Blacktown's Christmas lights cul-de-sac faces demolition in public housing redevelopment battle

Louise Marchant, 67, and her son Gary, 39, have lived on Indigo Way in Sydney's west for more than three decades, working with neighbours and friends to transform the cul-de-sac into a show-stopping display of lights, snow-capped model towns and rooftop reindeer. Last Christmas was their final show. They now face questions about where they will go, how they will pack up decades of family photos, and what will become of sheds overflowing with Christmas decorations.

Homes NSW, the government agency responsible for delivering and managing public housing, is relocating Indigo Way's tenants as part of plans to demolish 16 freestanding homes and replace them with 134 apartment blocks up to six storeys high.

The redevelopment has put the quiet street at the centre of a housing battle stretching from Waterloo in inner Sydney to Blacktown: how, exactly, should the government increase the public supply of homes?

Homes NSW is pushing in some areas to demolish ageing or lower-density public housing and replace it with modern, more densely packed apartments. But the Greens and other housing advocates argue the government should instead build new homes on vacant, government-owned land, and not demolish existing housing.

"The delivery of these new homes could take up to 10 years," said Greens MP Jenny Leong, the party's housing spokesperson, who said the net effect would be a reduction in public housing numbers before construction finished.

The same debate is playing out at Waterloo, where hundreds of inner-Sydney public homes are slated for demolition to make way for thousands of new units.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Long-term public housing tenants face displacement from established homes and community networks, with practical concerns about where they will live and how they will manage decades of accumulated belongings.
The outcome will help determine whether NSW's public housing stock shrinks during construction periods, a key point of contention between the government and housing advocates.
The Indigo Way plan is a test case for a redevelopment model being applied across Sydney, from Blacktown to Waterloo.

Background

The dispute reflects a long-running tension in NSW housing policy between renewing ageing public housing and expanding overall supply. Government agencies have argued that older, low-density public housing is costly to maintain and that redevelopment can deliver far more homes on the same land. Critics contend that demolishing existing homes before new ones are built leaves tenants worse off and reduces the number of public housing dwellings available in the interim. The Greens' alternative of building on vacant government land seeks to add homes without first removing existing residents.

Key Perspectives

Homes NSW: The agency's approach is to demolish and replace ageing or lower-density homes with modern, denser apartments. On Indigo Way, this would increase the number of dwellings on the site from 16 to 134.

Greens and housing advocates: They argue the government should prioritise vacant, government-owned land for new public housing rather than demolishing existing homes. They warn that redevelopment projects can take up to 10 years to deliver, meaning a net reduction in public housing numbers before construction finishes.

Residents: Tenants such as Louise and Gary Marchant face the upheaval of leaving homes held for more than 30 years, with concerns ranging from finding somewhere to go to preserving family memories and belongings.

What to Watch

The relocation timetable Homes NSW sets for Indigo Way tenants and how it manages the transition.
Whether the government responds to calls to build new public housing on vacant land instead of demolishing existing homes.
Progress of the larger Waterloo redevelopment, which will serve as a precedent for the demolish-and-replace model elsewhere in Sydney.

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