The deluge was no deterrent for the hundreds of residents who showed up – dressed in raincoats and carrying umbrellas – to protest against a Sydney council’s plan to rezone and build 31,000 new homes in the inner west.

Following an hour-long rally outside the chambers on Monday night, protesters filled Ashfield Civic Centre waving placards and repeatedly interjecting, leading Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne to demand silence so all 80 speakers at the four-hour-long forum could be heard.

Tensions between councillors and the irate crowd reached boiling point at the fiery community meeting over the council’s bespoke plan to boost housing supply and build the homes within 15 years, described by Byrne as the “most important policy” the council will oversee in its term.

Dubbed the Faire

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