<p>Developer-builder <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/dasco-australia">DASCO</a> has pushed beyond the now-standard inclusions of rooftop pools and landscaped podiums at its recently launched new Epping project, Senso.</p>

<p>It has laid out over 4,000 sqm of resident-only amenity in a move designed to compete directly with low-density housing on livability, not just density. The result is a development that supports genuine daily use through purposeful spaces distributed across its five-building, 479-apartment precinct.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=134954 project_image_fid=4396]</p>

<p>Two rooftop pools form the anchor of Senso. One is a 27-metre lap pool adjoining a heated spa, designed for everyday fitness rather than just summer leisure. The second sits on a lower podium, allowing different buildings to share in vertical access and reducing crowding during peak times.</p>

<p>It is the secondary spaces that start to distinguish Senso from other large-scale suburban projects. A rooftop cinema is integrated into a landscaped terrace, offering open-air screenings with natural ventilation and passive cooling.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The inclusion of a “sensory walk”, an elevated boardwalk that threads through the site, suggests a rare investment in non-commercial, non-essential amenity: space for quiet movement that doesn’t double as access or traffic circulation.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=134954 project_image_fid=4402]</p>

<p>The gym and wellness centre, often relegated to a small ground-floor room in many builds, takes on more substance here. Residents have access to a fully equipped gym, as well as outdoor yoga areas and meditative zones that integrate greenery and natural light.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Club Lounge is similarly designed to support multiple use cases, with a private dining terrace, kitchenette, workspace, and lockable wine storage. These aren’t superficial additions; their scale and spatial allocation indicate serious intent for frequent resident use.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=134954 project_image_fid=4391]</p>

<p>Importantly, Senso’s amenities are embedded within a site that spans more than 10,000 sqm, allowing for better separation between spaces and reduced noise spillover, a critical but often overlooked factor in high-density developments. This spatial generosity also enables multiple alfresco kitchens and communal terraces without compromising individual privacy or usable space.</p>

<p>While many developments make claims about lifestyle, few back it with this level of built infrastructure. Senso’s mix of dedicated fitness, wellness, social and passive green spaces suggests a conscious response to the post-pandemic shift in housing expectations, especially among owner-occupiers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>DASCO is one of several leading developers who have taken out Resilience Insurance's Latent Defects Insurance policy, providing buyers with a 10-year structural and waterproofing warranty, and giving them the ultimate peace of mind.</p>

<p>Senso is scheduled for completion in late 2028.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134954]</p>


Staff Writer

The outdoor amenities elevating life at Senso, Epping

<p>Following the proposal by the Minns Labor Government to rezone Parramatta Road to create up to 8,000 new homes, prominent developer Ceerose has gone to the NSW Gov to increase the density of its new mixed-use residential building in Leichhardt.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/builders/ceerose">Ceerose</a>, founded by Edward Doueihi nearly three decades ago, has filed plans for 154 apartments above ground-floor retail at 307-315 Parramatta Road, a key corner site near Norton Street, the main high street strip in Leichhardt.</p>

<p>It's an upsize from the previously approved scheme of 63 apartments across a seven-storey building.</p>

<p><img alt="Ceerose" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ba1ae75b-5f08-43fb-b8d5-3de6d9f6ef71" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-04%20at%2010.31.39%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=yA3hBBLPH4ev7MsAE0_hieXeqiFqBUb7" /></p>

<p>The project is being advanced through the State Significant Development (SSD) pathway, with concurrent rezoning sought to facilitate the proposal. The 10-storey development would rise over a four-level basement and deliver two retail tenancies, one a larger-format offering and the other a smaller “hole in the wall” space, addressing the Parramatta Road frontage. 21 of the apartments are dedicated as affordable housing.</p>

<p>According to the Urban Design Report by Architecture AND, the scheme includes a podium and tower configuration, with a fine-grain, two-storey parapet street wall that references the traditional shopfront rhythm along the corridor. “An elegant tower form is proposed, combined with a characterful two storey frontage... articulating it as two related buildings, providing consistency with the rhythm and grain of Parramatta Road,” the report notes.</p>

<p>The residential component is split across two slender towers set back from the street edge, a design move aimed at preserving solar access and reducing perceived bulk. This massing strategy also seeks to improve residential amenity by focusing scale toward the quieter northern interface, away from Parramatta Road’s noise and pollution.</p>

