Make submissions by 23 February

The NSW Planning recent proposals to create more housing will mean that all residential areas, town centres and station precincts will be open to major development. This will greatly change the character of your area, with 75% of Inner West LGA affected.

The published Changes to create low and mid-rise housing, released in December:

https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-12/eie-changes-to-create-low-and-mid-rise-housing.pdf

• Allow 3 storey units in low rise residential areas, and 6 to 8 storeys in medium rise residential within 800 metres of a train station or town centre.
• Heritage protection will no longer apply to Inner West areas impacted, such as King Street Newtown. The Rocks is also not protected.
• Councils will have no power to plan or control these developments.

Please make a submission at

https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/draftplans/exhibition/explanation-intended-effect-changes-create-low-and-mid-rise-housing

Click “Object” and cut and paste the draft brief submission points below or write your own:

Draft submission:

I request that the proposed Changes to create low- and mid-rise housing be withdrawn and re-considered in discussion with local Councils and communities. My objections include that:

• These changes will destroy the character of the Inner West
• 2 storey units will be allowed in low rise residential areas, and 3 storeys (12.3 metres) through an affordable housing bonus in all R2 zones
• 8 storeys will be allowed in all R3 medium rise zones or mixed use within 400 metres of a train station or town centre, with the affordable housing bonus, and 6 storeys within 800 metres
• Transport Oriented Development will allow 6 or 8 storeys within 400 metres of Marrickville and Dulwich Hill Stations, without Council planning or consideration of local character
• Heritage protection will no longer apply to affected areas, so historic precincts such as The Rocks, and King Street Newtown, could be lost to development
• These changes will side-line planning and approvals by Councils, and any community involvement
• Very little affordable housing will be created, despite concessions to developers
• Council planning control and heritage protection should be preserved, and no affordable housing bonus applied to these residential areas
• Councils should be allowed to develop Urban Design Plans for station precincts and town centres, which deliver more housing and make the best value of an area’s character.

See link to the Transport Oriented Development Program, which is connected
https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-12/transport-oriented-development-program.pdf

Save Marrickville resident group supports the following principles for planning Marrickville, through the new Inner West Local Environment Plan:

1. Share growth and housing targets evenly across Inner West LGA, with 1,200 additional dwellings to be located in Marrickville/Midjuburi Ward (1)
2. Include Marrickville Commercial Centre Heritage Conservation Area in the LEP, with HCA and heritage items assessment supported by work completed in 2009, 2016 and 2022 (2)
3. Include in LEP all Heritage Conservation Areas (HCAs) recommended in the Inner West Heritage Review Residential 2022 (3)
4. Complete studies of the other identified potential HCAs for inclusion in the LEP, as recommended by the Heritage Review (4)
5. No new buildings in Marrickville to be over 5 storeys or 20 metres
6. Preserve industrial land, and not rezone it to residential
7. 25% of new dwellings built to be social housing (5)  
8. Remove exemptions or loopholes which grant additional storeys and density to developers, such as “affordable” housing that is not affordable
9. Boarding houses, studio and serviced apartments to count towards housing targets
10. New dwellings approved but not built before a new LEP, to count towards housing targets
11. Additional dwellings to be close to a train station or bus route, regardless of whether they are near a commercial centre.

These principles are consistent with those of the Save Dully Residents’ Action Group. The objectives of these principles are to:

• Develop a town centre and suburb which is in the best interests of people who live, visit and work in Marrickville

• Protect the character and heritage of Marrickville Commercial Centre, and our residential areas which are largely one and two storeys.

Notes:

