The Inner West Council will vote in early March 2024 on the rezoning – we need you to let Councillors know the community is against this plan.
Go to our Take Action page to learn more about how you can help.
Significantly increasing the density of this area will also significantly increase the number of cars coming in and out of this area and the parking load. Doing so raises the prospect of issues and dangers that are heightened due to the specific location of the proposed zones changes.
An already dangerous area
There is a known cluster of vehicle crashes on Parramatta Road leading into the Tebbutt St entry. Residents are also well aware of frequent crashes on Tebbutt and Hathern Streets. In fact, two residents’ cars were smashed into by an out of control car, one written off, in June alone.
A key arterial road for general traffic that already has bottlenecks
The Tebbutt Street, Hathern Street to West Street overpass is a critical road for traffic across the city from Parramatta/North Shore (is it also a connecting road to Parramatta Road onto WestConnex) as well as to the South West and Botany/Airport, however, it is mostly only one lane during this section so frequently gets bottlenecked during peak and Saturday periods.
It is not unusual to wait 10-15 minutes in peak hour traffic for a trip that should take 2 minutes. At the start of long weekends, it can take 30-40 minutes just to get from one end of Tebbutt St to the other. These traffic jams will become longer and more frequent if the proposed rezoning density changes occur.
When there is more traffic, drivers take more risks to try to circumvent the traffic (e.g. residents frequently see drivers going into the oncoming traffic lane to get around traffic jams), which will make an already dangerous area more dangerous.
Going in and out of Beeson/Kegworth Streets holds up traffic
If someone wants to go into Beeson Street or the South end of Kegworth Street (heading towards Parramatta Road), they need to wait for oncoming traffic to subside so this frequently holds up traffic behind them.
Risks to Kegworth Primary School Students
The area is located right next to Kegworth Primary School, so there are frequent drop offs and children crossing roads that coincide with peak general traffic times. Increasing traffic in this area will increase more drivers getting frustrated and taking risks, which will increase the chances that a child will get injured or killed.
Parking Load
It is already difficult to get a parking spot in this area. If further units are created with no minimum required parking, then it will not decrease the number of cars in the area, it will just mean that existing locals will find it harder and harder to park their cars.
Proposed Rezoning in Lewisham side of Taverners Hill
We have focused on the rezoning proposed for Leichhardt side of Taverners Hill as we know that best as residents of this area, however, there is also proposed rezoning on the other side of the Brown Street overpass in Lewisham.
The residential blocks around Brown St, Cook St, and Old Canterbury Rd are also targeted for rezoning for higher density, which will add large number of cars trying to get in and out of small one lane streets that make up this key arterial road across the city.
Say hello to even more and longer traffic jams when you’re trying to get across Parramatta Road…
Significantly More Pollution Created
Traffic jams are not just time consuming and inconvenient, they also produce significantly more pollution (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter) than free flowing traffic.
Locals on Tebbutt and Hathern Streets are well aware of how much pollution the traffic on this busy arterial route creates. Walls get coated with particulate matter from the traffic.
Increasing the frequency and duration of traffic jams in this area will also significantly increase the pollution produced in the Inner West.
Even more worryingly, Kegworth Primary School is situated on Tebbutt Street, so more traffic jams means more harmful pollution exposure for growing children.
Exacerbating the pollution load is that rezoning this area would also facilitate the destruction of the most extensive area of large mature backyard trees in Leichhardt. Not only will the biodiversity loss be devastating, but it means far fewer trees to clean up the pollution created by the rezoning.
Downloadable Fact Sheets For Further Information
Read the Lungs Of Leichhardt Submission to Council
For more information on this and other issues, see the Lungs of Leichhardt community group’s full submission to the Inner West Council.