Fight for a Fairer Hills Future

The people of NSW should be seriously concerned about the Minns Government’s Housing Delivery Authority.

It’s unfathomable that at a time when the Minns Government is banning councils from having confidential briefings – they have given an unelected three-person panel the power to decide on the biggest housing developments in the state in complete secrecy.

Major developments in the state are now bypassing councils and seeking the Housing Delivery Authority to assess their applications.

Today, we learn that a Department of Planning Executive paid more than $300,000 per annum has been using AI to assess HDA applications and make recommendations to the panel on whether they should be fast-tracked or not. To add to this, a review of recent HDA meeting minutes shows that on average, the Panel is then spending no more than 3 minutes determining each application, many of which involve major rezonings.

This is a sad reflection of the absolute panic stations that have set in at the Department of Planning – where they now approve homes first, ask questions later.

This mindset has been created by the Premier and the Minister for Planning, as they disregard all planning standards as part of their race to the bottom to achieve the Prime Minister’s unattainable housing accord targets.

Read the full statement here.

A proposal for two 40-storey buildings at Bella Vista is being fast-tracked by the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority (HDA), bypassing the Government’s own Transport Oriented Development (TOD) rezoning for the precinct, which was gazetted only a year ago.

The TOD program was an initiative of this Government aimed at upzoning land to increase supply and accelerate housing in locations close to Metro stations. The program upzoned land in Bella Vista-Kellyville and five other precincts across Sydney. The rezoning for Bella Vista-Kellyville was completed in November 2024. Under the TOD program, the original proposal for 9-11 Mawson Avenue, Bella Vista allowed for three buildings at eight, 18 and 22 storeys in height, which would have resulted in approximately 430 new dwellings.

The HDA has now allowed for a private developer to submit a new proposal to allow for two 40-storey towers, resulting in more than 900 dwellings for the site. This more than doubles the existing planning controls which were only recently put in place by Government. The proposal will be assessed by the Department as a State Significant Development.

Read the full article here.

"Councillors,

On Friday, 7 November, the NSW Government scrapped its adopted Place Strategy for the Cherrybrook Precinct - a carefully considered plan that had sensibly proposed 3,200 high-density apartments. In its place, the Government now intends to rezone for an astonishing 9,320 dwellings - nearly triple the original number. Of these, approximately 5,000 apartments are earmarked for the Hills side of the Cherrybrook border, a dramatic increase from the previously planned 1,275. Let’s talk about The Hills side. Geotechnical hazards, blue gum high forest, congested Castle Hill Road and a steep south-facing slope that will block the sun to those below.

The Government’s proposal includes a significant escalation in building heights. The original strategy capped buildings at five storeys. Under the revised plan, towers of up to 19 storeys will rise on the southern side of Castle Hill Road, with heights reaching 28 storeys to the north. That’s right – 28 storeys.

The original Place Strategy was the result of years of whole-of-government planning, supported by technical studies, evidence, and extensive community consultation. The Minns Government has for nearly three years been working behind the scenes cooking up their revised plan for Cherrybrook. Council and the community have been given just one month to respond to a plan we had no involvement in. It’s clear the Minns Government is not interested in what Council or the community thinks and Premier Minns said as much in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald on 23 October 2025."

Read the full mayoral minute here.

Have Your Say on the Proposal here.

A response by the Hon Paul Scully, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, was received on 30 September 2025.

Read the Ministerial Response here.

Mayoral Minute No. 28, 2025 - Fairer Hills Future Debate was delivered at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 23 September 2025.

"Councillors,

Last Thursday, the NSW Legislative Assembly hosted a debate triggered by the 20,697 people who signed our Fight for a Fairer Hills Future petition. It was an interesting process and like Council, I was in the public gallery where people cannot participate in proceedings.

This was the culmination of many months of hard work by community members, volunteers and The Hills Shire Council – so we could seek assurance from the Minns Government on funding for roads, schools and sporting fields to support unprecedented housing and population growth in our Shire.