1. Inner West LGA has a housing target of nearly 6,000 additional dwellings for the next six years under the new LEP. Marrickville/Midjuburi ward’s share should be 1,200 additional dwellings, with growth allocated evenly and fairly across the five wards of the LGA.
2. A Heritage Study completed in 2009 for Marrickville Council identified contributory (or period) buildings along Marrickville Road Commercial precinct for inclusion in a potential HCA. Further work in 2016 identified period/contributory buildings on Illawarra Road commercial precinct. The 2022 Heritage Review identified period buildings in the Marrickville Commercial Centre to be investigated for listing as heritage items; heritage and period buildings support HCA assessments. The Heritage Review 2022 recommended that a study of “Marrickville Road and Illawarra Road Shopping Centre” potential HCA be completed. Therefore significant work has already been undertaken and should be finalised, to assess Marrickville Commercial Centre as a potential HCA to include in the LEP. 
3. HCAs in Marrickville recommended for inclusion by the 2022 Heritage Review were: Marrickville Market Gardens Estate; Shrublands Estate; Inter-War Group; Woodlands Estate; Terrace Gardens Estate; Pilgrim Avenue; and The Warren. Details are in the review.
4. Studies of a number of potential HCAs identified by Council were not undertaken by the Heritage Review 2022, for reasons including the impact of COVID. These studies should be completed for potential inclusion of these HCAs in the LEP, as recommended by the review. In addition to Marrickville Commercial Centre, these potential HCAs in Marrickville to be studied are: O’Hara to Fletcher Streets; Illawarra to Carrington & Railway to Warren; Corner Livingstone & Marrickville Rds; Marrickville Road; Warren Shopping Precinct. Details including boundaries are in the 2022 Review.
5. New accommodation built in Marrickville will not be affordable for people on low incomes, unless a proportion is required to be social housing. The term “affordable housing” is vague and often not targeted to people on lowest incomes, while social housing is clearly defined, affordable and targeted to low income households. Note that some older affordable dwellings are lost when a site is redeveloped, and Greater London Council has a target of 30% for affordable housing in new developments. See Save Marrickville’s position on Affordable Housing.

Marrickville is synonymous with diversity. This is why everyone should take the time to have their say on the new Local Environment Plan (LEP) which will shape what our suburb looks and feels like. 

Register for the Your Say Council Newsletter here.

What has happened?

Shortly before our community meeting on 22nd September the Council withdrew the urban design studies for Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and North Ashfield. The mayor announced that Council would seek advice from the State government over how to spread the LGA’s housing targets.

Subsequently, Council Jessica D’Arenizo put a motion regarding the LEP to Council which can be read here (look for Item 16). Importantly for the community the motion included these 2 points: 

• - Report to Council outlining all the options available with an expanded LEP process including a comprehensive community consultation plan.
• - Convene a roundtable discussion inviting renters, owners, businesses, community groups, advocacy groups and planners to discuss shared objectives with a local government wide LEP approach.

The motion was unanimously supported by all Councillors.

What you need to do?

We urge people to keep an eye out for information about how they can become involved in the LEP consultation process as Council works on a new way to co-design this process. Save Marrickville is only one voice among many and we are keen for as many people who live and work in our community to be part of the process. Make sure you are signed up to receive emails from the IW Council.

Why is the LEP so important?

• - The LEP sets out the rules of where development can occur and what that development looks like.
• - The set rules cannot be easily changed.
• - Developments that meet the rules are approved and there is nothing anyone can do to oppose it. 
• - DA’s can only be opposed on the grounds that they contravene the rules in the LEP. 

This is why as a community we need to work together to establish rules that work for everyone - residents, renters, business owners and commercial tenants.

Save Marrickville’s goals

Save Marrickville  hasn’t wavered from the goals we originally agreed upon back in 2017 in response to the Sydenham to Bankstown strategy. These are:

• - We want sympathetic well-designed and sustainable development and density with proper transition zones. No higher than 5 storeys.
• - We feel it is critical that our heritage and local character are preserved.
• - Marrickville’s industrial and employment lands should be preserved.
• - Infrastructure needs to be planned first before rezoning.
• - Affordable housing quotas must be in place.

In addition we would like:

• For development to be spread across the LGA
• Proper community consultation

More information

• - Many of you will have noticed construction on the former Church of Christ site at 389 Illawarra Rd. The development is a Nightingale/Fresh Hope project and it is due to be completed in late 2023. This development will be build-to-rent, which is the first time Nightingale has ventured into the BTR market. The development will contain 54 micro apartments, approximately 30sq.m in size. More information here. 
• - An interesting piece from Tim Sneesby about the supply myth.

