September 2, 2026 — 7:30pm
An Aboriginal land council has withdrawn a long-running plan to raze bushland for up to 450 homes on Sydney’s northern beaches following years of fierce opposition from residents and firefighters.
Since 2006, the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council has sought to develop the 71-hectare site, known as Lizard Rock, in Belrose. A 2022 plan to rezone the site, known as the Patyegarang proposal, triggered a wave of resistance from the Northern Beaches Council and community groups over “extreme” bushfire risk, threats to native species and infrastructure strain.
The proposal’s fate had been uncertain since 2024, when the Sydney North Planning Panel gave the project conditional approval, contingent on sign-off from the Rural Fire Service which opposed it.
Independent Wakehurst MP Michael Regan said the land council’s decision to withdraw the plan was “a win”, but he would not speculate on whether he expected a revised housing plan to be submitted.