<p><img alt="Ceerose" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="347f2f8f-5d36-4388-b40a-2e77380b9c19" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-04%20at%2010.31.02%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=xvyUE2ujT1lzivXTo.mHBJFF4SmfgLtz" /></p>

<p>Architecture AND has worked with Ceerose on previous Inner West projects, and cites a deep familiarity with the local character. Their design draws heavily on context, heritage, and sunlight access considerations, and engages with the Inner West Council’s “Our Fairer Future” strategic planning framework.</p>

<p>The site spans 2,712 sqm and is located near key intersections with Catherine Street, Hay Street, and Redmond Street. It adjoins a public carpark to the north and is within walking distance of Stanmore and Petersham stations. It is also flagged in state and local planning strategies, including the Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy, as a suitable candidate for increased density.</p>

<p>Ceerose recently completed The Alex Collective on McEvoy Street in Alexandria, Abbie's Lane in Annandale, and the award-winning Munro House in Elizabeth Bay.</p>

<p>The Parramatta Road corridor is coming to life with the proposed rezoning which is serviced by a significant number of bus, light rail and train routes.</p>

<p>Deicorp is progressing with its $1.8 billion <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kings-bay-village-five-dock-53-75-queens-road-five-dock-nsw-2046">Kings Bay Village</a> precinct on Parramatta Road in Five Dock, as is <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/toga-to-push-on-with-five-dock-mixed-use-masterplan">TOGA further down the street</a>. Those two projects alone will bring nearly 2,000 new homes to Parramatta Road.</p>


Joel Robinson

First look: Ceerose plots mixed-use Leichhardt development on Parramatta Road

<p>North Sydney's landmark 'SBS Building' on Alfred Street is set to be demolished to make way for a new mixed-use residential tower in the booming North Sydney.</p>

<p>Commercial property group FiveX is behind the plans for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/275-alfred-street-north-north-sydney-nsw-2060">39-storey tower</a>, the latest project to advance under the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority pathway.</p>

<p>They are proposing 184 apartments above retail spaces, which will replace the existing 20-storey commercial building. FiveX was set up more than five decades ago by Joshua and Marko Berger. It is currently led by Joshua's son Lesli.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Fivex plans 39-storey residential tower at 275 Alfred Street, North Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2efa0980-53fa-4cca-9f9e-9c3c845d4746" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29%20%281%29_0.png?VersionId=y_YyPMq3NQLfYRs84pP4os9UgWiMLp75" /></p>

<p>According to the Architectural Design Report by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fjc-studio">FJC Studio</a>, the slender tower form has been deliberately designed to respect the site's transitional setting at the southern gateway to the North Sydney CBD, where high-rise towers give way to lower-scale residential precincts.</p>

<p>"The slender tower form and articulated podium establish a respectful relationship with nearby heritage and low rise buildings, including the Whaling Road Heritage Conservation Area,” the architecture firm noted, adding that the tower “completes a missing link in the urban fabric” while enhancing the Alfred Street streetscape.</p>

<p>The proposed building will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with 15 percent of the gross residential floor area allocated as affordable housing. There is an agreement already in place that those apartments will be managed by Evolve Housing.</p>

<p>The project aligns with broader state housing objectives, including the National Housing Accord target of delivering 1.2 million new homes by 2029. The Scoping Report filed with the State Significant Development Application (SSDA) suggests the site "presents no impediments to rapid delivery,” with construction able to commence within 12 months of receiving consent.</p>

<p>North Sydney has been one of the most popular suburbs in Sydney for new and off the plan apartment development, but hasn't had the supply to keep up with demand, until recently.</p>

<p>AURA by Aqualand was, for a long time, the only off the plan apartment building on the market. That completed last year, and has sold the majority of its 386 luxury apartments. Recently ALAND launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-walden-173-179-walker-street-north-sydney-nsw-2060">The Walden</a> on the same street, selling over $100 million within just a few hours of its launch, while developer CASA also launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-mclaren-north-sydney-45-mclaren-street-north-sydney-nsw-2060">The McLaren</a>&nbsp;in the same precinct.</p>


First look: Fivex plans 39-storey residential tower in booming North Sydney

<p>Kokoda Property Group has announced the Sydney-based Versatile Construction as the builder for its landmark $1.5 billion <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a> precinct.</p>

