News
14 October, 2026
Exclusive: Bowral South landowner breaks ranks with Council
Wingecarribee Shire Council's controversial Bowral South housing plans have been thrown into turmoil after at least one landowner broke ranks, taking a rezoning proposal directly to the NSW Government while Council's own master plan remains unfinished.
Wingecarribee Shire Council's controversial Bowral South housing plans have been thrown into turmoil after at least one landowner broke ranks, taking a rezoning proposal directly to the NSW Government while Council's own master plan remains unfinished.
The move comes after years of planning and technical studies, with council expenditure on the project estimated by Member for Wollondilly Judy Hannan in July to have reached at least $750,000.
A rezoning review application for 21 Boardman Road South Bowral was lodged with the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure yesterday (Tuesday, 13 October 2026)
The reason recorded for the review is straightforward: Wingecarribee Shire Council failed to indicate its support within 90 days of receiving the landowner's planning proposal.
The 9.3-hectare property comprises a less controversial part of the Bowral South New Living Area, where Council has been pursuing controversial plans for a major residential development potentially accommodating around 2,200 homes.
Council has maintained that Bowral South should be planned as a single development area, rather than allowing individual landowners to pursue separate rezoning proposals.
But the latest application means at least one property owner is now pursuing an alternative pathway through the State Government.
Council's draft master plan was publicly exhibited in 2024, but further studies into flooding, heritage, infrastructure and environmental constraints have been bogged in delays.
The Southern Wire previously reported that Council documents showed more than $600,000 had been spent progressing the project by April 2026.
In July, Mrs Hannan told a community forum she believed expenditure had reached at least $750,000 and called for greater transparency about the costs.
She also questioned why ratepayers were funding investigations into privately owned land rather than the landowners themselves.
In June 2026, Planning Minister Paul Scully confirmed in a response to parliamentary questions by Mrs Hannan that Council's Bowral South rezoning proposal had not progressed through either the pre-lodgement or planning proposal stages.
Former Mayor Jesse Fitzpatrick defended Council's approach in August, saying coordinated planning was necessary.
“By planning the precinct as a whole, rather than through individual developments over time, Council can support housing and create a connected community with opportunities for families and young people,” he said.
Council has also maintained that its approach is necessary because of fragmented land ownership and the need to coordinate infrastructure, flooding and environmental considerations.
The move comes amid growing calls for any new large-scale residential development to be located closer to the freeway in a 'new town' rather than attaching new developments to existing towns.
In Part 2 of our report, The Southern Wire will provide further information on the proposal.
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