Proposed rezoning of Macquarie Park Innovation District
Macquarie Park Innovation District (MPID) is a place for innovation alongside a vibrant community of businesses, workers, students, and residents.
City of Ryde has been advocating for a future where the Macquarie Park Innovation District (Australia’s original Innovation District) continues to be one of Australia’s leading employment hubs.
Through a number of short-sighted and rushed policy changes, the NSW Department of Planning and Housing is seeking to turn the Macquarie Park Innovation District into a residential dormitory for the rest of Sydney. A place where jobs and businesses will be replaced with stacks of residential towers, with tens of thousands of new residents adding to congested roads and long commutes using inefficient public transport services in order to get to their place of work.
We asked the community to join our campaign to deliver a smarter vision for the Macquarie Park Innovation District.
Submissions closed on 8 February 2024, so we will now be collating responses to support a submission by the City of Ryde on the Department’s rezoning proposal.
Support of Council's position
Residents, workers, and business owners have been responding overwhelmingly in support of Council’s call to the State Government to rethink a recent series of planning decisions which would transform Australia’s original Innovation District into a high-rise housing dormitory.
Here is what they are saying:
From a local MPID Business Owner: "MPID needs to remain a vibrant expanding area for innovative businesses in the healthcare, biotech and tech spaces. Taking available land to convert into residential when there is already insufficient commercial capacity is the wrong move."
From a MPID worker: “The district is already overrun by vehicles, with the current road infrastructure unable to cope with the current load during peak periods and other various times of the day. The argument may be that the rail infrastructure would provide better support for residents to travel but this only services east/west travel not north/south so car travel would only increase.”
From a resident: “This is the one real chance Australia can solidify a Silicon Valley-esque position at a global level - there is a real opportunity here, and it's already in motion. It would be short-sighted and a real shame to deliberately move backwards from this trajectory.”
From a resident and worker: “What happens to the infrastructure? We’ll need more schools, hospitals, childcares, medical centres. It is a silly idea to have more housing but at the same time removing local employment, this means people will still have to commute for work.”
Further updates will be provided here once the Council's submission is sent to the NSW Department of Planning and Housing.
If you are a business interested in joining our MPID media campaign, please email Media team at the City of Ryde.