The NSW Government has unveiled plans for the redevelopment of a public housing precinct at Riverwood in Sydney’s south-west, which will replace 1,000 units with 3,900 new private and social housing dwellings.

The 30-hectare site sits on Belmore Road and has been earmarked for development by the government for over half a decade. The proposal has been revised, with the initial plans earmarking 6,000 new homes for the estate.

A number of buildings ranging from three to 12 storeys have been slated for the project. The government plans for 70 percent of the residences to be private, with a maximum of 30 percent allocated for social housing.

With the plans due to be put to the public later this Friday, local council expects residents to oppose the scale of the buildings and the allocation of social housing.

“A long list of people need social housing (in the area), and we need to address this urgently,” Riverwood Community Centre Chairman Karl Saleh tells the Sydney Morning Herald.

“If we want to bring more people to the area, both private and social housing, we need to put in proper infrastructure. We need this development, but we need it to be the right development.”

riverwood renders

The work will be completed over a 15-to-20-year period, with the government anticipating 11,000 jobs will be created. 4.8 hectares have been set aside as parks and public spaces. Architectus devised a place strategy on behalf of the government, and believe Riverwood is primed for redevelopment, given 50,000 people on NSW’s social housing register are located in close proximity to the estate.

The strategy indicates that a sizable number of those on the list located close to Riverwood require accessible or modified dwellings, with the existing dwellings not up to standard with universal housing standards.

Riverwood and the St George region in general is seen as a forgotten area of Sydney. A survey conducted by the Planning Department in 2017 indicates that residents would be unlikely to recommend the suburb as a place to visit or reside within. The government hopes the redevelopment will help to restore pride in the suburb following the renewal of Washington Park in 2018.

The government has indicated that those currently residing in the existing dwellings in Riverwood will be able to return to new homes once the redevelopment has completed. The proposal is scheduled to be on public display on 11 September.

Images: NSW Government

Architecture & Design Team

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