Summary

1. A large group of concerned residents gathered at the Marrickville Bowling Club community meeting, many from streets targeted for uplift under the Marrickville Urban Design Study.
2. The LEP process (of which the Urban Design Studies are a part) has been halted. It was halted to allow Councillors to receive legal advice about potential conflicts of interest.
3. After hearing concerns from Save Marrickville and many local residents, the IWC mayor asserted that: 1. the Marrickville Urban Design Study as placed on exhibition, will not proceed in its exhibited form; 2. IWC will request the State Government allow a new plan, involving genuine community engagement; and 3. that plan would seek to consider the whole LGA rather than just 3 targeted areas.
4. Affordable housing was a major concern; it was agreed that an increased supply of apartments built by private developers is not going to solve the problem (because developers will only build in markets where prices are rising, not falling). Residents, councillors and Save Marrickville members all agreed that other solutions are needed (e.g. more public housing, social housing, improved renters’ rights, tax reform). For Save Marrickville’s position, please read on for a detailed discussion on this issue.
5. Major efforts are needed with Councillors and Council staff to arrive at a community backed LEP for the inner west. The LEP needs to genuinely reflect the community, (placing community principles first, and engaging with the entire community, including CALD citizens and others less able to access or interpret planning documents.
6. We would like to thank Mayor Darcy Byrne, Councillors Jess D’Arienzo, Mat Howard, Justine Langford and Mark Drury for attending the meeting. 
7. We would also like to thank the Representatives from the Marrickville Heritage Society and from Save Dully who attended and spoke at the meeting.

Full Report

A group of 70+ people attended our community meeting on Thursday 22nd September. Kelsie Dadd and Paul Mortimer from Save Marrickville addressed the group.

Kelsie and Paul explained that the Marrickville Urban Design Study and other studies had been halted. Under a motion from the Mayor at the recent Council meeting held on Tuesday 13th September, Councillors unanimously voted to pause the process. All documentation (including the Urban Design Studies and the Heritage Study) have been removed from Council’s website.

SM decided to hold the meeting regardless of the pause due to the considerable confusion and concern in the community. This was a chance to let everyone know where things are at. 

In brief, Save Marrickville’s top level concerns with the paused Urban Design Study are:

• Densification is only concentrated in 
  • Marrickville 
  • Dulwich Hill 
  • North Ashfield
• High-density development occurring in residential areas
• Building heights too high, creating dark, windy spaces, particularly along Illawarra Rd (given it is narrow)

Kelsie and Paul asked the audience to share their concerns and give feedback, so that the Save Marrickville group can accurately represent the community. Principles for appropriate development, generated by Save Marrickville back in 2017 in response to plans for the Sydenham to Bankstown Renewal strategy, were described to the audience. These principles, which remain Save Marrickville’s current position, are:

– Development in scale with the streetscape;

– No higher than 5 storeys, with 2 storeys at street front;

– Compelling developers to include true affordable housing and encouraging the State Government to make housing reforms to including building public housing;

– Infrastructure needs to be planned first before rezoning.

– A Heritage Conservation Area covering Marrickville Town Centre - Marrickville, Illawarra and Petersham Roads

There were many questions and comments from the audience. Three main areas of concern were 1. poor process and lack of transparency behind the Urban Design Study; 2. genuine affordability through public and social housing (as opposed to the developer argument about increasing supply); and the political machinations (rather than evidence-based decisions) behind housing targets set by the State Government. Other questions and concerns included:

1. The underwhelming heritage report (including a statement from Scott Macarthur, President of the Marrickville Heritage Society); 
2. Desire for the community consultation to be started afresh with an emphasis on a community co-designed LEP rather than the current top down model;
3. Questions about the infrastructure required to support additional housing;
4. Concerns that out of 25 suburbs within the LGA only 3 areas were targeted for significant uplift;
5. Concerns that the proposal is developer driven with no resident input;
6. Concerns about the quality of new builds, as well as the desire to compel developers to build more sustainable housing; and
7. Concerns that mass rezoning in residential streets will provide pressure to sell and pit neighbour against neighbour.

State Government housing targets

When Council was handed back planning control in the wash-up after the Sydenham to Bankstown Urban Renewal strategy, the NSW Government established housing targets that local councils were expected to meet, by setting aside areas for higher-density development within new Local Environment Plans (LEPs). As Sydney grows more housing is needed. Relying on greenfields sites is unsustainable. Yet the sticking points are where new housing should be built, which suburbs ought to bear the burden of disruption and extra demands on infrastructure, and how much the resulting development will change the character and quality of affected areas. Different LGAs were given wildly varying targets: from 300 new dwellings in Mosman to over 20,000 in Parramatta. Inner West was given a target of 5000. As well as anger over the blatant inequality of how different parts of Sydney have fared under these targets, a point of fury for Save Marrickville is that certain types of housing do not count towards housing targets, specifically boarding houses, serviced apartments and co-living (at this point we do not know whether the new type of housing called Build-to-Rent counts towards targets). This is unfair and we encourage lobbying the state government to change this loophole so that developments such as the recently approved 8 storey boarding house at 2-18 Station St contribute to the State imposed targets. 

