Prominent developer fails again in bid to change Harris Park border

After a years-long campaign to officially change the border between Harris Park and Parramatta, prominent developer Aland has again been rejected by council, losing nine votes to six at a recent meeting.

Aland had campaigned for the change since late 2020 to ensure their new 39-storey, 331-unit tower on Parkes St would be classified as a Parramatta location to 'reduce confusion' in their own words. It's also worth noting that the proposed change would also increase the money Aland and real estate agents could earn for residential spaces, with Parramatta units currently worth approximately 20% more than those in Harris Park.

Aland claimed that the divided region was actually the 'heart' of the Parramatta CBD.

“This boundary is not logically recognised by the community, it’s extremely irregular, it even splits lots – there’s even one property that resides in two suburbs," claimed Think Planners director Adam Byrnes, who spoke on behalf of Aland at an earlier meeting in the hotly-debated process.

Meanwhile council member and former Parramatta Lord Mayor Donna Davis vocally objected to the claims, pointing out that there were a number of similar borders around the City of Parramatta that had never been met with objection or complaint on similar grounds.

There may even be an upswing in the future value and credibility of Harris Park, which was recently recognised internationally as Sydney's 'Little India' during the visit of Indian PM Narendra Modi. Another challenge to any suggested change, Harris Park is already considerably smaller than the 100-hectare minimum of most suburbs, which is likely to impact any decision to redistribute borders.

Aland have offered little comment throughout the process. It is not known if they will continue to campaign for a border change in the immediate future.