Lucy Turnbull of the Greater Sydney Commission in Parramatta Park. Credit:James Brickwood Parramatta City Council, under the control of administrator Amanda Chadwick, said the draft plan for the district that includes Parramatta "needs to go further than simply just listing all the current infrastructure projects that the government has committed to – this is not strategic enough and does not address long term chronic issues". Among many comments on the plan, the council said the commission had also failed to provide detail on new school infrastructure, "which needs to be addressed". Parramatta's comments are reflected among submissions trickling into the commission, which is chaired by Ms Turnbull, from other local governments. But the chief executive of the commission, Sarah Hill, suggested the council submissions showed the process undertaken by the organisation was working. Ms Hill said the commission needed to strike a "balance in getting the right level of detail". The balance was between providing a perspective on the future of the city but not imposing details on councils.

Chief executive of the Greater Sydney Commission, Sarah Hill Credit:Daniel Munoz "We are very mindful that the direction should be collaborative," Ms Hill said. She said she was "delighted" with the level of engagement so far with councils. Parramatta is also keen for more ambitious affordable housing policies than those proposed by the commission. In its draft plans, the commission proposed that the value of 5-10 per cent of rezoned land, above existing zoning controls, should be reserved for affordable housing. Some councils, including the Inner West Council under the control of administrator Richard Pearson, have pushed for more ambitious targets. The Inner West wants 15 per cent of new developments slated for affordable housing. Parramatta said: "Unfortunately, specifying a range of 5-10 per cent will only deliver 5 per cent." Parramatta said the target should be increased to 10 per cent of the total floor area of new developments – not just on the rezoned land – and 30 per cent of the total floor area on government-owned land.

The City of Canterbury Bankstown, under the control of administrator Richard Colley, also called for clearer and stronger affordable housing measures. And Mr Colley said the commission's proposal that 13,250 new dwellings should be built in the area within the next five years was "unachievable without upfront infrastructure support from the NSW government". Bayside Council, formed from the merger of Botany and Rockdale and under the control of administrator Greg Wright, made similar comments about the "broad and generic language" used in the draft plans. This language raises "possibility for inappropriate development outcomes by exploiting vague wording," Bayside Council's submission said. Another issue is the way in which the commission appears to be prioritising difference centres in the city. The arching theme of the district plans is that Sydney is a city of three cities – an eastern city, around the existing central business district, a central city around Parramatta, and a western city around the proposed airport at Badgerys Creek.

But some areas fear that characterisation has left them downgraded. Hornsby Council, for instance, is concerned that Hornsby Town Centre is listed only as a "district centre" rather than a "strategic town centre". "Classification as a district centre may restrict renewal strategies and discourage potential investors," Hornsby said in its submission. The City of Canterbury Bankstown is similarly concerned about Bankstown's classification. Ms Hill said the commission was continuing to engage with councils, and had seconded staff from local government to help work on the finalised plans. She said the 5-10 per cent affordable housing mechanism was "designed as a conversation starter ... to facilitate affordable housing without killing housing supply." The commission was now "going out and talking people about have we got the level right," she said.