<\/p>\n
But the proposal has attracted the ire of anti-development residents \u2014 labelled NIMBYS, for \u201cnot in my backyard\u201d \u2014 mirroring scenes playing out in council chambers across the country as state and local governments push to boost density in established suburbs.<\/p>\n
A record 32 members of the public spoke at the meeting, with the majority in support.<\/p>\n
George Maatouk said he wanted to see \u201ctired and lifeless\u201d Bondi Junction, which sits adjacent to the Westfield Bondi shopping centre, return to the vibrancy of the \u201890s and early 2000s when it was the \u201cheart of the east\u201d. Bruce Goldberg said the area was currently a \u201cdump\u201d.<\/p>\n
Several Gen Z locals and renters spoke in favour, saying it would help housing affordability and bring life back to the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m from the TikTok generation, the generation that never got to experience the proper night life that everyone raves about,\u201d said Richard Studencki. Dominic Behrens said \u201ctens of thousands of young people\u201d were being forced to leave Sydney.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot simply as the next generation to move to Orange instead of solving this problem,\u201d Ben Curtis added.<\/p>\n
A number of speakers opposed the plan, raising concerns about the loss of sunlight \u2013 particularly at Clementson Park \u2013 and public amenities, the \u201crushed\u201d consultation process and whether the plan would actually deliver affordable homes instead of luxury apartments.<\/p>\n
Charlie Bennell said she was affected by the housing crisis \u201cyet like most of the community I reject the master plan\u201d, saying the debate was \u201cframed as a choice between 100-metre towers taller than Westfield\u201d and affordable housing.<\/p>\n
Kirsten Lunoe said the plan \u201clocks in massive buildings and height \u2026 with no guarantees of affordability\u201d. Karla Burnett said there was no detail on additional infrastructure such as school capacity to absorb thousands of new residents.<\/p>\n
During debate on the proposal itself \u2013 which did not get underway until nearly 10pm \u2013 independent councillor Steven Lewis moved a motion to defer a vote until early August.<\/p>\n
Cr Lewis said it was a disgrace that councillors had only been provided with the complex final documents days before the meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had more detailed briefings on the size of a dog fence in Barracluff Park,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the most important documents to come before this council in 20 years and we as councillors, who have a statutory duty, have not had a minute with the planners to go through it in a granular form.\u201d<\/p>\n
Labor councillor Paula Masselos, who backed the failed motion, agreed saying councillors had not been provided a number of key reports including a social needs assessment report and a detailed transport study.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got the material fairly late, Thursday and Friday, in a format that was very hard to read with very complex matters that will impact our community in perpetuity \u2013 let\u2019s be frank, it\u2019s not just 20 years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Cr Masselos said there was no debate that there needed to be a master plan to address housing targets but the community \u201cwant to be included in the process so it\u2019s community-led, not developer-led\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community are not NIMBYS, they want to be partners,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cContrary to what we heard tonight, Waverley is one of the most densely populated LGAs in Australia. We are only nine square kilometres. We have more residents living in high rise than most other suburbs, already we\u2019re on the way to having met half of the housing targets. We can meet the extra 3000 not by having huge high-rises (which) the developers are turning into luxury apartments. We can look to LMR (low- and medium-rise), the missing middle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tempers frayed just prior to the final vote at 11pm, as Cr Nemesh clashed with Cr Lewis after the Mayor made reference to councillors making \u201csnide remarks\u201d during an earlier question-and-answer with Waverley general manager Emily Scott.<\/p>\n
Cr Lewis leapt to his feet on a point of order, declaring that the Mayor was \u201cdirecting a comment directly to another councillor which is false\u201d and demanded he withdraw.<\/p>\n
The Mayor insisted \u201cthere were snide remarks that were made\u201d but \u201cit was not directed at you so there\u2019s nothing to withdraw\u201d.<\/p>\n
Cr Nemesh and the five other Liberal councillors voted to adopt the master plan. <\/p>\n
Labor Deputy Mayor Keri Spooner, along with the two other Labor councillors, the two Greens and Cr Lewis voted against.<\/p>\n
Cr Spooner said it was \u201creally disappointing\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou say council do listen to residents \u2013 they didn\u2019t listen to residents,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe residents asked for more shadow modelling, 3D diagrams. I\u2019m going to have my fingers crossed that in the next phase, the planning phase, there is going to be adequate consultation. I\u2019m being told in the next phase it\u2019s too late, [the building heights are locked in].\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, a local residents\u2019 action group had sought to derail the proposal.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter releasing a new version of the plan at the end of last week, along with a completely new urban design study (a total of 465 pages) the Liberal faction and Mayor are looking to try and rush this masterplan through to adoption,\u201d the Save Bondi Junction group shared on Facebook on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is despite having no democratic mandate to do so after the community conclusively rejected the plan in their 830 written submissions on June 24th. The new version should go back out on consultation and not be adopted!\u201d<\/p>\n
