‘It shouldn’t be confidential’: Why locals are demanding answers over council move
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Urban development projects often spark debate, especially when they impact daily life and local businesses.
A new council proposal has ignited strong reactions from residents and business owners who fear it could reshape their community in ways they never anticipated.
As tensions rise, concerns over transparency, accessibility, and the future of the area have taken centre stage.
Sydney’s Inner West Council faced backlash from residents and business owners over its plan to turn public carparks into affordable housing.
Many warned it would devastate local businesses and deter visitors.
The proposal aimed to convert carparks in four town centres into 200 homes for essential workers.
This included sites on Garners Ave in Marrickville and Marion St in Leichhardt, more than doubling the current 94 homes.
By repurposing public land, the council sought to eliminate the most significant cost of housing development while retaining ownership of the sites.
Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne defended the plan, stating: ‘We think that by using our public assets, in this case, car parks and depots to be repurposed as a different public asset, housing, to meet the crisis, we can make a real difference.’
He argued that councils across New South Wales could play a role in addressing the housing crisis.
However, Marrickville locals and business owners voiced their concerns before a council meeting, saying parking was already scarce and would worsen if the plan went ahead.
Inner West councillor and business owner Victor Macri shared: ‘The impact it’s going to have to the local strip is going to be severe.’
He said the proposal clashed with the rising population density in the inner city and would push shoppers away due to the lack of parking in ‘the epicentre of the strip.’
Macri added that the move had caused anxiety among businesses and residents who relied on the carparks.
‘Once it gets too hard to come here and park, people will look for easier places to go,’ he said.
He also questioned why the final list of affected carparks had not been made public.
‘Why is this confidential? It shouldn’t be confidential,’ he said.
‘It should’ve actually been consulted with the community first, see what they think, rather than jump two steps ahead.’
Marrickville Chamber of Commerce member Simon Konstantinidis told the program the plan was ‘completely and diametrically opposed to providing such access.’
‘We need as much access to the shopping centre as possible,’ he said.
He argued that removing carparks would reduce access for shoppers, patients visiting doctors, and people heading to pubs.
A Mitre 10 staff member shared that businesses were already struggling due to a lack of customer parking.
‘There’s a few parking (spots) around the area, but just them getting rid of that carpark, there’s no (doubt) the businesses around them will suffer,’ he said.
‘The area’s already too dense. If anything, we need more carparks than what we already have.’
A local woman searching for a parking spot shared similar concerns, saying: ‘I’ve just taken my mate over and he’s got bad knees and stuff, so you’ve (already) got to walk all the way up the bloody street.’
Despite opposition, Byrne argued that the plan ‘will provide a new customer base for our businesses.’
Housing advocacy group Shelter NSW backed the initiative, calling it ‘urgent.’
A spokesperson told the press last month that land in the inner city was expensive and finding affordable sites for genuinely affordable housing was a challenge.
‘There is a generation who grew up here, but were forced out because they had no hope of purchasing a home and can never afford the astronomical rents,’ Byrne said.
He estimated that three to four sites could provide around 200 units, marking a ten-fold increase in the council’s social housing stock.
In a previous story, we covered a major change coming to one of the biggest free car parks and how it could impact locals.
With parking availability becoming an increasing concern, this latest proposal has only added to the debate.
Read more about it here.
As the debate over parking versus housing continues, the question remains—should public carparks be sacrificed to tackle the housing crisis?
Will this move do more harm than good for local businesses and residents? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
A new council proposal has ignited strong reactions from residents and business owners who fear it could reshape their community in ways they never anticipated.
As tensions rise, concerns over transparency, accessibility, and the future of the area have taken centre stage.
Sydney’s Inner West Council faced backlash from residents and business owners over its plan to turn public carparks into affordable housing.
Many warned it would devastate local businesses and deter visitors.
The proposal aimed to convert carparks in four town centres into 200 homes for essential workers.
This included sites on Garners Ave in Marrickville and Marion St in Leichhardt, more than doubling the current 94 homes.
By repurposing public land, the council sought to eliminate the most significant cost of housing development while retaining ownership of the sites.
Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne defended the plan, stating: ‘We think that by using our public assets, in this case, car parks and depots to be repurposed as a different public asset, housing, to meet the crisis, we can make a real difference.’
He argued that councils across New South Wales could play a role in addressing the housing crisis.
However, Marrickville locals and business owners voiced their concerns before a council meeting, saying parking was already scarce and would worsen if the plan went ahead.
Inner West councillor and business owner Victor Macri shared: ‘The impact it’s going to have to the local strip is going to be severe.’
He said the proposal clashed with the rising population density in the inner city and would push shoppers away due to the lack of parking in ‘the epicentre of the strip.’
Macri added that the move had caused anxiety among businesses and residents who relied on the carparks.
‘Once it gets too hard to come here and park, people will look for easier places to go,’ he said.
He also questioned why the final list of affected carparks had not been made public.
‘Why is this confidential? It shouldn’t be confidential,’ he said.
‘It should’ve actually been consulted with the community first, see what they think, rather than jump two steps ahead.’
Marrickville Chamber of Commerce member Simon Konstantinidis told the program the plan was ‘completely and diametrically opposed to providing such access.’
‘We need as much access to the shopping centre as possible,’ he said.
He argued that removing carparks would reduce access for shoppers, patients visiting doctors, and people heading to pubs.
A Mitre 10 staff member shared that businesses were already struggling due to a lack of customer parking.
‘There’s a few parking (spots) around the area, but just them getting rid of that carpark, there’s no (doubt) the businesses around them will suffer,’ he said.
‘The area’s already too dense. If anything, we need more carparks than what we already have.’
A local woman searching for a parking spot shared similar concerns, saying: ‘I’ve just taken my mate over and he’s got bad knees and stuff, so you’ve (already) got to walk all the way up the bloody street.’
Despite opposition, Byrne argued that the plan ‘will provide a new customer base for our businesses.’
Housing advocacy group Shelter NSW backed the initiative, calling it ‘urgent.’
A spokesperson told the press last month that land in the inner city was expensive and finding affordable sites for genuinely affordable housing was a challenge.
‘There is a generation who grew up here, but were forced out because they had no hope of purchasing a home and can never afford the astronomical rents,’ Byrne said.
He estimated that three to four sites could provide around 200 units, marking a ten-fold increase in the council’s social housing stock.
In a previous story, we covered a major change coming to one of the biggest free car parks and how it could impact locals.
With parking availability becoming an increasing concern, this latest proposal has only added to the debate.
Read more about it here.
As the debate over parking versus housing continues, the question remains—should public carparks be sacrificed to tackle the housing crisis?
Will this move do more harm than good for local businesses and residents? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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