The NSW Government has introduced reforms that aim to address housing shortages by creating opportunities for the development of new low-rise and mid-rise housing. The proposed changes aim to fill a perceived gap between detached homes and high-rise apartment buildings.
WEPA members, and other Willoughby community members, have an opportunity to comment on these proposed changes by making a submission to a Legislative Council Inquiry into the Development of the Transport Oriented Development Program. Submissions can be made via the NSW Parliament’s website.
The changes proposed by the government are looking to increase the supply of low-rise housing, such as terraces and dual occupancies, and mid-rise housing of up to six storeys, in areas that are located close to transport hubs and town centres. The government anticipates that these reforms will contribute to greater housing diversity and affordability.
The key elements of the proposal are to:
- allow many more dual occupancies (two separate homes on a single lot), such as duplexes, in low density residential zones (R2) across all of NSW,
- allow terraces, townhouses and two-storey apartment blocks near train stations and key town centres in low density residential zones across the Greater Sydney region, Hunter, Central Coast and Illawarra Shoalhaven (known as the Six Cities Region of NSW),
- allow mid-rise apartment blocks near train stations and key town centres in medium density residential zones (R3) across these areas, and
- introduce new planning controls, such as floor space and height allowances, that encourage low-rise and mid-rise housing in areas located close to railway stations and town centres.
Further information is available on the Government’s Planning Portal website.
Willoughby City Council officers have prepared information for residents that outline the potential impact of these changes in the Willoughby local government area. This information can be found on Council’s website.
WEPA encourages all members to make a submission to the Legislative Council inquiry via the NSW Parliament’s website. Submissions close on Thursday 28 March.
Some, or all, of the following points can be used in submissions. Your comments will be much more effective if you use your own words when making a submission.
The Government has provided limited information to date on what effect these changes will have on elements such as on traffic congestion, active transport opportunities, stormwater and sewerage infrastructure and the general character of our suburbs.
Impact on local tree cover and wildlife
WEPA is concerned that the NSW Government’s housing reforms are being proposed with little consideration of the impact on local wildlife diversity and habitat and the liveability of our city.
Specifically, WEPA is concerned that the proposed changes may have a significant impact on urban tree cover and on wildlife habitat and corridors in Willoughby. The landscaping requirements and tree retention would be significantly reduced, resulting in a net loss of trees and native vegetation. If not carefully managed, the changes will lead to further native habitat loss and fragmentation of urban bushland.
In 2023 Willoughby Council initiated rolling programs to upgrade recreation facilities and expand the urban tree canopy across Willoughby that are in line with the NSW Government’s own Greener Neighbourhoods program.
The changes proposed by these planning reforms will result in a reduction in tree canopy cover. However, the planning reforms provide no information about what impact they will have on existing urban tree cover initiatives.
Impact on liveability in a warming world
WEPA is also concerned that concentrated housing developments can exacerbate the urban heat island effect. Reduced tree canopy and increased hard surfaces (buildings and roads) absorb and radiate heat, leading to higher temperatures. In a warming climate, this will make Sydney less liveable and discourage the use of active and public transport.
The Government’s Greening our City Program has several initiatives to help reduce urban heat and create a cooler, sustainable and more liveable city. The program aims to increase green cover across Greater Sydney and contribute to lifting urban canopy coverage to 40% by 2036.
Any planning changes that are undertaken should ensure that government actions do not exacerbate the urban heat island problem. The planning changes must incorporate ways to make Sydney more liveable in our warming world.
Impact on access to active and public transport
The increased population density created by the proposed changes must be provided with safe and comfortable ways to get to and from local town centres and public transport hubs. WEPA believes that greater investment in public transport, and the development of a comprehensive network of separated cycle paths, along with lower speed limits on local roads, is essential to ensure that greater housing density will not result in horrendous congestion from a greater use of private cars.
If enacted, the proposed changes will override local government planning controls that have been developed in consultation with residents and could potentially reduce the quality of development outcomes across Willoughby.
Disregard for locally developed planning controls
Willoughby Council’s new planning controls, put into place in June 2023, already provide significant capacity for new housing and growth. This is a more strategic and considered approach to improving housing diversity than the state government’s proposed changes.
Council’s new controls support and encourage strategically located growth, to deliver sufficient and diverse housing for our growing community. However, the NSW Government’s proposed changes do not appear to be very strategic in the location of areas for growth and could potentially result in overdevelopment.
In conclusion, WEPA believe that the proposed planning proposals take a far too narrow perspective on the issues of infill housing in Sydney. The government’s proposal needs to incorporate initiatives that protect our existing natural environment and make our city more liveable and easier to get around, without the increased use of private motor vehicles.