Residents are pushing back against rezoning Council land on 3 Johnson Road Galston.
Owned by Hornsby Shire Council and currently zoned as RU4 Primary Production Small Lots ‘operational land’, the plot 1 Johnson Road is a council storage facility and where the Galston Rural Fire Brigade is located. 3 Johnson Road is mostly unused, surrounded by vegetation and host to a high voltage power supply that cuts through the site. The site is beside the Galston Sewage Pumping Station owned and operated by Sydney Water. The site is neighboured by low density residential dwellings and rurally zoned residential lots.
In 2022, Council began investigations to find if any development opportunities for industrial use could be applied to the site. After receiving a feasibility analysis, Council resolved to prepare a planning proposal and informed the local community. The Planning Proposal illustrates changing the zoning classification to E4 General Industrial which could see warehousing, manufacturing, logistics, and other industrial activities.
Residents have been vocally against the possible rezoning. A petition to protect the site was submitted to Council with 832 signatures. Locals are disgruntled as though 832 individuals signed the petition; it counted as only one submission against the rezoning.
The community have been using the site as a recreational park – exercising, picnicking, dog walking, and gathering. Locals have held meetings against the rezoning.
On the 31st of March, over 50 residents came together with the Galston Area Residents Association (GARA). Hornsby Shire Councillor Nathan Tilbury was in attendance, and representatives of Berowra candidate Tina Brown.
‘I’ve seen and heard the community’s concerns and I’ve taken the position to stop industrial units coming forward,’ said Cr Tilbury, addressing the gathered locals. ‘I’m your representative on council and I’ll be providing information and advice as this process evolves.’
Later, the community attended Hornsby Shire Council’s General Meeting on the 9th of April and voiced their angered concerns.
‘This proposal is not just flawed. It is fundamentally broken. But worse — this version is even more diabolical than the original plan that was quietly being pushed before the last council election… You didn’t just ignore community feedback. You actively escalated the proposal,’ said George Nadwie, President of GARA, before addressing the mayor directly. ‘Mayor Waddell, you are the original proponent of this rezoning we know you have been the driving force behind this from day one. You’ve tried to dress it up as “growth” or “futureproofing,” but the truth is this: you are backing a development agenda that serves private interests, not public good… And right now, trust in this Council is hanging by a thread.’