community services · Woollahra Municipal Council
70-signature petition challenges Quarry Street towers and seeks Paddington community park
Narelle Ryan’s petition asks Woollahra Council to reconsider proposed high-rise towers, preserve the former Paddington Bowling Club site and consider residents at 200 Goodwin Village.
A petition signed by 70 people has asked Woollahra Council to reconsider proposed high-rise towers on Quarry Street, Paddington, and preserve the former Paddington Bowling Club site as a community park.
Narelle Ryan’s petition, tabled by Mayor Sarah Dixson, also asked Council to consider the outlook of residents at 200 Goodwin Village, who directly overlook the site.
The petition was tabled while Council considered the wider Edgecliff-Woollahra State-led Rezoning Proposal, which covers Edgecliff, Woollahra and the wider eastern suburbs.
Councillors voted 11-0 to recommend that the NSW Government not proceed with the exhibited proposal. Council said its scale and distribution of development uplift had not been shown to be evidence-based, appropriately designed, feasible, infrastructure-led or capable of delivering the claimed housing, infrastructure and public benefits.
Council endorsed an amended submission to the NSW Government and called for a different approach to future planning in Edgecliff and Woollahra. Its requests included staged rezoning rather than a single broad-based increase in development capacity, and confirmation that transport, utility, open-space, social and community infrastructure was funded, programmed and legally committed before rezoning was finalised.
Council also asked the NSW Government to work with councils on realistic housing targets consistent with The Sydney Plan, while allowing local councils to use local knowledge in developing strategic plans. It will seek support from relevant NSW ministers, neighbouring councils and the City of Sydney for a more balanced, evidence-based and coordinated planning outcome.
The petition’s tabling formally records the request for a community park and opposition to the proposed towers. It did not allocate the former bowling club site for open space or approve any development outcome. The next step on the state-led rezoning proposal rests with the NSW Government.
Reference minutes
This report is based on Woollahra Municipal Council’s Extraordinary Council Meeting of 30 September 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- Narelle Ryan’s petition contained 70 signatures.
- It asked Woollahra Council to reconsider proposed high-rise towers on Quarry Street, Paddington.
- It called for the former Paddington Bowling Club site to be preserved as a community park.
- The petition referred to residents at 200 Goodwin Village who directly overlook the site.
- Council voted 11-0 to recommend that the NSW Government not proceed with the exhibited Edgecliff-Woollahra State-led Rezoning Proposal.
- Council’s amended submission called for staged rezoning and confirmed infrastructure commitments before any rezoning is finalised.
Why it matters
- The petition puts a specific Paddington open-space request and concerns about the outlook of residents at 200 Goodwin Village before Council, but does not itself secure a community park or stop development.