<p>Construction of the 17,612 sqm site is scheduled to commence in December 2025 and is expected to be delivered in stages from 2028. Once complete, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a> will comprise 212 residences across four architecturally distinct buildings, alongside Brisbane’s first Kimpton Hotel, extensive retail, hospitality, and wellness amenities.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=139896 project_image_fid=295098]</p>

<p>Kokoda Property Group Founder and Managing Director, Mark Stevens, said appointing Versatile Construction marks a significant milestone for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a>.</p>

<p>“Partnering with Versatile Construction gives us confidence in delivering a precinct that sets a new benchmark for luxury living, curated experiences and vibrant riverfront activation," Stevens said.</p>

<p>"Together, we will bring the vision for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a> to life, creating a destination that residents and visitors will enjoy for generations."</p>

<p>Throughout the construction phase, more than 2,000 jobs will be created, supporting hundreds of local contractors and suppliers.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=139896 project_image_fid=352274]</p>

<p>Marco Fahd, Chairman &amp; CEO at Versatile Group, said the company is looking forward to&nbsp;expanding their footprint in the state, taking on their inaugural project in Brisbane.</p>

<p>"We are proud of the unwavering commitment our team of experts have to quality and certainty in delivery and are excited to work with Kokoda to bring their vision for this unique project to life," Fahd says.</p>

<p>Sales reached $285 million on the launch of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a>, with sales momentum continuing to "exceed all expectations."</p>

<p>Stevens says the overwhelming response from buyers validated the group’s vision for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a>.</p>

<p>“The demand for a luxury product in this enclave has been extraordinary, we’ve never seen anything like it before. It reinforces everything we’re doing around quality, design, and creating genuine lifestyle precincts. Buyers are recognising the enduring value of Brisbane’s riverfront and are responding to the opportunity to live within a world-class destination that celebrates both place and lifestyle.”</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=139896]</p>


Kokoda appoints builder for $1.5 billion Teneriffe Banks waterfront precinct

<p data-end="246" data-start="85">Castle Hill’s booming development market is set for another boost, with builder-developer Buildex proposing a new mid-rise apartment building near Castle Towers.</p>

<p data-end="467" data-start="248">Buildex has submitted plans to The Hills Shire Council for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/197-old-northern-road-castle-hill-nsw-2154">nine-storey building comprising 57 apartments</a> on Old Northern Road. The company acquired two adjoining sites earlier this year, totalling more than 2,683 sqm.</p>

<p data-end="597" data-start="469">Texco Design has prepared the scheme, which includes five one-bed plus study apartments, 37 two-bedrooms, and 15 three-bedrooms.</p>

<p data-end="836" data-start="599">Castle Hill has become a hotspot for developers in recent years, undergoing significant transformation driven by the opening of the Hills Showground Precinct to development and the introduction of two metro stations servicing the suburb.</p>

<p data-end="1053" data-start="838">Developers including Deicorp and Kassis Homes have already completed projects, and are progressing future developments, while Meriton, Arada, and Ellipse are currently delivering new projects in the rapidly evolving area.</p>


First look: Buildex plans 57 apartments near Castle Towers

Westconnex

<html><body>
<p>Work on the new M4 tunnels from Homebush to Haberfield is almost complete with the project set to open in around four months.</p>
<p>The project is expected to taking around 10,000 trucks off Parramatta Road every day.</p>
<p>Premier Gladys Berejikilian and Minister for Roads Andrew Constance toured the nearly-completed M4 tunnels today, part of a seven kilometre section of WestConnex.</p>
<p>Berejikilian said the new M4 tunnels, themselves 5.5km long, would allow drivers from Western Sydney to bypass a significant section of stop-start traffic on Parramatta Road, and instead connect directly onto the City West Link.</p>
<p>“Within two years, around 67,000 trips are expected in the M4 tunnels every day, and this is still just the first stage of WestConnex,” Berejiklian said.</p>
<p>“Today we’ve seen first-hand that the tunnelling and road pavement for the long promised project has been completed. We are on the home straight for the new M4 tunnels, with fit-out of the tunnels now underway.”</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2019/4/11/Stage%201.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>Constance thanked the communities of the Inner West for their patience while the work was undertaken.</p>
<p>“We appreciate the delivery of city-shaping infrastructure takes time, and it isn’t easy on those who live nearby. I look forward to the new M4 tunnels opening soon and taking thousands of vehicles off local roads,” Constance said.</p>
<p>Berejiklian said WestConnex will link Sydney’s west and southwest with the city,airport and port precinct in more than 30 kilometres of continuous motorway.</p>
<p>Upon completion, WestConnex will provide a bypass of up to 52 sets of traffic lights.</p>
<p>“Once all of WestConnex is complete in 2023, drivers will be able to get from Penrith to the Anzac Bridge without having to stop at a single traffic light and travel times from Parramatta to Sydney Airport will fall by up to 40 minutes. Traffic volumes on sections of Parramatta Road will also be reduced by more than 50 per cent,” Berejiklian said.</p>
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

