Sydney man charged with two break ins

A MAN has been charged with stealing thousands of dollars worth of clothes from a shop and breaking into a home in Sydney's east.

About 4am (AEDT) on March 4, three people smashed the glass doors of a Woollahra store and took thousands of dollars worth of menswear, police say.

Five days later a home in Bellevue Hill was broken into.

Nothing was stolen and no one was injured during the second incident.

Police began investigating the two break ins and have now arrested an 18-year-old Redfern man.

On Friday he was charged with with aggravated break, enter and steal in company, aggravated break and enter with intent to commit serious indictable offence in company and breach of bail.

He was refused bail and is due before Parramatta Bail Court later on Saturday.

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New high-rise blocks for Sydney

Up to 30,000 new units will be built in high-rise apartment blocks across Sydney. Source: AAP

UP to 30,000 new units will be built in areas of Sydney earmarked for high-rise apartment blocks under a NSW government plan.

Under the plan, the blocks of up to 30 storeys will be built near transport hubs in designated "urban activation precincts" to boost high-density housing and employment.

Some of the residential and commercial development will be around new stations on the North West Rail Link, with the state government helping councils with a $50 million infrastructure fund.

Box Hill, Ashfield, Drummoyne and Pennant Hills are among areas earmarked, along with parts of North Ryde, Macquarie Park, Epping, Wentworth Point, Homebush, Mascot, Randwick and the area around Anzac Parade from Maroubra to Phillip Bay.

The government will work with councils on changes in zoning and development controls and infrastructure upgrades in those areas.

Planning Minister Brad Hazzard said communities in the designated areas would be asked for feedback and no final decisions would be made about the precincts until the consultation process was complete.

"There's massive pressure at the moment on homes," he told ABC Radio.

"People line up on Saturday morning to get rental accommodation, to buy houses.

"This is about making sure that Sydney has those houses and preferably right near jobs and where there's major infrastructure."

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Sydney cash van hold-up stuns onlookers

SHOTS have reportedly been fired during an attempted armed robbery at Broadway in inner Sydney.

Police say it appears an attempted robbery took place at Bay Street in Ultimo on Monday morning.

The street has been blocked between Parramatta Road and Francis Street, police said.

No one has been injured in the incident.

No more details are immediately available.

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Fire burning near homes in west Sydney

FIREFIGHTERS are battling a slow-moving grass fire burning close to homes in the city's west.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) on Wednesday afternoon said that crews were fighting the blaze at a reserve near Starleaf Way and Ebony Place, at Macquarie Fields.

A FRNSW spokesman said a grass area of 200 metres by 200 metres was alight, but no properties were being directly threatened.

He said the "slow-moving" fire was "burning slowly" behind some houses.

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