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Policy Platform
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Policy Platform
Clear the Backlog
It’s time to look at the books and get things moving. Identify and prioritise planning proposals that are already in the system to ensure supply uplift can begin immediately. Some proposals are taking up to a staggering 7 years to get through the system – not good enough. We need to reduce approval timelines significantly and quickly.
Inclusionary Zoning & Affordable Housing
That 1 in 5 homes built as part of the government’s ‘priorities precincts’ are affordable for our healthcare workers, teachers, police officers, child-care workers, retail workers and other essential workers.
This means these significantly up-zoned areas will contribute 20% affordable housing, operated by community housing providers, in perpetuity.
To ensure these homes get built, it must be feasible for Developers to make a fair return. This can only happen if the ambition of the rezonings matches the ambition of significantly increasing affordable housing in our city. Initial feasibility testing shows this is likely to mean increasing the zoning for housing on sites by at least three times.
We should be quickly rolling this model of density done well out across as many train and metro stations as possible across the Greater Sydney network in order to deliver housing abundance. Affordable housing is linked to market rates - to keep it affordable, we must also address the ever-increasing cost of rent in Sydney. We can only achieve this by building enough homes to meet our city’s needs, in places of great accessibility to jobs, open space, public transport and town centres.
Housing by Transport Links
Rezonings need to be prioritised and timelines shortened, particularly where they are around train stations and corridors. A template approach to rezonings around transport nodes, including Sydney Metro and Train Stations along with increased density around Light rail stops will fast-track housing delivery.
Housing supply that is close to where people work across Sydney is key to seeing our city continue to grow and increase its productivity. This is also one of the most carbon friendly things to do for the environment by boosting public transport use.
Technology and Innovation
Technology that can reduce the cost of housing at speed through the modularisation of building components should be pursued. Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) is used widely across the world and in other states of Australia. High quality housing, at scale, with speed.
Amenity and Green Space
We call on government, developers and councils to prioritise well planed quality green space and amenity in and around new developments. Housing Now supports quality development, not merely quantity. These precincts need to foster thriving and cohesive urban communities through thoughtful design.
Beyond their aesthetic appeal, green spaces clean the air and serve as gathering spaces, encouraging social interaction and community and essential for creating a sense of belonging. Good design also helps support biodiversity and mitigates against the urban heat island effect.
Planning System Reform
There is a strong need for systemic reform to the planning system. The system now takes far too long to navigate, it is overly burdensome and creates uncertainty for developers and community alike. All of this flows through as additional cost added to the purchase price of a new home. A developer holding land for seven years waiting for a DA incurs significant holding costs which they must recover.
Artificial intelligence also has a role to play in reducing the processing times for development applications, especially for the less complex residential developments.
Council Incentives
It’s all very well to point the figure at council for insufficient housing delivery - but it doesn’t get us anywhere. It’s time for the NSW Government to stump up and incentivise councils financially to overdeliver on their housing targets. Additional funds with allow councils to better fund local infrastructure that can be tied to the provision of amenity to support new housing developments – think parks, pools, and community facilities.
Back to the Future with a Design Pattern Book
Many of the world’s greatest cities were designed using design pattern books – including ours. The Federation houses of Haberfield, the terraces of Paddington, and the art deco apartment buildings of Coogee – all pattern book designs. Let’s build design trust in the broader community by commissioning a modern pattern book with a suite of approved designs by recognised architects developed in partnership with local neighbourhoods.
A pattern book will boost infill development and target the missing middle by growing the supply of townhouses, terraces, dual-occupancies, and small residential flat buildings across the R2 and R3 zones.
“It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.
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