Sydney's growing pains: land rezoning a potential billion-dollar deal for developers after local council sidelined

Exclusive: questions over why NSW government is fast tracking for possible housing an area with no public transport, inadequate water supplies and among an endangered koala habitatGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA decision by the NSW government to fast-track rezoning for 12,900 houses on Sydney's fringe has raised questions about the potential influence of developers and their lobbyists over the timing of new land releases.Documents obtained by Guardian Australia show an area of land at Appin, in sensitive koala habitat 80km south-west of Sydney, is being rezoned from farmland to allow for a massive new housing estate, despite departmental advice in 2019 that it was not needed for housing supply until 2036. Continue reading...