Affordable housing

Many residents were rightly concerned about affordable housing. Save Marrickville is deeply concerned about the lack of affordable housing in Sydney, the displacement of more-affordable older style housing (e.g. flats above shops) for new developments that are rented at a higher rate, the difficulty for younger people to enter the housing market and the inability of people to age in place due to the lack of suitable housing. We have a position of affordable housing you can read here. 

The issue of supply was brought up at the meeting and has been a hot topic in the media recently. Housing experts do not agree with the simplified idea that increasing supply of housing through high-density apartment developments will result in greater affordability. This argument is frequently made by developer lobby groups, as a rationale to convince governments and the public to accept large-scale development. However, the evidence is clear: housing affordability will not be solved by simply building more apartments. In fact, during Sydney’s apartment boom from 2012-2017, new approvals were at record highs, and yet prices also skyrocketed. Housing economists and academic planners have consistently generated evidence that developers will only build new housing when markets are rising, because such circumstances guarantee profits and returns on investment. To gain more affordable housing, Sydney needs house prices to go down. Developers will not build more and more housing if prices are going down. They will only do so when they go up. So if housing affordability is the goal, different solutions are needed than simply rezoning to allow more developer-led apartment building. The housing market needs a range of reforms and it will rely upon the political will of both the State and Federal governments. Our ideas gleaned from housing experts (see a list of further reading at the end of this post) include: 

1. building new public housing
2. cessation of selling off existing public housing and protection of existing older style boarding houses
3. investigation of an empty house/unit tax
4. ending negative gearing where rental losses can be tax deducted (federal government issue)
5. Improving tenancy laws to given renters better protection and more secure tenancy

Response from Councillors

All councillors were respectful of the community and gave their thoughts only after the Save Marrickville presentation and community discussion, at our invitation. Councillors Mat Howard and Justine Langford from the Marrickville/Midjuburi ward reiterated that they had not seen the studies until they were released and felt that it was the wrong way to introduce it to the community. Mayor Darcy Bryne addressed the meeting and mentioned that the goal should be thoughtful, sensitive and sustainable development and is keen for community collaboration. He proposed asking the State government to change the LEP engagement process for the LGA so that it is viewed as a whole.

Both the Marrickville/Midjuburi Councillors, Justine and Mat, as well as other Councillors from the other wards made themselves available to the community to hear concerns and answer questions. 

Thanks to all for coming. Stay tuned for updates about what is happening next on our Facebook page, website and email newsletter.

Extra reading

1. Housing affordability ideas from the housing experts
2. Learn a little more about taxing empty homes
3. This is an older article dating back to 2017 discussing Vancouver being the 3rd least affordable city to live in. It includes this on-point quote "High house prices are not a sign of city's success but a sign of failure to deliver the housing that its citizens need." No prizes for guessing where Sydney is ranked in the least affordable places to live.
4. Understand the mechanics of the supply debate from housing academics and read about why housing supply shouldn't be the only policy tool 
5. Bring back the Design and Place SEPP so that new developments may have some design excellence, be sustainable and not crack. 

We have decided to go ahead with our Community Meeting on Thursday 22nd September to give residents and businesses as much time and information they need to understand the potential impacts of the current and possible future development plans for Marrickville and surrounding suburbs. 

We have just been alerted that Council has halted all work on the studies in Dulwich Hill, Marrickville and North Ashfield, following a unanimous Council resolution at the Council meeting on 13 September to halt the process. Council is seeking advice from the NSW Government on how the government’s mandated housing targets can be considered across the whole LGA, as well as legal advice explaining how Councillors should manage potential conflicts of interest relating to the process. 

This is breaking NEWS and Save Marrickville is trying to get more information about what this means for the community. We believe that the urban design studies are still on the table and we have no idea how the State Government will respond over housing targets.

We want to use our community meeting to give you an update on what we know and open the floor for questions and comments. We have been granted this rare extra time to consider a potentially highly destructive plan. We are seeking your thoughts. It is very likely the consultation will be reinstated at some unknown date…. So let’s get together to talk about it now.

Details for the night:

Community Meeting

Thursday 22nd September

Marrickville Bowling Club (we encourage everyone to buy a drink to support the club)

91 Sydenham Rd, Marrickville

7pm to 8.30pm

We hope to see you there.

