From The Desk of James Wallace | Member For Hornsby
Over recent months, many Cherrybrook and Dural residents have shared their views on the Minns Labor Government’s draft plan to rezone parts of Cherrybrook near the Metro station.
The plan allows for significant increases in height and density, potentially delivering more than 9,350 new dwellings over time. This will undoubtedly put more strain on local roads, schools and the Metro.
Our community understands the need for more housing. Building homes close to Metro stations makes sense. However, this must be matched with an investment in infrastructure including schools, spotting fields and upgrades to local roads such as New Line Road.
None of our local schools accept out-of-area enrolments due to capacity constraints. We need to plan for and manage the proposed population growth so that the high standards of education which local families have come to expect from these schools is preserved.
There is no community appetite for school catchment boundaries to be redrawn.
Local roads are already congested at peak times. New Line Road remains one of the most significant traffic bottlenecks in our area. The long-awaited upgrade to four lanes between Hastings Road and Purchase Road has now been deferred across two consecutive Minns Government budgets. This funding should be restored and committed without delay so that construction can finally begin.
As the State MP for Hornsby, I have raised these issues repeatedly on behalf of the community in the Parliament.
Through the consultation process residents have told me they are seeking assurance that growth in our area will be carefully aligned with a clear, publicly committed infrastructure delivery schedule.
Our community is not saying no to growth. It is asking for planning to be done properly, with roads, schools, transport and open space planned and funded from the start.
We expect the plans for the rezoning will be finalised during 2026.
