern Rd

M2 Motorway

We call on the Federal Government to develop a settlement strategy that helps Commonwealth, state and council decision-makers better direct resources to support rapid population growth.

As migration numbers are set, they are not supported with adequate planning for where migrants will live, what they’ll do for work and the demand on public services. We need migration, but there needs to be more thought into it than how many people are needed to sustain economic growth. We need a settlement strategy that plans where the incoming population will live and work and what the area will need to accommodate the population increase.

Council’s Australia Day celebrations at Bella Vista Farm 32

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE SECTION HEADING

1. Reinstate a central authority to protect the Hawkesbury River 2. Biocertify Western Sydney for faster housing approvals and completions 3. Accelerate funding for flood and bushfire evacuation routes 4. Set clear and measurable tree canopy targets for growth precincts

The Hawkesbury River is a vital source of drinking water, supports agriculture and aquaculture, sustains diverse ecosystems and provides treasured recreation spaces. It also receives sewage outflows and other contaminants, so how we manage it has economic and social implications. Spanning the estuary from Yarramundi in the Hawkesbury to Box Head and Barrenjoey Head in the Northern Beaches, the 120-kilometre river is managed through a patchwork of plans and projects across eight local government areas: the Hills, Hawkesbury, Penrith, Blacktown, Hornsby, Liverpool, Wollondilly and the Central Coast. Residents and stakeholders are already concerned about declining water quality, impacts on natural species, increased salinity, navigation hazards, and the lack of coordinated flood mitigation across local government areas. The river needs a holistic approach that reflects its value. At the moment, no single authority coordinates approvals, consents or clean-up activities following flooding events. With much of Western Sydney falling within the Hawkesbury–Nepean catchment, rapid population growth will increase these pressures. We call on the NSW Government to establish a central authority to:

• coordinate flood mitigation and other responsibilities • align existing plans

• establish meaningful performance indicators to track the health of the system.

Biocertify Western Sydney for faster housing approvals and completions Replicating the biodiversity certification in place in the North West and South West growth areas across all of Western Sydney will streamline the development application processes, leading to faster housing approvals and completions.

Hawkesbury River 34

The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future

Managing ecology as part of the strategic planning process will allow us to: • identify up front what vegetation needs to be protected and what can be removed from a whole precinct and • remove the need for individual biodiversity assessments for each site at the development application stage. We call on the NSW Government to work with Western Sydney councils and the Australian Government on biodiversity certification for all of Western Sydney.

Accelerate funding for flood and bushfire evacuation routes

FAIRER HILLS FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

a central Environmental Reinstate authority to protect the Hawkesbury River Health

Intersection and road upgrades on evacuation routes like Old Pitt Town Road and Boundary Road will make it easier for people to leave the area in the event of an emergency, like bushfires or flooding. We call on the NSW Government to fund intersection and road upgrades on evacuation routes such as Old Pitt Town Road and Boundary Road.

Set clear and measurable tree canopy targets for growth precincts For new development, best practice is to incorporate tree planting, optimise landscaping opportunities, and retain deep soil areas for both tree growth and heat absorption. To enhance local tree coverage, provide shade, cool the environment, and absorb carbon dioxide, Council has a tree-planting program, which lists suitable tree species for each local area with care guidelines on our website. To provide adequate tree canopy, housing lots need to be larger, or road verges need to be wider. Current specifications make it difficult to accommodate significant canopy trees alongside services, footpaths and other road infrastructure. This limits opportunities for planting in both private yards and streets, contributing to canopy loss and urban heat impacts. We call on the NSW Government to set clear and measurable tree canopy targets to ensure residents in growth precincts have enough open space, trees and soil to reduce urban heat. The Hills Shire Council Fairer Hills Future