Sydney inner-west residents call for high-density rethink to protect endangered parrot
Posted Mon 7 Sep 2026 at 6:04amMon 7 Sep 2026 at 6:04amMon 7 Sep 2026 at 6:04am
In short:
Residents in Sydney’s inner west are pushing back on a proposal to rezone some residential land neighbouring bird habitat to high density, arguing it will impact endangered swift parrots.
The rezoning proposal encompasses land around the future Burwood North Metro Station that could add capacity for about 18,000 homes.
What’s next?
The proposal is being assessed and is due to be finalised this year.
Inner-west Sydney residents and NSW opposition MPs are calling for the high-density rezoning of residential land neighbouring endangered bird habitat to be scrapped.
A block of low-density housing in Concord next to Queen Elizabeth Park will be rezoned to become as high as eight to 12 storey apartments under a proposal for the area near the Burwood North Sydney Metro Station.
The swift parrot, which is considered an endangered species in NSW and critically endangered by the Commonwealth, has been recorded at the park according to a biodiversity vegetation assessment commissioned by the state’s Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
Concord resident Malcom Foldvary, who has worked in construction as a carpenter, said the birds would be driven out by the noise pollution from excavation and scaffolding needed to put up tall apartment buildings.
“It would require in excess of a 36-tonne jackhammer, jackhammering out white sandstone [and] black shale,” Mr Foldvary said.
“The scaffolding in itself is extremely noisy and penetrating that would definitely upset the birdlife and the bird signals.“
Mr Foldvary also said stormwater run-off would contaminate the park’s 5 hectares of endangered Sydney turpentine ironbark forest as the residential block was uphill from the park.
The same report by the NSW Department of Planning recommended avoiding impacting the forest from shading by tall structures.
Mr Foldvary cited a federal government national recovery plan for the swift parrot which called for indirect impacts on habitats such as noise and light pollution to be minimised.
He said rather than rezone the area north of the park’s boundary at Gipps Street, housing should scale up in the areas closer to the under construction Metro station at Parramatta Road.
“There’s no need for them to encroach onto the park for the sole purposes of meeting the 800-metre distance from the Sydney Metro,” Mr Foldvary said, referencing the government’s Transit Oriented Development approach where residential areas with 800m of some train and Metro stations are rezoned for higher housing density.
The government’s proposal for rezoning around the Burwood North station includes adding capacity for about 18,000 homes including 5-10 per cent for affordable housing and building heights between eight and 42 storeys.
The final rezoning proposal is expected to be finalised this year, according to the government’s website.
Shadow Environment Minister Jacqui Munro said more housing could be found closer to the Metro station instead of the park.
“It’s a very simply fix, just this small area doesn’t need to be rezoned to see eight to 12 stories of apartments,” Ms Munro said.
“We know that these birds are incredibly sensitive to their environment.
“Without stopping this rezoning, we will see not just a decline in the swift parrot population, but the end of the swift parrot in the Inner West.”
The Liberal NSW Member for Drummoyne Stephanie Di Pasqua said protecting the one block would not stop more housing density in the area.
“Thirty-thousand new homes are being planned just in our LGA of Canada Bay Council alone,” Ms Di Pasqua said.
“What we’re saying is just remove one block, we can build homes and we can protect this very critically endangered parrot at the same time.”
NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully said impacts to the bird habitat was being considered as part of the assessment of the proposal.
“We’re aware of concerns about bird habitat within the precinct and are carefully considering this, along with all community and stakeholder feedback,” Mr Scully said.
“We’re progressing a rezoning proposal for Burwood North which could [facilitate] more than 18,000 homes in one of Sydney’s most vibrant precincts.”
The Burwood North Metro Station is part of the Sydney Metro West project which is due for completion in 2032.