New M4 tunnels one step closer to completion 

<html><body>
<div class="cq-article-content-paras section">
<p>The ASX-listed residential developer Desane has won its court battle against the NSW government's proposed low value compulsory acquisition of its development site in Rozelle for the construction of the WestConnex motorway.</p>
<div class="cq-article-content-paras section">
<p>Justice Hammerschlag ruled the government's notice to acquire Desane's development site at 68-72 Lilyfield Road in Rozelle had no statutory effect.</p>
<p>"<span>Compulsory acquisition of private property is no light matter. </span></p>
<p><span>"Complying with the requirements of s 15 is not a matter of difficulty, and it is not too much to ask of an authority of State given power to interfere with such rights," the judge ruled.</span></p>
<p>Desane will keep the land to progress the residential development of its $100 million 200-apartment project, its chairman Professor John Sheehan advised.</p>
</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-paras section">
<p data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen-7770372_137="26656" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time-7770372_137="4000" data-gtm-vis-has-fired-7770372_137="1">"I refer to Darryl Kerrigan in the movie The Castle," Professor Sheehan said after the court judgement.</p>
<p data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen-7770372_137="26656" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time-7770372_137="4000" data-gtm-vis-has-fired-7770372_137="1">"The court basically threw out the case."</p>
<div class="cq-article-content-paras section">
<p>"They were being mean and tricky and trying to steal the property from us. They conveniently overlooked the LEP [Local Environmental Plan]."</p>
<p>Click here <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2018/5/1/west-connex.jpg" target="_blank">to enlarge.</a></p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/5/1/west-connex.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>"The bigger picture is that is is simply due to cost overruns, and the government is looking at value capture," he added.</p>
<p>They will acquire some sites on the fringe and get a development application... to offset the cost overrun," he said.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">"It begs the question why some of these properties on the edge of infrastructure projects are being acquired," he told The Australian Financial Review adding that evidence revealed that the site was merely being considered for a car park.</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"> </div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">“From day one, Desane questioned the true purpose of RMS’ proposed acquisition of our Rozelle property”, Professor Sheehan officially advised shareholders his ASX notification.</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">
<div class="page" title="Page 1">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<p><span>“We are pleased that Justice Hammerschlag has found that the PAN issued by RMS was of no effect.”</span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-paras section">
<p data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen-7770372_137="15628" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time-7770372_137="4000" data-gtm-vis-has-fired-7770372_137="1">"If a land owner compulsorily to be dispossessed is entitled to know precisely what the land is needed for a public purpose, that entitlement must stem from elsewhere," Justice Hammerschlag said in his judgment.</p>
<p>"If there is no such entitlement, the land owner might never learn why his land is to be taken, an outcome which would be dissonant with the right in point of justice [articulated by Dixon CJ]."</p>
</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">"I conclude that the proposed acquisition notice of no statutory effect for failure to state the public purpose for which the property is to be acquired."</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"> </div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">Late last year the Supreme Court of New South Wales ordered a mediation with the NSW government and various government agencies related to their proposed compulsory acquisition of the developer’s site in Sydney’s Rozelle.</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><span> </span></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">The NSW state government and the Roads &amp; Maritime Services were ordered by the NSW Supreme Court to disclose documents justifying the compulsory acquisition.
</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"> </div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">Desane Properties Pty Ltd was represented in the proceedings by the Honourable Ron Merkel QC, David Pritchard, SC, and Stewart Levitt of Levitt Robinson Solicitors.</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"> </div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><span>RMS had throughout known that Desane wished to negotiate a solution which obviated the necessity for the permanent taking of the whole of the property.</span></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><span> </span></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><span><span>His honour noted what appeared to be the most developed plan at the time of the PAN shows only a use of a sliver of the property for a utilities corridor. </span></span></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><span><span> </span></span></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><span><span>"An easement would no doubt have sufficed to achieve this requirement absent the parkland commitment," Justice Hammerschlag ruled. </span></span></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><span><span> </span></span></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><span><span>"The same can be said of any works deep beneath the property.</span></span></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><span><span> </span></span></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><span><span>"In my view, it is improbable that RMS would have sought to acquire the entirety of the property (which it currently values at over $20 million) where only a sliver of it would be used, but for its open space and green parkland purpose."</span></span></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><span><span> </span></span></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">
<span><span><span>His Honour noted "i</span></span></span>n contrast to its somewhat amorphous purpose for acquiring the property to be used as a construction site, from at least 21 July 2016 RMS has had the unqualified and fixed purpose to acquire the Property to provide 10 hectares of open space and green parkland as publicly committed to by the Government</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">.</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">"The PAN was given to effectuate that purpose.</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"> </div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">"That purpose is ulterior to the purpose for which the PAN could properly have been given," he ruled.</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"> </div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section">"<span>It will be an abuse of RMS’ powers if the ulterior purpose is a substantial purpose in the sense that no attempt would have been made to acquire the land if it had not been desired to achieve the unauthorised purpose."</span>
</div>
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Desane's Darryl Kerrigan wins case against low value Westconnex compulsory acquisition by NSW Government

