Sydney’s most liveable suburbs – and where residents are least happy

Western Sydney residents rate their suburbs as worse places to live than people in other parts of Sydney.

A survey of more than 30,000 people around Australia,including 10,766 in NSW,found western Sydney had a liveability score of 64 out of 100,compared to the national average of 68.

In contrast,Lane Cove scored 76 and the City of Sydney was given a liveability score of 74 by its residents.

Marian Peters with her children,Emilio,12,Estelle,10,and Martina,8,in Colyton in western Sydney,an area in dire need of more green spaces.

Marian Peters with her children,Emilio,12,Estelle,10,and Martina,8,in Colyton in western Sydney,an area in dire need of more green spaces.Janie Barrett

Western Sydney scored lowest when it came to things to do in the evening,evidence of recent public investment in roads and schools,local education and employment opportunities and the quality of local and state government services.

The 2021 Australian Liveability Census,conducted between March and June this year by Place Score,found Lane Cove Council was given the highest score (76) by its residents for its sustainable urban design,but it was marked down for ease of driving and parking.

Access to neighbourhood amenities such as cafes and shops gave the City of Sydney the second highest rating (74),but residents gave the inner-city the lowest score for housing affordability.

The Sutherland Shire was given an overall score of 71 by residents who scored “God’s Own Country” highest for a sense of neighbourhood safety,and lowest for the diversity of people in the area.

Overall,Adelaide’s residents were happiest with their city (76) followed by Sydney and Hobart (74),while Canberra and Darwin residents both gave the lowest score of 68 to their capital cities.

Place Score chief executive Kylie Legge said the survey found a strong preference for neighbourhoods to be more walkable and less dominated by cars. People wanted more green space and safer,well-maintained public spaces.

“Ease of driving and parking is neither highly valued by the community,when compared to all the other things we need to make liveable neighbourhoods,nor is it a priority,” Ms Legge said.

The survey found men and women had different approaches to improving safety:“Men tended to request more surveillance while the solutions proposed by women had a stronger focus on making the space feel safer,especially with adequate lighting along footpaths that link housing and local centres.”

Ms Legge said the high scores for Lane Cove and the City of Sydney showed that “density linked to high amenity makes great neighbourhoods”.

The survey also found the COVID-19 crisis led people to place more value on nature and access to neighbourhood amenities,but less importance to ease of driving and parking.

Marian Peters grew up in Colyton in western Sydney,but she struggles to name its best features.

“We don’t have trees in the street,” she said. “It’s stale – just cars and tar. There’s nothing refreshing.”

Ms Peters said the suburb near Mount Druitt has few trees or walking paths and cycleways.

During the COVID-19 lockdown,her family was stuck indoors because there was “nothing to do outside”.

“If we want to go for a walk,we need to drive half an hour to go to Jamison park or the Nepean River,” she said. “The parks we do have have bark and crap – they’re not nice and clean and nicely kept.”

Ms Peters said a nice walking track and parks that were easily accessible would improve the suburb and foster a sense of community by providing places where residents,who are mainly families with young children,could meet.

Business Western Sydney executive director David Borger said western Sydney residents needed better parks and access to swimming pools.

“Pollies need to face up to climate change effects in western Sydney and start getting real about the need for shade,” he said. “If we don’t have shady parks and pathways,we’ll spend our whole time in front of the air conditioner and that’s a lonely place.”

A Planning Department spokesman said the liveability census showed western Sydney scored low on attributes such as safe access to walking or cycling,night-time activities and quality public space.

Policies such as no dark roofs on new homes and planting hundreds of thousands of trees to increase canopy cover were among the government’s effort to improve liveability.

But Labor’s western Sydney spokesman Greg Warren said the state government’s neglect of western Sydney was reflected in its lower liveability score.

Marian Peters with her children,Emilio,12,Estelle,10,and Martina,8,in Colyton.

Marian Peters with her children,Emilio,12,Estelle,10,and Martina,8,in Colyton.Janie Barrett

Mr Warren,the member for Campbelltown,said new housing estates were approved without adequate services,infrastructure and open space.

“Two tokenistic parks in a new estate that is home to thousands of residents is not quality green space and certainly,not adequate to meet the demands of high population growth in western Sydney,” he said.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes said it was ironic that Labor opposed reforms to infrastructure contributions and setting of a new parklands trust that would improve liveability in western Sydney.

“It’s all very well to criticise but then you’ve got to come up with your own solutions,” he said.

Mr Stokes said the government was on track to meet its tree planting targets as well as creating new parks and linking green spaces throughout western Sydney.

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Andrew Taylor is a Senior Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

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