An 89-year-old resident of one Sydney's most exclusive areas has sparked controversy by launching a landmark legal challenge against the construction of high-rise apartment buildings in her suburb.
Judith Pearson, who has lived near Balmoral Beach in Mosman for over three decades, is challenging the NSW Government's sweeping new housing reforms as a private citizen in court.
The state government is trying to encourage the construction of housing in the Harbour City with a policy known as the Low and Mid-Rise Housing SEPP (State Environmental Planning Policy).
The SEPP overrides local council planning controls and removes their ability to assess developments on a case-by-case basis.
Mosman - one of the wealthiest suburbs in Australia, with a median weekly family income of $4,500 - has been given a relatively modest target of constructing 500 new homes by 2029, compared to Ryde's 11,600 and North Sydney's 5,900.