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<p>Citizen engagement is, or should be, central to city planning. When it comes to planning and implementing transport infrastructure the focus tends to be on how to engage the public, when to engage, and what form this should take. But we should be asking another, more important question: how can citizen engagement make infrastructure planning more democratic?</p>
<p>In many cases proposed transport infrastructure and the conflicts and debates it provokes are actually about much more than the project proposal. If the project is a new light rail system, for instance, the questions are: Who and what will it serve? What will it look like? And what impacts (positive and negative) will it have on the city over time?</p>
<p>Any efforts then to reduce citizen participation, to stifle the question “What kind of city do we want to be?”, will meet with resistance.</p>
<p>Recent <a href="https://government.unimelb.edu.au/news-and-events/news/university-of-melbourne-launches-next-generation-engagement-project" target="_blank">academic</a> and <a href="http://infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/policy-publications/publications/future-cities.aspx" target="_blank">government</a> projects and reports on citizen participation and infrastructure planning have called on our governments to do three things:</p>
<ol>
<li>consult and engage citizens early in infrastructure planning</li>
<li>improve quality and access of citizen engagement at the strategic planning stages</li>
<li>use more sophisticated strategic planning tools and practices to improve decision-making.</li>
</ol>
<p>However, a key challenge, as echoed in <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/ITC/DevelopmentofCities/Submissions" target="_blank">submissions</a> to a current parliamentary <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/ITC/DevelopmentofCities" target="_blank">inquiry into city development</a>, is the disconnect between <a href="http://www.afr.com/business/cities-need-data-not-more-stakeholder-consultation-sap-20180226-h0wnvm" target="_blank">citizen participation and decision-making</a>. To overcome this disconnect, early consultation and new participation platforms are critical. Yet these alone cannot resolve this problem.</p>
<h2>How does democracy come into this?</h2>
<p>Engaging citizens in a meaningful way in infrastructure planning is good and necessary for many reasons. That we live in a country that purports to be a democracy is central to that argument. But there are other reasons too. These include the potential to make decisions that better respond to citizens’ needs and desires.</p>
<p>Another reason that often goes unstated is that infrastructure is a public thing. Whether it is ultimately publicly or privately owned, operated and controlled, there is a relationship between infrastructure and democracy that ultimately makes infrastructure planning and implementation a contested process. Savvy consultation does not alter this fact.</p>
<p>As the political scientist Bonnie Honig recently <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=k0JdDgAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA5&amp;dq=interpellate+us+into+democratic+citizenship&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj71aTu8-rZAhVKe7wKHdRyCoYQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&amp;q=interpellate%20us%20into%20democratic%20citizenship&amp;f=false" target="_blank">argued</a> in her book, Public Things: Democracy in disrepair:</p>
<p>Public things [such as infrastructure] are part of the ‘holding environment’ of democratic citizenship; they furnish the world of democratic life … They also constitute us, complement us, limit us, and interpellate us into democratic citizenship.</p>
<p>Since 2013 I have researched citizen participation in infrastructure planning. The focus has been on multi-billion-dollar, transformational urban transport infrastructure proposals in Australian and Canadian cities.</p>
<p>My primary focus has been on projects such as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/east-west-link-shows-miserable-failure-of-planning-process-40232" target="_blank">East-West Link</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/transurbans-west-gate-tollway-is-a-road-into-uncharted-territory-89164" target="_blank">West Gate Tunnel</a> in Melbourne, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/westconnex-audit-offers-another-17b-lesson-in-how-not-to-fund-infrastructure-73206" target="_blank">Westconnex</a> in Sydney (working with <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/glen-searle-103536" target="_blank">Glen Searle</a>). But my interest is not in contested tollway projects alone. I also examined the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/transit-referendum-voters-say-no-to-new-metro-vancouver-tax-transit-improvements-1.3134857" target="_blank">2015 Vancouver plebiscite on transit funding</a>, and the rollout of two light rail projects in the Greater <a href="http://www.metrolinx.com/en/greaterregion/projects/hurontario-lrt.aspx" target="_blank">Toronto</a> and <a href="http://www.metrolinx.com/en/greaterregion/projects/hamilton-lrt.aspx" target="_blank">Hamilton</a> Area (GTHA) in Canada.</p>
