This means that the number of homes in the Hills will increase from 68,000 to 127,700 over the next 20 years, an additional 59,700 homes and an 88% surge in housing. By 2041 our population is predicted to be over 328,600, an increase of 71%!
The Hills understands the role it needs to play in delivering in housing in NSW. However, the area is buckling under the pressure of an infrastructure crisis which threatens the future of the Hills we know and love.
For residents in the Hills, they are over the overdevelopment and the lack of infrastructure. They moved to the Hills because of the wonderful lifestyle that is on offer here. Instead, they now find themselves spending more and more valuable time sitting in their cars on congested roads trying to access work, school, medical services and shopping centres: time better spent with family and friends.
Windsor Road and Old Windsor Road, which are State arterial roads that run straight through the heart of the NSW Government’s Northwest Priority Growth Area. These State arterial roads service not just residents from the Hills, Blacktown and Hawkesbury but also business owners and employees accessing the area.
Council road tested the commute from Gables to Norwest for a week during peak hour. The average speed never made it past 24km/h and in fact on some days, the average speed never made it past 18km/h.
It should not take 45 minutes to drive an 18km trip! If we think it is bad now, it is only going to get worse particularly given the transport orientated development (TOD) precinct which runs between Bella Vista and Kellyville Metro stations was recently rezoned by the NSW Government for 11,600 apartments and more than 23,000 people!
As a result of the failure of these State arterial roads, it means local roads have become rat runs as more motorists avoid the State arterial roads to get to their destination quicker. Roads like Annangrove Road and Kenthurst Road along with many others are becoming congested with more residents stuck in traffic!
It is not realistic to expect hundreds of thousands of people to move into North-West Sydney without significant investment into roads. The traffic is also a disincentive to businesses looking to establish here.
For local families, the need for more schools to meet demand is also a major concern.
Now 46% of our schools are over the cap by 100+ students and we have some of the biggest schools in the State. It is estimated that the Hills requires an extra 14 schools including three primary schools and a public K-12 school in Box Hill.
Currently, at Box Hill there is a temporary primary school with a permanent school yet to be build and right now most children in Box Hill are accessing schools in other parts of the Hills adding to the traffic woes.
In other parts of the Hills, parents are concerned about the quality of education in schools over the cap particularly at schools like Castle Hill High which has over 50 demountable, very little playground and students are forced to walk in mud to access classrooms when it rains.
For the sporting community and parents, there is angst around the lack of sporting fields including basketball and netball courts to meet the future needs of the Hills.
We all want our children out playing sport but right now clubs are having to turn our people as the facilities are at capacity.
Currently there is nine sport fields required across the Castle Hill, Kellyville, Norwest, Rouse Hill and Baulkham Hills precincts, all of which are currently unfunded.
Box Hill - the suburb the State forgot
Similarly, in Box Hill, there is 16 sporting fields unfunded and yet to be delivered.
Box Hill, the suburb the State forgot, was planned and delivered by the NSW Government. Originally planned for only 9600 dwellings, Box Hill will now have an additional 16,000 homes and another 50,000 people in the next 10 years.
Currently there is a $207M shortfall in funding to deliver essential infrastructure like parks, roads, sporting fields, playgrounds, bridges and pathways.
The $207M shortfall is the direct result of the decisions of successive governments and include things such as the capping of development contributions and the undervaluing of land and infrastructure in the contribution plan. At the time contributions were capped, the Government promised to make up the shortfall but that hasn’t happened.
As a result, Council now has no way of delivering $207M of infrastructure to the Box Hill community other than increasing rates which is not an option in a cost-of-living crisis. The young families living in Box Hill shouldn’t be asked to fund the shortfall created by Government.
Recently, The Hills Shire Council launched its “Fight for a Fairer Hills Future” campaign. This campaign recognises Council’s role in delivering housing and calls on the Government to fund the essential upgrades the Hills needs to support our growing population. We are also appealing to the Federal Government who is also focused on housing.
At the end of the day, we just want our fair share of infrastructure to meet the needs of our rapidly growing population.
As part of our campaign, we are asking residents and workers across North-West Sydney to sign our e-petition to the NSW Parliament asking for the upgrade of 45 roads including Windsor and Old Windsor Roads, and urgent funding for schools and sports fields.
Since our campaign started, we have already seen announcements from the Federal Government and the Federal Opposition pledging funds towards the upgrade of Windsor and Old Windsor Road.
This is welcomed news, but we still have a long way to go. As a Mayor who has lived in the Hills almost my entire life, I remain committed to ensuring that the Hills remains the greatest place on earth to live, work and play now and well into the future.
To learn more about the Fight for a fairer Hills Future Campaign to sign our e-petition go to www.fairerhillsfuture.com.au
Dr Michelle Byrne is Mayor of Hills Shire Council.
