The fight to protect your land rights continues

Published on 16 March 2021

I’m pleased to tell you that Council has been able to convince the State Government to amend a regulation (SEPP) forcing residents of our City to pay for costly acoustic reports and insulation if they want to build a new home or extend.

This regulation would have affected homes within a 13km radius of the planned Western Sydney Airport, even though their homes might not experience any aircraft noise until the second runway is opened after 2060. It would have added significant costs to homeowners in Abbotsbury, Bossley Park, Bonnyrigg Heights and Edensor Park within our City, as well as areas from Oran Park to South Penrith.

Council has been fighting these unfair and unnecessary State Government rules since they commenced on 1 October last year and we are pleased that the State Government has listened to us on this aspect.

While this is an important victory for local residents, the fight is not yet over. We are still advocating for the State Government to amend the new rule that prevents landowners in Horsley Park from building their home on their own land if they wish to subdivide.

This has huge impacts on families. A lot of people in Horsley Park are elderly and want to live next to their children so they can assist them, as well as helping their children to get their own homes. For many families, their land is their nest egg, providing for a future for their children.

These rules are unfair given that under the same noise conditions near Sydney Airport in places like Drummoyne, the State Government allows high rise apartments to be built. It is not too much to ask that local residents retain their property rights and allow them to build one house on 10,000 sqm of land.

These rules were put in place without proper consultation. While it was advertised as applying to Liverpool and Penrith, there was no consultation with residents in Fairfield City. An important aspect of government is making sure the community is informed and that their voice is heard. When you take away the property rights of people who have mortgages and are depending on their land, it has a terrible impact on them financially, mentally and emotionally.

The government should not be putting a burden on local homeowners to profiteer from the new airport. I have arranged a public meeting and have invited Horsley Park homeowners to join Council in fighting to protect land rights against these unfair State Government rules. I have invited the local Federal Member, State Member and the NSW Minister for Planning, to hear directly from the affected residents. While today it is the residents in Horsley Park that are having their land rights taken away, it could happen to any of us at any time. We can’t stay silent, we need to stand up and speak up on this important issue.