FYI, some media attention this week:

SMH

CityHub

It is crunch time for Marrickville! The Urban Design Study for Marrickville and The Heritage Study are now on Council's Your Say page. The studies and your feedback will be used to develop the new Local Environment Plan (LEP) and Development Control Plan (DCP). The urban design study is proposing significant changes to Marrickville Town Centre. The proposed plans could lead to the disappearance of the current Marrickville Town Centre, replacing it with buildings of up to 6-12 storeys.

Save Marrickville is still sifting through both the Marrickville Urban Design Study and the Heritage Report but some of the recommendations that you should know about include:

1. Increasing allowable building heights to 8-storeys on Illawarra Road, Petersham Rd and around the train station
2. Two key sites have been identified that could facilitate 12 storey "landmark " buildings at Station St (just off Illawarra Rd near the train station) and at the corner of Illawarra Rd and Petersham Rd (previous Cornersmith cafe site).
3. Increased density by rezoning selected areas near to the train station to R4 (High Density Residential) including Greenbank Street, Church Street, Leofrene Avenue, Riverdale Avenue, Harriet Street, Fletcher Street and Albion Street. The rezoning would allow 4-5 storey residential flat buildings.
4. Rezoning Petersham Road to B2 (Local Centre) to transform it into a mixed-use high street. The urban design centre talks about Petersham Rd as an important linking road and recommends transforming Petersham Rd into a shared green street that prioritises pedestrian and cyclist movements.
5. Increasing allowable building heights on Marrickville Road from 20m to 23m to facilitate buildings with better amenity while maintaining the existing 6-storey height control
6. The Exchange Hotel is listed for Heritage Status as well as a few new smaller areas. Disappointingly, the Heritage Map of Marrickville is very empty, particularly in comparison to other suburbs in the IW LGA. 

It is critically important that you are aware of the proposed changes. Their impact will be much greater than any of the development we've seen so far.

Inner West Council states that it is planning for sustainable growth and development focussing on: 

1. Housing growth in Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and North Ashfield (uplift around main streets and railway stations)
2. Heritage (unfortunately very few listings for Marrickville)
3. Low carbon precincts
4. Car parking in new developments (looking to minimise car parking)

Council is asking the community ‘Are we on the right track?’. Here are a couple of things you can do:

1. Attend Save Marrickville’s public meeting to discuss the plans on Thursday 22nd September, Marrickville Bowling Club, 7pm.
2. If you only have 5 minutes: Read the summary and answer Council's 5 question survey by Sunday 25th September.
3. If you have more time or you feel strongly: Make a submission to Council by Sunday 25th September.
4. Contact your elected Councillors to let them know your concerns.

There is not much time to absorb the information. This phase of Council’s engagement with the community ends on September 25th so please get your submissions and survey answers submitted asap. The community feedback will be used to draft planning controls. Please share this information so that as many people as possible can express their views. Once the LEP and DCP are approved by the Department of Planning they will not be able to be reversed and the community will not be able to fight proposals based on height and FSR in rezoned areas.

The recommendations concern us. We know that things are changing and development is going to occur. However, we would like it to be equitable in the LGA. Our goals for Marrickville’s future development include:

- Keeping development in scale with the streetscape, therefore no higher than 5 storeys with 2 storeys at street front. Going to a height of 8 storeys is excessively high on narrow roads such as Illawarra Rd and Petersham Rd.

- Compelling developers to include true affordable housing, as well as providing permanent housing, not serviced apartments or build to rent units.

- A Heritage Conservation Area covering Marrickville Town Centre to protect heritage buildings and character on Marrickville and Illawarra and Rds.

Council is about to start the next phase of community consultation about the latest urban planning documents. These plans control how, where and to what extent development occurs in our community. It is important!

You can find all the details here: https://yoursay.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/local-planning

There are a number of webinars and drop in sessions across the inner west.

For Marrickville specifically, IWC is conducting webinars on the main documents that have been prepared:
- Marrickville Urban Design Study, Thursday 25th August 6pm-7.20pm (register via the link above)
- Heritage Study, Wednesday 7th September, 6pm-7.20pm (register via the link above)

There are also two drop in sessions where people can ask general questions:
- Marrickville Station, next Tuesday 23rd August, between 4-6pm
- Marrickville Library, Saturday 27th August, between 10am-4pm.

A revised development application has been submitted for 315-321 Illawarra Road. The proposed development is ‘to demolish existing improvements and construct a 6 storey mixed use building comprising retail and commercial tenancies with serviced apartments above and basement parking.’ It is important to note that the previous DA was rejected by Inner West Council. 

