The Concept Application proposes:

• Up to 282,485 square metres of floor space to deliver around 3,300 homes, including:
• 5,000 square metres for community uses
• 10,000 square metres for other non‑residential uses like retail and local businesses
• Buildings ranging from 2 to 33 storeys
• A clear and easy to navigate street layout, including new walking, cycling and road connections
• Parks, open spaces and through site links designed to support social connection, play and gathering
• A Designing with Country framework that guides Country-led outcomes across the precinct
• A number of precinct-wide plans and strategies that will inform later stages, including:
• Public art
• Social impact
• Flooding and stormwater
• Ecologically Sustainable Development
• Infrastructure servicing
• Design excellence
• Tree retention and more.

The Rezoning proposes:

• Updating planning controls so heights and floor space limits align with the Concept Application
• Adjusting the minimum non‑residential floor space from 12,000 to 10,000 square metres
• Adding more flexibility to the types of uses we might deliver, including creative industries and education uses
• Updating the Waterloo South Design Guide so it reflects the concept design.

More information can be found in the Community Guide, which has been prepared to explain the Concept Application and Rezoning. You can access the Community Guide via the key documents page.

In 2022, the NSW Government approved new planning controls for Waterloo South to support the area’s future renewal. These included new rules in the Sydney Local Environmental Plan (LEP) and a Design Guide outlining what could be delivered.

The Concept Application is the next step in the planning process. It puts the 2022 controls into practice by setting the big picture concept plan for what the renewal will look like.

While the Concept Application builds on the rules approved in 2022, it also includes some important design improvements, including:

• Retaining more trees where possible
• Adding more outdoor places for people to meet, relax and socialise
• Improving sun access to more apartments and the outdoor spaces
• Making streets more comfortable and welcoming by lowering some street wall heights, widening footpaths and improving access to sunlight.

The Rezoning application is required at the same time to make sure the planning rules match what is shown in the Concept Application. There were also some inconsistencies between the LEP and Design Guide when the rules were approved in 2022, so these changes help provide clarity about what can be delivered in future detailed designs.

Importantly, the Concept Application and Rezoning do not increase the total amount of development already allowed. The overall layout remains similar to the 2022 plans but makes some adjustments that improve comfort in apartments and at ground level — such as lowering or removing some buildings to create more open space, and slightly increasing heights elsewhere to balance the design.

If approved, neither the Concept Application or Rezoning would allow construction to begin. Instead, they set the framework that future, more detailed design applications must follow.

Between October and December 2025, we consulted with the community and key stakeholders to help shape the Concept Application and Rezoning before they were finalised. This early engagement focused on:

• Supporting people to understand the planning process and the existing planning rules for Waterloo South
• Showing how the emerging design compared with the 2022 plan, and asking whether it felt like an improvement
• Gathering feedback that could influence the Concept Application before lodgement
• Working with the local Aboriginal community, including Traditional Custodians, to inform the Designing with Country framework

Over the six-week period, we held 19 engagement sessions with tenants, neighbours, service providers, community organisations and government agencies.

Although people raised a wide range of ideas and concerns, there was strong overall support for the Concept Plan — particularly when compared with the 2022 controls.

An Engagement Outcomes Report is one of the documents submitted with the Concept Application and Rezoning, and provides an overview of feedback received and how this shaped the application.

Following lodgement, the NSW Government placed both the Concept Application and Rezoning on public exhibition from Wednesday 6 May to Tuesday 2 June. To support the community during this period, the Waterloo Partnership held several in‑person and online information sessions and activities. These included drop-in sessions at Waterloo Connect, a morning tea, online and in-person information sessions, and briefings with key community service providers. A range of additional resources were also made available online.

The Concept Application and Rezoning were on public exhibition until Tuesday 2 June 2026. Thank you to those who submitted feedback.

All submissions will be reviewed, and changes may be made to the application in response to issues raised through this time. A ‘Response to Submissions’ report will be created based on issues raised and submitted to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, who will then review and assess the application and the report before making a decision.

The report will be shared on the Planning Portal along with the Department’s assessment of the application.

The full set of documents submitted with the Concept Application and Rezoning is available on the NSW Planning Portal.

To support the community during the public exhibition period, a range of additional materials have been prepared to help explain the Concept Application and Rezoning. These include a Community Guide, as well as information shared during community information sessions.

All supporting materials are available on the Key documents page.

Still have questions?

Visit out Frequently Asked Questions page or contact someone from the team if you still have question or want more information.