A NSW Government website

Riverwood

Priority growth areas and precincts

At a glance

  • Revised rezoning proposal exhibited between 8 March and 8 April 2024
  • 420 dwellings including new social housing
  • Changes to density and building forms to facilitate new residential flat building
  • Realignment of Virginia Place with a shared cycleway and pedestrian path
  • Potential for future local retail shops and a supermarket

State-shaping precinct: precincts that typically create substantial, additional economic value, and are led by multiple agencies in partnership with local council. These require a significant level of whole-of- NSW government leadership.

Overview

Riverwood is home to a strong and growing community, offering easy access to public transport and open space.

Riverwood Estate is close to Riverwood station, with access to jobs in the Sydney CBD and around the airport. It currently has around 1,000 social housing dwellings, private dwellings and council-owned land on more than 30 hectares. The Minister for Planning declared Riverwood a State Significant Precinct (SSP) on 5 March 2021. This means that the rezoning for the precinct will be led by the NSW Government.

Homes NSW has prepared a revised proposal for a section of the entire estate, covering an area of 1.6 ha in the north-east of the site. 

What's happening now

Homes NSW has prepared and submitted a revised rezoning proposal for a section of the Riverwood Estate. The revised proposal includes around 420 new homes of which 50 percent is intended to be social and affordable housing.

The revised proposal facilitates earlier delivery of homes, including new social and affordable homes, for the Riverwood Estate that can be supported with suitable infrastructure and community facilities. 

The revised proposal, including Homes NSW Response to Submissions from the 2022 exhibition, was on exhibition until 8 April 2024.

View the proposed plan

What’s happened so far

In 2022 Homes NSW, formerly referred to as NSW Land and Housing Corporation, sought approval for new planning controls to support the renewal of Riverwood. The rezoning proposal was on exhibition from 12 August to 25 September 2022. 

The Study Requirements (PDF, 789 KB) for Riverwood included preparation of a place framework to embed planning for Country and an overall design that specifically suited the site in the studies and assessment. The rezoning proposal aimed to transform the 30 hectare site to create 3,900 social and private dwellings over the next 15 to 20 years and add 5 hectares of new and enhanced open space.

The department worked together with City of Canterbury-Bankstown and Georges River councils to review the proposal to ensure NSW Government priorities for revitalised social housing are delivered in line with a plan that responds appropriately to the local environment, community and economy.

As part of this process, Homes NSW prepared a Response to Submissions which includes modification to the original rezoning proposal. The revised rezoning proposal was publicly exhibited between 8 March and 8 April 2024. 

What happens next

On completion of the final assessment, the rezoning is expected to be finalised by June 2024.

Timeline

Original proposal exhibition

12 August to 25 September 2022

Exhibition of revised proposal

8 March to 8 April 2024

Feedback from the exhibition will inform the final rezoning package and new planning controls for the precinct.

Finalisation

Mid 2024

Rezoning is expected to be finalised.