Local residents have contacted Save Marrickville with their concerns. There is a petition you can sign objecting to the development in its current form. It can be viewed and signed here. 

Submissions can be lodged with Council until 19th May, 2022 via this link.

Save Marrickville has previously objected to this proposal and you can read our earlier submission here. It appears that the new DA is similar to the revised proposal. The objections that we had to the DA as lodged with Council in September 2020 were: 

1. The proposed building design and form including the street-front façade facing Illawarra Road is not sympathetic with the federation/ Edwardian buildings and shopfronts on this section of Illawarra Road, and should be redesigned to be sympathetic with the character of Marrickville Town Centre on Marrickville and Illawarra Roads. 
2. The 6 storey building height in the amended DA is too high and should be limited to 5 storeys, which is the allowed height under the current Local Environment Plan. Excessive height will unreasonably increase the building’s dominance over neighbouring commercial buildings and residences, negatively impact on the area’s character, and negatively impact shadowing and privacy. 
3. The building height where the façade/ building front connects with Illawarra Road is too high at three storeys and should be two storeys to be sympathetic with the surrounding streetscape’s scale and character.
4. The set-back from Illawarra Road for the storeys between three and five is not adequate and should be twelve metres, again to be sympathetic with the existing streetscape. 
5. Car parking spaces in the proposal are not adequate and should be increased from twelve to twenty eight car spaces for the proposed thirty six studio apartments. 
6. The vehicular access in the proposal would create a risk and impede access for pedestrians, and should be redesigned to protect and preserve pedestrian access along Illawarra Road. 
7. Land use as Serviced Apartments is not consistent with existing land uses in the surrounding area, will provide no permanent accommodation for residents, and should not be viewed as a rationale for increasing building height and density, or reducing parking spaces

Further Information

The full document on why council rejected the previous application can be viewed here.

The latest submitted DA can be viewed here.

Save Marrickville hosted a 'Meet the Candidates' event for the Marrickville-Midjuburi ward for the Inner West LGA. We want to thank the candidates, Mat Howard (ALP), Justine Langford (GRN) and Vic Macri (IND) for giving us their time to discuss issues of development, industrial lands retention, heritage and green space. Thanks also to those who attended and the Marrickville Hardcourt Tennis Club for allowing us to use their venue.

For those who missed out on the event you can view the video here.

Local government elections are being held on Saturday 4th December. All the information you need to know can be found here. This includes where you can vote on the day, pre-polling dates and locations and information about the de-amalgamation poll. Don't let the de-amalgamation poll surprise you in the ballot box - have a look at the information provided by the Council before you vote so you can make your own informed decision.

If you want to review all the candidates standing for election to the Inner West Council you can find them listed on the NSW Electoral Commission website. You can even look at each candidate's information sheet to see what other organisations they belong to and their suburb of residence. Some candidates have written a little about themselves on these information sheets.

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And some other things....

You might be interested in this opinion piece in the City Hub by Pip Hinman about de-amalgamation.

If you see something missing from the candidate street advertising this article might help explain the lack of endorsed Liberal Party candidates in some council areas.

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Important community event....

The Inner West Community Strategic Plan is currently being reviewed by Council staff. This 20 year plan identifies the community's vision for the future, long term goals, strategies to get there and how to measure progress towards that vision. To have your say about the plan you can join an online forum on Wednesday 24 November, 6.00-7.30pm or you can complete the online survey. More information can be found here.

Wednesday 3rd November, 6.30pm

We go to the polls for our local government representatives in early December. Local government has an important say in our development constraints, character, heritage protection and streetscapes.

Save Marrickville is hosting a “Meet the Candidates” event for candidates for the Marrickville - Midjuburi ward. This is an opportunity for our local community to hear what each candidate is committed to on a range of issues. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions of each candidate.

When: Wednesday 3rd November

Candidates attending: Mat Howard (ALP), Justine Langford (Greens) and Vic Macri (Independent). 

Venue: Marrickville Hardcourt Tennis Club (food and drinks available on the night from the Portuguese restaurant, Casa Do Benfica, on site)

Address: 33 Centennial St, behind Henson Park

Time: 6.30pm (for a 7pm start) to 9pm

Due to COVID-19 restrictions we need you to register for this free event via this link.

We hope you can join us on the night, take your opportunity to meet the candidates and let them know what is important to you.