Submission Guide: Bondi Junction Vision and Master Plan
Waverley Council is currently consulting on their Vision for Bondi Junction. This forms the early stages of a masterplanning process that will decide what one of the best locations for new housing in Sydney looks like.
Because it’s early stages, the plan is light on details, and council is just figuring out what the community thinks. We know there will be lots of wealthy NIMBYs saying no to more housing, so we need you to tell them that you want to see more housing. You don’t need to say much- even a couple of lines makes a big difference!
To make a submission, go to: https://haveyoursay.waverley.nsw.gov.au/bondi-junction-vision-and-master-plan
You’ll need to log in to the Waverley Council Have Your Say page to provide a comment, but it’s easy to do.
There will be further consultations on this, with more detailed design, so this is a great opportunity to try and steer that in the right direction.
One thing to note - this doesn’t include the area to the north of Syd Einfeld Dr as it’s in Woollahra LGA.
Comments must be in by: Sunday 23 November 2025
We’ve been through the plan, and here area some key points you should make in your submission:
It’s best if you expand on these and provide your own flavour and context.
Waverley Council should enable as much housing as possible in Bondi Junction. This is an area that already has great access and amenity, but it could be so much better.
The best way to support the delivery of the community’s vision for a more vibrant, walkable community is to increase density within walking distance of Bondi Junction.
A lot of the area within 800 m (walkable for most) and some of the area within 400 m (walkable for nearly everyone) is under restrictive development controls. These should be relaxed to provide the density that Waverley Council needs to deliver its vision.
The vision should be more ambitious about allocating street space away from cars towards placemaking and active & public transport.
Some additional detail
Would you like to know more?
This might help you in providing more colour for your case.
The good
Waverley council should be applauded for wanting to improve the vibrance and desirability of Bondi Junction, both as a place to visit and to live. The vision proposes to do this by emphasising density and walkability.
This aligns with community aspirations for more restaurants and cafes, more walkability safety, and a mix of community facilities along with an improved retail mix. Experience in Sydney, within Australia and overseas shows that providing increased density encourages walkability and vice-versa. So increasing density in the area will support delivering the broader aims of the vision.
Within the mixed use core, there is still scope for additional housing uplift in the mixed use zone. This should be encouraged and Waverley Council should consider how this can be delivered more efficiently.
The bad (and thus opportunities for improvement)
The vision does not propose any changes to the restrictive controls on a number of measures (building height, floor space ratio and heritage conservation area). Most of this area is within 800 m of the station, but some is within 400 m of the station. This represents a significant quantity of potential area.
These restrictions could be lifted to allow for much more housing to be delivered within easy walking distance of the mixed use core and the station. For example, most of the 800 m area is restricted to 12.5 m (4 storeys) or 9.5 m (3 storeys). Development outside the mixed use core can likely be delivered at lower cost, meaning that housing in the area can be kept more affordable.
The vision notes that walkability is desirable, and aims for greener streets and transport options, but aside from some mention of pedestrianising laneways, does not include much vision that reallocates road space away from cars, whether to active transport only, or through the use of limited access (for example, to public transport and local access). Most of the roads in the study area are under local control, so there is plenty of scope for Waverley Council to take action on this front. Aligning space towards active and public transport aligns with the:
Transport Hierarchy in Waverley Council’s People, Movement and Places Strategy (2017); and
NSW Movement and Place Framework and Transport for NSW Road User Space Allocation Policy
The ugly
There is a significant area on the north side of Syd Einfeld Dr that is excluded from the study, in spite of it making up around 33% of the 400 m ring from Bondi Junction Station. This is in Woollahra LGA, and so its exclusion is a function of the council boundaries (in case anyone is wondering why. Nonetheless, Waverley and Woollahra should consider working together on intensifying this area, which would provide ready benefits to both LGAs.
