The NSW Government has announced that approximately 6,000 new homes will be built across two developments, in order to help nurture the growth of Greater Sydney.

Creating 8,000 jobs, the work includes the finalisation of the Rhodes Place Strategy in the inner-west, as well as the rezoning of a 193 hectare site in Wilton in Sydney’s south-west.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Rob Stokes, says both projects will cater for the needs of each community.

“We need more homes to meet current and future demand, supported by infrastructure, and our work at Rhodes and Wilton will create more connected, green communities,” he says.

Synonymous with industriality and the working class, Rhodes was the scene of many a smoke tower for much of the twentieth century. The NSW State Sawmill was established within the suburb at the turn of the century, with pipeworks established by the Hoskins family in 1911 that was purchased by CSR Chemicals Ltd in 1943 in order to produce acetic anhydride and cellulose acetate for the war.  

The suburb was the subject of industry until the 1980s, as businesses began to move away from the peninsula. It was at this point that the region was identified as ideal for residential development by the state government. Remediation began after the identification, with the land now ideal for the creation of community. The opening of the Rhodes Waterside Shopping Centre in 2004 effectively confirmed the suburb’s residential capabilities, with the recent development announcements furthering the government’s commitment to turning the inner-west suburb into a flourishing residential community.

Stokes says the new strategy for Rhodes will transform it into a vibrant, integrated precinct, with improved connections to Parramatta River, as well as much-needed housing and job opportunities.

“Under the strategy, up to 4,200 new homes and 1,100 new jobs will be delivered, along with around 2.3-hectares of open space, an upgrade to Rhodes Railway Station, a proposed ferry wharf, and a site for a new public school,” he says.

“The community will also benefit from 2.9 kilometres of new walking and cycling paths, which will connect with a new 7,500 square metre foreshore park, 15 metre-wide waterfront promenade, and existing open spaces such as McIlwaine Park.”

In regards to Wilton, Stokes says that the rezoning undertaken by the government will lead to a number of employment and housing opportunities that are crucial to the economic bounceback of the state in the wake of the pandemic.

“Up to an additional 7,000 new jobs and 1,600 homes will be created at Wilton through this rezoning, which is the final piece of the puzzle needed to support the Wilton Growth Area, bringing the town centre precinct on-line with the rezoned North and South-East Wilton Precincts,” he says.

“The rezoning brings the 20-year vision for the area a step closer, with the town centre precinct featuring new walking and cycling paths, a public transport hub, and a future school site.

“Development of the Wilton growth area will build on the NSW Government’s promise to deliver 18,000 homes in south-west Sydney, across Glenfield, Lowes Creek Maryland, Leppington and Wilton.”

The rezoning will come into effect on 31 March 2022, with more detailed planning for Wilton Town Centre precinct to be undertaken through the preparation of a neighbourhood plan.

For more information on the Wilton rezoning, visit planning.nsw.gov.au/wiltontc

To view the final Rhodes Place Strategy and long-term vision it outlines for the area, click here.