Bayside Council will ask for an extension of the moratorium on the introduction of the State Government’s Low Rise Medium Density Housing Code.
The code will allow one and two-storey dual occupancies, manor houses (blocks of four flats) and terraces to be carried out under a fast-track complying development approval by private certifiers without council input.
Bayside was granted a 12-month moratorium in June 2018 so it could review and fully understand the potential impacts of the code.
Under the code, a development application would not be required in certain zones where medium density types meet the development standards of the code.
If the code is introduced Bayside Council’s specific controls for set-backs, height and landscaping would not apply to developments subject to the code.
But these DAs are required to comply with state-wide design criteria outlined in the code.
These developments can be assessed and approved by either council or private certifiers.
The council is seeking an extended moratorium from the State Government until the Bayside Local Environmental Plan and Bayside Development Control Plan are approved by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, expected by the end of 2020.
A number of other councils including Georges River, Sutherland Shire, Ryde, Canterbury Bankstown, Lane Cove and Northern Beaches have also been granted a 12-month deferral and may also be asking for more time.
Bayside Council staff are still investigating potential impacts of the code.
The main concerns include the amount of Floor Space Ratio allocated to dual occupancies which is significantly in excess of that permitted by the council’s controls.
This raises concerns with regard to impact on neighbouring properties.
There are also concerns that new two-storey developments allowed under the code will not be consistent with the neighbourhood character particularly in relation to bulk and landscaping.
A council report said that the building allowed under the Low Rise Medium Density Housing Code will fit into some neighbourhoods.
But in other areas, the potential two-storey forms generated by the Low Rise Medium Density Housing Code will be inconsistent with the predominant and desired character of the neighbourhood.
“The council is reviewing a number of such neighbourhoods so that the controls within the new, consolidated Bayside LEP and DCP are appropriate to place and community expectations,” the council report stated.
