Over 500 residents and friends attended the Save Marrickville rally on 24 February and we thank every one of you. Our work is just beginning and we are grateful for your support. We set off from Marrickville Town Hall and with guidance from Marrickville police, walked up the pavement to the Mirvac office where we delivered a copy of the Save Marrickville's group submission to the rezoning plan. Their shop/office was closed for the day.

Onward to Alex Trevallion Plaza for speeches from Save Marrickville spokeswoman Kelsie Dadd, Federal MP Linda Burney, Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne and Greens Councillor Colin Hesse.

This rally follows on from an earlier Inner West Council meeting of 500 people at Marrickville Town Hall, opposing development plans for Marrickville and the Carrington precinct.

Kelsie's speech:

Thank you for coming today and joining us in the fight to save Marrickville. This is just the start of our fight and I am so glad that you are here to join us.

I would like to acknowledge the Cadigal people, the traditional owners of this land and pay my respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to any indigenous people here today. I would also like to acknowledge the help that we have received from Jo Haylen’s office and the Inner West council. Anthony Albanese sends his apologies. He wanted to join us here today but is currently out of Sydney.

Marrickville is our suburb, it is our home and for many their workplace. It is not a developer’s playground and we will fight the likes of Mirvac to preserve the suburb that we love.

Mirvac is using the character of Marrickville, its heritage, its cultural diversity, its workplaces to sell apartments that will destroy that very character. They aim to turn us into another Wolli Creek, another Mascot, then move on to their next victim.

We will fight this gross overdevelopment, this developer greed, the loss of heritage, the loss of industrial lands, and the inevitable traffic chaos. We say to Mirvac – don’t mess with Marrickville.

Marrickville is being hit from every side and we are being told we need to accommodate far more than our fair share of development. The Berejiklian Liberal government has designated Marrickville as a priority precinct for overdevelopment, it has put together a plan for overdevelopment as part of the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro, and if we don’t stop them, they will allow towers up to 35 storeys along Carrington Rd. The council cannot stop them, as rejecting these proposals sends them straight to NSW Planning, who will do Gladys’ and the developer’s bidding. The best way to stop the destruction of Marrickville, is to vote the State Liberal Government out at the next election.

The current proposal for Carrington Road includes residential towers up to 35 storeys (that is much higher than Wolli Creek), with over 2600 apartments, a shopping complex that will devastate Marrickville and Illawarra Roads, and cause traffic chaos in our narrow residential streets, but no schools, no new useable open space, and no affordable housing. And don’t think that these new developments will provide housing that first home owners can afford. One bedroom apartments are likely to start at $800,000. The proposal will see the destruction of this important industrial area and the products and jobs that it provides.

We have been working with other local groups – Save Dully, Save Belmore, Save our Valley covering the fight for Bardwell Park, Earlwood and Turrella; Sydenham to Bankstown Alliance, Save Sydney Alliance. This is happening all along the new metro line – a train line that will be closed for years.

But remember, our suburb has not yet been rezoned. You do not need to sell your home. When developers come knocking, tell them ‘don’t mess with Marrickville’. Marrickville is not for sale!

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We thank these media organisations for their coverage:

Inner West Courier video from the rally

Inner West Courier article ' Marrickville residents say no to Mirvac’s $1.3 billion residential towers proposal' with quotes from Mirvac, by Matt Taylor and Raylene Bliss

Channel 7 news video and report from the rally

Inner West Times article 'Suburb not for sale'