This was an opportunity for the NSW Government to respond positively to the genuine concerns of residents, who have had enough of congested roads, overcrowded schools and a shortage of sporting fields. All in the face of the most aggressive housing agenda of any government in living memory.

The response from the NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully, alongside other members of the Minns Government, was bitterly disappointing. They missed an opportunity to assure our community and give confidence that the issues will be addressed.

Labor MPs had the opportunity to reassure residents that the local government area with the highest housing targets in the state, would be supported with an appropriate level of infrastructure funding."

Read the full Mayoral Minute here.

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The Hills Shire Council’s petition on the NSW Parliament’s website for better roads, more schools and more sports fields came to a close on Friday, 5 September after more than 20,000 concerned residents signed up to say they’ve had enough.

Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne said the Fight for a Fairer Hills Future campaign meant the NSW Government could no longer claim they’re doing enough to support the infrastructure needs of Hills residents, businesses and visitors.

During the six-month Fight for a Fairer Hills Future campaign:

• The petition on the NSW Parliament’s website received over 20,000 signatures. Any petition that receives over 20,000 signatures must be debated by the Legislative Assembly. This means when the matter is tabled, the concerns of our residents will be heard and debated by decision-makers, and the Government will be required to respond.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed $220 million to upgrade Windsor Road at Rouse Hill. An additional $20 million was committed for a planning study to improve travel times on Old Windsor Road, between Kellyville and Northmead.
• A pop-up high school in Box Hill was announced to cater to Year 7-8 students while a more permanent facility is built.
• The NSW Government announced $11.7 million in funding for three Box Hill projects - the construction of The Water Lane, land acquisition towards a new fire station and the planning and design of the Terry Road Upgrade.
• The NSW Government announced a temporary overflow car park at Kellyville Metro Station will be implemented for 150 additional parking spaces until mid-2026.

Read the full article here.

The schools crisis in The Hills Shire continues to worsen with 13 schools operating above their enrolment cap and three schools being forced to accommodate double their capacity of students.

Mayor of The Hills Shire Dr Michelle Byrne has warned the situation will become increasingly dire, with the NSW Government failing to match their radical suite of housing reforms with infrastructure funding to match.

And while the lack of funding for new schools is a major concern, existing schools are crumbling with record student numbers, dozens of demountables and sub-standard facilities.

It comes as 20,000 NSW residents have signed a petition on the NSW Parliament website demanding the NSW Government invest in better roads, schools, parks and local infrastructure for the booming Hills Shire.

Read the rest of the article here.

Three infrastructure projects in Box Hill have received a much-needed funding boost through the NSW Government’s Western Sydney Growth Areas Special Infrastructure Contributions (SIC) program following applications and advocacy from The Hills Shire Council.

The NSW Government’s $11.7 million funding included:

• $5.6 million for the construction of The Water Lane Road, Box Hill
• $3.5 million for land acquisition towards a new fire station at Box Hill and
• $2.6 million for planning and design of the Terry Road Upgrade, Box Hill

Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne said the funding for crucial projects was a welcome start to tackling Box Hill’s infrastructure backlog, but much more was needed.

Read the full article here.

The Hills Shire Council has raised serious concerns with the State Government’s secretive Housing Delivery Authority’s (HDA) decisions to fast-track 5,936 additional homes in our major centres, which could reduce vital land for business and worsen the infrastructure crisis.

The HDA has drastically increased housing density in Castle Hill, Norwest, Rouse Hill, and Baulkham Hills, with some high-rise developments doubling to almost 40-storeys in height - all without any commitment from the NSW Government to fund the roads, schools, and sports facilities needed to support the extra people that will live in them.

It comes as 20,000 NSW residents signed a petition to the NSW Legislative Assembly to demand stronger investment in roads, parks and schools across The Hills Shire.

Read the full article here.