When I stepped back from Council, I did so with clarity and optimism — not just about where our cities were headed, but about the role planning could play in shaping our future. For over two decades, I’ve worked at the intersection of planning, politics, and community, as a mayor, consultant, and researcher. I’ve seen the power of good planning to create liveable, inclusive, future-ready places. I’ve also seen how easily it can be derailed by short-term thinking — and how costly that can be for clients, communities, and councils alike. Greiss Planning exists to bring clarity, rigour, and steady leadership to the approvals process, so good projects can move forward with confidence.
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This article summarises NSW Government reforms announced on 28 November to accelerate housing near transport hubs and town centres, including allowing low-rise apartments in R2 zones and mid-rise apartments in R3 and suitable employment zones within an 800m walk of stations and amenities. It frames the reforms as a push for more compact, walkable communities built around public transport. The piece then shifts to Mayor George Greiss’ response in his final Mayoral Minute for 2023 — supportive of housing initiatives in principle, but critical of a blanket approach that, in his view, risks ignoring local conditions and community concerns.
Greiss’ central argument is that planning reform must be paired with real transport capability. He points to rail capacity constraints (including crowded peak services) and highlights gaps in local access to stations, noting that a significant share of residents live beyond convenient walking distance of regular public transport. He also raises concerns about the lack of committed rail connections linking Campbelltown to Western Sydney International Airport, warning that residents may be expected to absorb density without receiving the public transport improvements that make higher density genuinely liveable. Overall, the article positions Greiss as advocating for coordinated planning — housing supply alongside infrastructure delivery — rather than policy changes that outpace system capacity.
Read more → Housing near railway stations sounds like a good idea, but…