The Urban Planning Crisis in Western Sydney: How Half-Width Streets Became a Planning Disaster

A planning loophole in Western Sydney is creating chaos for residents and confusion among policymakers. Due to fragmented urban development rules, new housing projects are being surrounded by half-width streets, forcing residents to squeeze through tight spaces. Sydney’s expanding suburbs have long been the target of property developers eager to capitalise on the housing boom. Under current state planning laws, developers have the option to build certain public infrastructure—such as roads—as part of their required “developer contributions.” This “works-in-kind” model allows them to construct roads around their developments. However, the law does not account for what happens if a neighbouring landowner refuses to sell their property or delay their own development. The result? One-sided roads.

This bizarre urban landscape has unfolded in places like Ayla Street in Tallawong, where hundreds of residents in four six-storey apartment buildings are forced to share a single-lane road for two-way traffic. With no plans to expand the street any time soon, residents find themselves caught in a logistical nightmare. Blacktown City Council insists that it is simply following state government-designed precinct plans, where roads are planned along rural property boundaries. According to them, the problem occurs when one side of a road is developed, but the other remains untouched. They cannot force landowners to sell or develop their properties. Residents are left to navigate this maze of narrow streets, sometimes reversing down an entire block just to let oncoming traffic pass. The situation also raises serious public safety concerns, particularly for emergency services. With Western Sydney expected to undergo rapid expansion, urgent reform is needed to prevent more communities from being trapped in similar planning disasters. Nathan Hagarty, Member for Leppington, has called for tighter controls on how developers construct public roads, ensuring that residents are not left stranded with unfinished infrastructure.

What is clear is that without reform, more Sydney suburbs will find themselves squeezed into single-lane roads—an absurd legacy of poor planning. For property owners and buyers, understanding these laws is critical before investing in new developments.