It’s Daisy’s home away from home. But it could soon be knocked down for mass housing

On a quiet street in Sydney’s inner west, tucked in between warehouses, is an unassuming building where sounds of squeaking shoes on matte red floors and the echoing of balls ricocheting off bats fill the air.

For years, the RTTC Table Tennis Academy in Rhodes has been Sydney’s hotspot for nurturing world-class table tennis players, training more than 300 students each week.

But that could all end after the state government’s three-person Housing Delivery Authority recommended the fast-tracking of a proposal to build 2020 homes on the site.

A Herald analysis of some of the largest HDA projects reveals a considerable gap in amenity – some of the proposed homes will be just a stone’s throw away from shops, train stations, schools, and hospitals, while some residents will live up to 17 kilometres away from train stations and even further from schools, shops, or emergency departments.

The HDA’s recommendations bypass local councils, which accelerates development approval times for major residential developments above $60 million in metropolitan areas and $30 million in regional NSW. Since February, more than 91,100 potential homes have been declared state significant under the HDA pathway.

Rhodes

If it goes ahead, the development will mean the table tennis academy on Averill Street will have to shut its doors so the building can be demolished to make way for 2020 apartments, resulting in a loss of public amenity in an already densely populated suburb.

It has become a second home for 15-year-old Daisy Xie, who for the past five years has attended at least four times a week.

Xie said closure of the centre that was a perfect in-between meeting point for her and her playing partner would upend their training.

“It’s already difficult to find a training partner that suits you. Besides, this venue is so good – if we have to move elsewhere it will disrupt training and make things a lot more inconvenient,” she said.

“The centre has flat, even grounds, so the ball won’t roll around. It’s also well lit and has air conditioning. It will be difficult to find a location just as suitable.”

Club manager Jecie Yao said it signed a 10-year lease with the landlord in 2023. But the uncertain future of the centre means it could be asked at any point to close up and relocate, which would present countless logistical nightmares.

“We hope it’s not happening, but I know eventually it will happen. It’s pretty tough when a business has to relocate. We’ll have to do the marketing and start from scratch,” Yao said.

Rhodes has no schools, and the proposed development is a 12-minute walk to Rhodes station.

Marsden Park

In between a permanently shuttered laboratory and an expanse of overgrown fields, is a package of empty land in Marsden Park that could have 800 homes.

The proposed greenfield development at 264A South Street is 4.3 kilometres from Schofields train station, 2.2km from the nearest grocery store, and 2.3km and 3.9km from the catchment primary school and high school respectively. The closest hospital with an emergency department is 6.7km away, in Mount Druitt.

Richmond Road is also the only major road in – or out – of Marsden Park, meaning the already congested corridor could buckle under pressure from more residents moving in.

Located 50km north-west of the CBD, Marsden Park is a relatively new suburb known for its sprawling small-lot, dark-roofed large houses that have become synonymous with homogenous new-build homes on Sydney’s periphery.

The population has boomed in these greenfield suburbs. Marsden Park and its neighbouring suburb Shanes Park added nearly 18,000 people between 2019 and 2023, bringing its total population to 23,778.

Experts have previously flagged issues with these fringe suburbs, such as rising heat, poor transport links, minimal recreational space, and the absence of essential amenities. The government has extended bus services in the area.

Appin

The largest development recommended by the HDA comprises 2499 homes in Appin, 71km south-west of Sydney on the road between Wollongong and Campbelltown.

While Appin sits within the Greater Macarthur growth area, and is a key plank in the state’s plan to build 377,000 homes by 2029, amenities and infrastructure are few and far between for its 3500 residents.

The closest hospital in Campbelltown is more than an 18-kilometre drive away, and Douglas Park, the nearest train station is almost 17 kilometres from the proposed site.

While there is a long-term vision for nearly 16,000 new homes in Appin, a cap of 2499 homes has been put in place, and will only increase when wastewater and infrastructure such as roads and sewage systems are delivered first by Transport for NSW and Sydney Water.

Draft plans from the developer include three new local centres with shops and services, new transport corridors and road upgrades, three new school sites, and sites for emergency service facilities.

Wollondilly Shire Mayor Matt Gould stressed the importance of infrastructure keeping in lockstep, and not lagging development, and urged the government to release a full list of the infrastructure requirements.

“Housing can only go ahead where there is the necessary infrastructure in place to support it,” Gould said.

“[Council] is willing to play our part in addressing the housing crisis in growth areas, but critically, these homes need essential infrastructure including water, wastewater, roads, public and active transport, stormwater, parks, playing fields and community facilities.”

Planning Minister Paul Scully said the government would continue to invest in new infrastructure.

“One of the key criteria of a HDA proposal is being close to existing transport and services. A proposal that progresses to development will be required to pay local and state infrastructure contributions, to support future homes,” he said.

North Sydney

Located a five-minute walk from North Sydney station and Victoria Cross metro station are two run-of-the-mill office buildings on Walker Street which could become the site for 520 homes.

Freecity, which is building the 47-storey tall apartment block, said it planned to dedicate floors to a four-star hotel and retail spaces.

The mixed-use development is a stone’s throw away from North Sydney Public School and Cammeraygal High School. However, the school is already over capacity 10 years after opening and is redirecting new students to Mosman High School.

The government has not specified how many enrolment applications from students in the catchment were declined in 2025, answers published to questions on notice show.

In addition to the 520 proposed homes on Walker Street, the neighbouring suburb of Crows Nest has been earmarked for 3255 apartments under the government’s transport-oriented development program.

Vaucluse

Seven freestanding houses in Sydney’s eastern suburb of Vaucluse could be knocked down to build multiple buildings from six to nine storeys high.

The proposal, if approved, will turn the strip alongside Old South Head Road into 110 homes for seniors, with 20 per cent of the units set aside for affordable housing.

Sydney Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital are 6.1km and 7km away respectively, while the closest train station – Bondi Junction – is 4.7km from the site.

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