A developers’ lobby group is pressuring the state government and councils to “unlock” 6390 potential new homes in St George.
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Urban Taskforce Australia said, throughout Sydney, the number of such home sites “locked up by red tape and inaction” totalled 50,000.
The group said releasing these sites for development was the most important in its 10 point plan to address the housing affordability crisis.
“The most important action is to unlock the 50,000 potential new homes caught up in Sydney’s slow and complex planning system,” chief executive Chris Johnson said.
”We asked our developer members if they had new homes held up in the planning system and we were amazed that, over a few days, we received a list of around 50,000 new homes that were being frustrated by council or state government requirements.”
Cooks Cove at Arncliffe was rated the second biggest of Sydney’s “locked up” home sites, behind Wilton West in the south-west.
The reason for Cooks Cove not proceeding, according to a map legend, was: “Delay with government agencies”.
Other sites in St George that were listed with limited explanations were:
- 270 [homes] Kogarah: Roads and Maritime Services are not responding to Department of Planning & Environment.
- 120 [homes] Carlton: Roads and Maritime Services are not responding to Department of Planning & Environment.
- 1000 [homes] Kingsgrove: Council are not willing to rezone land from employment uses to residential and the Greater Sydney Commission is encouraging this policy stance.
No sites in Sutherland Shire were lisrted.
The group’s 10 point action plan also included drawing up a complying building code for six storey apartments, to allow quick approvals.
“The NSW Government has recently introduced a complying code for two storey town houses and terrace houses under the title of 'Missing Middle',” a brochure said.
”While the new code is a good advance it is unlikely to lead to feasible developments where it replaces two storey houses with terraces.
“Its main use will be in greenfield areas.
“There is however a need to promote a six to eight storey apartment typology that reflects the urban form of Barcelona or Paris.
“Buildings of this height will be economically feasible, will be under the tree canopy and will fit under the extensive fire requirements required for buildings under 25 metres.”
The group said the other major use of this building typology would be to replace the 1960s three-storey walk-up flats now that strata laws had been changed to allow 75 per cent of owners to agree on renewal.
It said such areas should be rezoned for an uplift that supported the six storey complying code.