Waverley Council\u2019s meeting last month descended into chaos<\/a> as members of the public heckled and screamed at councillors and the Mayor.<\/p>\n \u201cThe behaviour has been appalling,\u201d one source told news.com.au.<\/p>\n \u201cScreaming abuse, foul language, jeering at anyone speaking in support of it. It\u2019s disgusting and so out of place at a suburban council meeting. Needing security to remove people who won\u2019t stop yelling is crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n That came after revelations by local newspaper the Wentworth Courier that the Save Bondi Junction website, created by local resident Catharine Munro, was using AI<\/a> to help people quickly draft complaints to submit to the feedback process.<\/p>\n Users would enter their name and address before ticking boxes which represent their concerns \u2014 such as \u201cheritage lost\u201d or \u201closs of sunlight\u201d \u2014 before clicking a \u201cdraft my submission\u201d button, with AI program Claude Sonnet then drafting the complaint.<\/p>\n Ms Munro told the newspaper it was \u201cjust a tool for helping you write an email\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cPeople struggle with making submissions,\u201d she said. \u201cIt gets them over that procrastination and writers\u2019 block or confidence issues.\u201d<\/p>\n Council ultimately received 830 written submissions, nearly two thirds negative, according to the engagement report.<\/p>\n Save Bondi Junction was contacted for comment.<\/p>\n Cr Masselos, Waverley\u2019s former Labor mayor<\/a>, last month denied co-ordinating community objections to the master plan after she sent a blank email \u2014 apparently in error \u2014 to councillors and several state MPs with the subject \u201cBondi Junction Masterplan Objection\u201d.<\/p>\n Cr Masselos told The Australian Financial Review she was representing<\/a> the concerns of residents in a \u201ccommunity-led response\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s rubbish,\u201d she said of the email. \u201cI was looking at a website, I clicked on [a link] to see who was on the list and it glitches. There\u2019s nothing in the email \u2014 this is a smear attack.\u201d<\/p>\n Justin Simon, chair of pro-development group Sydney YIMBY, said the level of hostility sparked by the Bondi Junction proposal was unsurprising.<\/p>\n \u201cThe eastern suburbs are always going to be more vociferously NIMBY than anywhere else in Australia,\u201d he told news.com.au.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the richest area, the most privileged, people are used to getting their own way. For a lot of people this will be the first time in their life they\u2019ve been told \u2018no\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Simon noted that the Waverley community was divided, with residents from Bronte \u2014 who oppose high-rises in their area \u2014 supporting more density for Bondi Junction.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s an element of no matter what council does, there will be a bunch of people at council yelling at them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey just need to show some leadership. The plan is good, it puts homes near public transport in an area where there\u2019s very high demand and rents are up 50 per cent over five years. People are constantly getting priced out of the eastern suburbs and this helps address that.\u201d<\/p>\n Opponents of the master plan \u201care effectively asking for more delays\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the whole playbook \u2014 throw up procedural complaints, throw dust in the air, anything you can to delay new housing. We think that\u2019s not something we can wait for at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Cr Nemesh said in a statement on Monday that the \u201ccommunity response to the draft Master Plan shows broad support for the vision we have developed\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cLocals want Bondi Junction to be a place that is alive, activated and vibrant while providing the services and infrastructure expected of a world-class destination,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Council said there was strong support for the transformation of Oxford Street Mall and plans to improve access to the Bondi Junction train station and bus interchange, as well as delivering more cycling and walking paths throughout the suburb.<\/p>\n The plan for more community facilities within the Civic precinct \u2014 from a new Library to a performing arts space \u2014 was well-received, as was a major boost to public green spaces, according to council.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have heard the feedback and made amendments to the draft Master Plan to balance the needs of a growing population with our responsibilities to improve housing supply while preserving heritage and amenity,\u201d Cr Nemesh said.<\/p>\n Amendments to the plan include revised building heights around expanded Clementson Park and Ebley Street and within heritage conservation areas, in line with heights proposed by the state government\u2019s low- and mid-rise housing policy.<\/p>\n Council argues the proposed building heights are significantly less than those proposed under current state significant development applications within Bondi Junction.<\/p>\n The plan also states that heritage items like Westgate House and The Nelson Hotel will be protected.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a strategy for managing growth and ensuring we do density well in the areas where it is most appropriate,\u201d Cr Nemesh said.<\/p>\n \u201cImportantly, the master plan is just the first piece of work to be done. If adopted, there will be further detailed technical studies as part of a planning proposal process. Council will continue to consult our community every step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n