A local council has slammed Sydney Water, accusing it of holding up the supply of new housing.
Wollondilly Shire Council wants the NSW Government to urgently address a substantial shortfall in planned sewer capacity in the Wilton Growth Area, which means that delivery of 12,000 already rezoned lots could grind to a halt.
Council’s response comes in the wake of Sydney Water’s recent advice that long promised upgrades to the Bingara Gorge sewage treatment plant will delay construction of the homes.
Council says it will write to the managing director of Sydney Water expressing its disappointment in the situation and asking that Sydney Water uphold its previous commitments and accelerate the urgently required infrastructure for Wilton.
Council will also write to the Premier and the Minister for Water requesting their urgent intervention to direct Sydney Water to upgrade the Bingara Gorge treatment plant as previously promised, preferably by mid-2025.
“I am extremely frustrated that Sydney Water has backflipped on previous advice and has now confirmed that thousands of houses in Wilton, much needed to support the NSW Government’s push to address the housing crisis, will be delayed by years,’’ says Wollondilly Mayor Matt Gould.
“Instead of accelerating the Bingara Gorge treatment plant upgrades, which we understand were originally planned for completion this financial year, we are now being told that the upgrades will won’t even commence until next year.
“We are calling on Sydney Water to uphold its previous commitments to upgrade the treatment plant, preferably by mid 2025, to address the current shortfall.
“Unfortunately, our new residents currently have to rely on an interim solution of having their sewerage trucked out of the area, with an upgrade to the Bingara Gorge water recycling plant not expected to be complete until at least 2027 to service another 4000 homes,’’ Mayor Gould said.
