I live on Johnson Road in Galston—a quiet, semi-rural residential street lined with single storey homes, gum trees, and associated wildlife.
Hornsby Shire Council is proposing to rezone the land directly opposite our houses—from RU4 Rural to E4 General Industrial—to make way for 28 industrial units. Understandably, I, like many Galston residents, am highly concerned.
This development raises serious issues, ranging from the potential impact on future home resale values, increased traffic and road safety risks, diminished residential amenity, and ecological disruption, amongst other things. Yet, the Council continues to progress the rezoning, despite widespread community opposition.
I met with Mayor Waddell on 2 June 2025. One of my key concerns was the proposed vehicle access to the Industrial Park being via our quiet residential street after Transport for NSW (TfNSW) declined a Council request to allow access from Mid Dural Road, a major state-owned road. During our conversation, Mayor Waddell assured me that access from Mid Dural Road was his “non-negotiable” and confidently predicted TfNSW would change their stance.
However, a letter dated 2 May 2024 that I obtained under the Government Information (Public Access) Act tells a different story. TfNSW stated they would not approve access from Mid Dural Road under Section 138 of the Roads Act, due to safety concerns. The agency highlighted that Mid Dural Road carries a “high volume of traffic”, which is contrary to Council’s traffic report that says Mid Dural Road has “low traffic volumes”. It also has an 80 km/h speed limit, reducing only to 60 km/h just before Johnson Road. It’s clear TfNSW determined that slowing and/or turning commercial vehicles simply present unacceptable risks.
TfNSW further noted that the site could accommodate up to 35 industrial units, not 28, and that E4 zoning allows for a wide range of uses—including freight hubs, hardware megastores, sawmills, distribution centres, even used car lots. This cannot be changed unless Council imposes restrictions via a Development Control Plan (DCP). No such restrictions were included in Council’s Draft Planning Proposal.
In the letter, TfNSW did suggest that Council consider consolidating driveways with neighbours along Mid Dural Road. However, the adjoining neighbour is a Sydney Water sewage pumping station so it’s unlikely Sydney Water would want unfamiliar trucks accessing their heavily barbed-wire fenced site. The next neighbour along is a storage unit facility guarded by high fencing and a gated entry and likewise would be unlikely to allow strangers to access their site, unless the facility itself was to buy the Johnson Road site.
Clearly, Council’s planning proposal is not a plan for a quiet “light industrial” workshop precinct. In fact, that term doesn’t exist in planning law. Without formal limitations, developers could pursue almost any use permitted under E4 zoning and courts will be obliged to support them.
So, while TfNSW deems access from Mid Dural Road unsafe, an 8-metre-wide driveway is proposed on Johnson Road, without any commitment to additional traffic controls to protect residents. This feels like a reckless compromise, and it leaves those of us who live here highly concerned for the future safety of pedestrians, cyclists, children, pets, and other road users.