<p>Research of this kind into cross-city, cross-country and cross-modal (road and public transport) transit systems produces insights into the relationship between citizen participation and infrastructure planning. It makes visible both party-political and socio-political struggles for the present and future city, which infrastructure – be that a major road or a light rail system – often represents.</p>
<p>Transport infrastructure awakens controversy because these projects embody the debates that frame who we are as a group of people living in a city.</p>
<h2>A process of sidelining the citizens</h2>
<p>The question of what kind of city we want to be is often left to strategic planning. However, this question needs to remain at the forefront of decision-making in project planning too.</p>
<p>Take the cancellation of the East-West Link project. You would be excused for assuming that this cancellation, following the election of the current Victorian government in 2014, was a rejection of inner-city toll roads and a “roads must be built to tackle congestion” paradigm.</p>
<p>But weeks later the government announced the now A$6.7 billion West Gate Tunnel project. This announcement was met with similar concerns to those raised against the East-West Link. These centred on the very undemocratic processes that produced these projects in the first place.</p>
<p>Another key concern was about the efficacy of building tollways when other valued alternatives such as public transport are not only available but also desired. Indeed, these are set out as ambitions for the future city in a succession of metropolitan plans.</p>
<p>In the weeks and months after the West Gate Tunnel announcement, a community liaison group and then a public process of evaluating the environmental effects were organised. This did result in some design modifications. However, this was a process about how best to manage out conflict and limit engagement to questions about design.</p>
<p>This is common practice for transport infrastructure planning across Australia. It it is not what can be reasonably called “best practice” in citizen engagement.</p>
<p>The lack of transparency and carefully controlled consultation remove the publicness of infrastructure.</p>
<h2>Market-led planning and its impacts</h2>
<p>The West Gate Tunnel is a case study in both market-led planning and how these processes can be an assault on democratic, participatory planning. These proposals and other public-private partnership schemes continue to be devised, as seen recently with a proposed “<a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/future-melbourne/tech-giants-push-for-piece-of-30bn-super-city-in-east-werribee/news-story/51e77278242514b23567bf6b9e00050c" target="_blank">super city</a>” in East Werribee.</p>
<p>It’s clear more needs to be said about the links between citizen participation and infrastructure planning in this context. To design better citizen consultation is to better understand what galvanises citizen interest and protest.</p>
<p>It is more than just the project. It is what the project represents. In many cases, it is a departure from a clearly stated vision for the city.</p>
<p>Our ability as citizens to assert what is in the public interest – throughout the infrastructure planning process – can be further severed when unsolicited proposals become commonplace.</p>
<h2>A way forward</h2>
<p>A recent alliance between the Coalition and the Greens in the upper house <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/tools-down-at-west-gate-tunnel-after-liberals-greens-halt-6-7b-dud-20180307-p4z3am" target="_blank">revoked the West Gate Tunnel planning amendment</a>. It’s a reminder that any planning process that undermines inclusive citizen participation and ignores the publicness of infrastructure planning will meet with resistance. Westconnex, the East-West Link, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/roe-8-34736" target="_blank">Roe8</a> in Perth, and now the West Gate Tunnel are all examples of this.</p>
<p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92840/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">Infrastructure cannot be divorced from the city and its citizens. But as long as citizen engagement is limited, infrastructure will be a hotly contested area of decision-making.</p>
<p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/crystal-legacy-18412" target="_blank">Crystal Legacy</a>, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">University of Melbourne</a></em></span></p>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/sidelining-citizens-when-deciding-on-transport-projects-is-asking-for-trouble-92840" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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Citizens should be included when deciding on transport projects

