Randwick Council is reviewing the Randwick Development Control Plan and will be adopting inconsistent planning restrictions for different properties located in the Magill Street Well Located Housing Area (Magill Street WLHA).

Randwick Council has proposed to implement a strategy to permit midrise residential properties up to 6 storey buildings in certain parts of the Magill Street WLHA, but with other parts of the Magill Street WLHA to allow only 2 storey buildings or have no changes to the current Development Control Plan. 

The current proposal is inconsistent with NSW State Government Planning Reforms and does not ensure good urban planning. It allows certain areas to be over-developed while neighbouring properties are not permitted to be redeveloped. As such, smaller properties not built to similar heights will lose privacy and be overshadowed by nearby new developments. 

Randwick Council should apply consistent development plans to the whole Magill Street WLHA and permit midrise residential properties up to 6 storey buildings in the entirety of the area.

Please sign to support this submission by Wednesday, 4 March 2026.

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Key reasons for petition:

1.    Improve Housing Supply and Diversity

Randwick Council has identified the need to:

•     deliver additional dwellings in established urban areas;

•     accommodate projected population growth; and

•     support development in well-located neighbourhoods.

The Magill Street WLHA represents a logical location for gentle intensification and density transition due to its adjacency to the University of New South Wales, and immediate proximity to the Prince of Wales Hospital and the Sydney Children’s Hospital.

By allowing the Magill Street WLHA to permit 6 storey midrise residential properties:

•     the Randwick Development Control Plan would support key university and hospital workers to reside in the area, aligning with government objectives to deliver more medium density housing;

•     it would provide housing at a more reasonable cost as the current Randwick, Kensington and Kingsford detached or semi-detached dwellings are not affordable for many workers in the area;

•     it would support walkability and reduce the heavy traffic on the Randwick light rail if more university and hospital workers could live in the area, with positive environmental impacts;

•     it would support downsizers to continue in the area and free up bigger dwellings for younger families; and

•     it would allow for younger households to live in the area, particularly those who grew up, or with parents residing, in the area.

2.    Improve urban design outcomes for local residents 

Much of the planning around the Magill Street WLHA have been ad hoc in nature, and subject to separate hospital and UNSW development applications (such as the proposed UNSW Barker Street Parking Station and Student Accommodation Developments to be redeveloped up to 14 stories to support UNSW students, staff and community) and infrastructure needs (such as the Randwick light rail). 

As such, certain parts of the Magill Street WLHA have not been through thoughtful urban planning and do not have adequate parking, are over-crowded with commuters, and some current residential housing have lost or is losing privacy, light and are being overshadowed due to ad hoc development of nearby lots.

By adopting a consistent development plan for the whole Magill Street WLHA: 

•     it would avoid staggered, inconsistent and uncertain developments arising in different parts of the area; 

•     it would improve city planning and urban design outcomes for residents in the Magill Street WLHA; and

•     it would strengthen the viability of the local Randwick town centre and create a better local hub for residents in the area with improved social outcomes.

3.    NSW State Planning Reforms

The New South Wales State Environmental Panning Policy (Housing) 2021 commits to develop 112,000 homes over the next 5 years by encouraging more mid-rise housing to be built near nominated town centres and transport hubs.  

The Magill Street WLHA is within the area identified for NSW State Planning Reforms, with more than half of the Magill Street WLHA already designated to allow 3 to 6 storey buildings depending on its distance from a light rail station or town centre. 

The DCP Review Stage 2, as currently proposed, is inconsistent with the NSW State Planning Reforms (which overrides the Randwick Development Control Plan). The inconsistencies between State Government Planning Reforms and Local Government Development Control Plans will lead to confusion and conflict for landowners in the Magill Street WLHA. As such, it will be more difficult to implement and administer the Randwick Development Control Plan and likely to be more costly for Randwick Council, thereby raising rates for Randwick Council ratepayers unnecessarily.  

As such, it is submitted that Randwick Council adopts a simpler, more streamlined and consistently applied proposal to permit midrise residential properties up to 6 storey buildings in the entire Magill Street WLHA.