NSW housing authority approves $2B Rhodes Peninsula project amid landowner awareness gaps
Controversy surrounds the Housing Delivery Authority's approval process after landowners say they were unaware their properties were included in a major apartment plan.
The Housing Delivery Authority, a three‑person NSW body created to speed up housing approvals, has recommended formal development approval for a $2 billion, 2,020‑unit apartment complex on the Rhodes Peninsula in Sydney's inner west, despite landowners saying they were unaware their properties were being included. The project, developed by Billbergia, was one of 30 expressions of interest reviewed at a two‑hour February meeting and stands as the largest approval the authority has granted since its inception last year.
Owners and small businesses say they learned of inclusion only after media reports months later. Freelancer chief executive Matt Barrie, whose parents own one of the affected properties, told the Daily Mail, 'We only found out about it because someone emailed us and said, 'Oh, did you sell your warehouse?'' He added that the reply from the Department of Planning indicated ownership did not need to be demonstrated for HDA expressions of interest. The development application process, he noted, requires landowners' consent, but the EOI stage did not.
The HDA reportedly recommended the approval at its first February meeting, despite the application form expressly requiring applicants to 'demonstrate ownership or an option to purchase for all land to which the proposal applies.' The department, in a statement to the Daily Mail, said ownership does not need to be proven at the expression of interest stage and that land tenure is used as an indicator of the project's ability to be assessed and delivered quickly—not to confirm landowners' consent. It noted that landowners' consent becomes a requirement during the later development application, which includes notification to adjoining properties.
Following complaints raised in July, Planning Minister Paul Scully issued a special order removing 40 percent of the land from the development area. Billbergia's expression of interest to build the 2,020 apartments has been given the green light, but the land it plans to develop includes large portions the company does not own. The decision keeps the towers on foreshore parkland that had been earmarked for community use, creating new questions about the balance between expedited approvals and community rights.
The Minns government has since tabled legislation to entrench the Housing Delivery Authority in state parliament. Even as the framework moves forward, the core plan to deliver 2,020 apartments on Rhodes Peninsula remains unchanged, underscoring the central tension of the HDA: speed and scale versus local land control and consultation.
The HDA was formed late last year to accelerate approvals for what the government says could be up to 377,000 new homes over five years as part of the National Housing Accord. The three‑person authority comprises Premier's Department secretary Simon Draper, Planning secretary Kiersten Fishburn, and Infrastructure NSW chief executive Tom Gellibrand. The panel is empowered to bypass councils in rezoning decisions and to recommend large housing projects for fast‑tracked development. Legislation to entrench the body was introduced in parliament this week as part of broader planning reforms intended to speed projects that meet housing targets.
Critics, however, have raised concerns the arrangement could sidestep local communities and favor large developers. Local Government NSW president Darriea Turley said councils support speeding housing delivery but oppose bypassing local councils and potentially bypassing local strategic plans, which could add uncertainty to the planning system. The department says HDA briefing materials are prepared in advance of each meeting and that iterations have improved processes, including clearer land tenure requirements. It also notes that the minister retains final decision‑making power to amend or revoke the ministerial order under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act of 1979.
As the debate over the Rhodes Peninsula project continues, the Daily Mail has reached out to Billbergia for comment. The case highlights ongoing tensions within NSW's housing strategy: the push to accelerate approvals to meet national targets, the need for transparent land ownership and consent, and the impact on local communities that may bear the consequences of major rezoning moves.