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<p>Long-time owners of two sites in Sydney's Rozelle are preparing to fight the NSW government's compulsory acquisition of their land for the WestConnex motorway project.</p>
<p>The two sites at 92-94 Lilyfield Road and 80-84 Lilyfield Road are next to ASX-listed developer Desane's landholding at 68-72 Lilyfield Road which is currently contesting their resumption in the Supreme Court.</p>
<p>The pending battles concern timber and hardware company Swadlings and the crane business Gillespies.</p>
<p>The combined Swadlings and Gillespies sites of nearly 6500 square metres can yield about 200 apartments.</p>
<p>The companies took their fight to <a href="https://twitter.com/Ross_Greenwood?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Ross Greenwood at Channel 9 News</a>.</p>
<p>Like Desane, both groups had sought a masterplan residential rezoning of the land with the NSW Department of Planning which was abandoned when the Roads and Maritime Services ordered the compulsory acquisition last September.</p>
<p>The RMS wanted the land for "a staging area for trucks and equipment", they said. They had a potential buyer who was prepared to pay $24 million for the sites and provide a timely relocation. The government offered them less than $3 million and the companies would have to fork out their own relocation costs.</p>
<p>"The Planning Department was attempting to adopt a well thought out masterplan approach but RMS came over the top and usurped this approach with its resumption of land," a Swadlings spokesman told Fairfax Media. </p>
<p>"There was also a delay in the rezoning application process ahead of the compulsory acquisition of the property.</p>
<p>"If Swadlings cannot get a fair and reasonable outcome in the current discussions it will be forced to pursue every possible legal avenue."</p>
<p>Swadlings is a 100-year-old family business, said it was "watching closely the outcome of the Desane court case".</p>
<p>The RMS said both the sites were required for M4-M5 Link Rozelle Interchange.</p>
<p>"These properties were compulsorily acquired last September with the Valuer General determining the compensation in line with the Land Acquisitions (Just Terms Compensation) Act," a spokesman said.</p>
<p>"The M4-M5 Link Environmental Impact Statement shows the land as required for a temporary construction and tunnelling site, and at the project's completion will be returned to the community as part of up to 10 hectares of open green space."</p>
<p>The NSW government had taken steps to compulsorily acquire the inner city residential land owned by ASX-listed developer Desane for the WestConnex motorway project, even though it had no firm plans to use it for the project, a NSW court has heard.</p>
<p>Desane has fought the compulsory acquisition of its landholding at 68-72 Lilyfield Road in Rozelle – an area earmarked for residential development and mixed use urban renewal – since August.</p>
<p>After mediations with the government fell through to consider a lease of the land or alternatives, Desane started proceedings at the Supreme Court of NSW last Monday.</p>
<p>During a cross-examination, former Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) project director Daniel Powrie, who was involved in the third stage of the project, told the court motorway plans showed Desane's site "was not impacted", that is, not required for tunnelling.</p>
<p>The government had earlier said the site would be used as a "car park" for staff.</p>
<p>Desane's site could yield a $100 million 200-apartment project.</p>
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Rozelle site owners battle WestConnex compulsory acquisitions

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<p>Desane Properties Pty Limited, an entity of ASX-listed Desane Group Holdings Limited, has announced that the Supreme Court of New South Wales had ordered a mediation with the NSW government and various government agencies related to their proposed compulsory acquisition of the developer’s site in Sydney’s Rozelle.</p>
<p>The court had in September asked the state government and Roads and Maritime Services to disclose documents justifying the compulsory acquisition of Desane’s residential development site for the WestConnex project.</p>
<p>The 5,275 sqm property is located at 68‐72 Lilyfield Road.</p>
<p>Justice Hammerschlag of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, ordered that the parties be referred to mediation on December 20 before The Honourable Michael Hudson McHugh AC QC.</p>
<p>Desane chairman, Professor John Sheehan, welcomed the court order and expressed hopes for an agreement with the New South Wales government, Roads and Maritime Services and Sydney Motorway Corporation Pty Limited.</p>
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