NSW government’s plan to address housing crisis by rezoning land around train stations accidentally revealed
The New South Wales government will rezone land around eight train stations across Sydney to allow thousands more homes to be built over the next four years, according to details accidentally revealed by the state’s planning department.
The Minns government’s signature housing policy, called the Transport Oriented Development Program, will seek to boost density around the key Metro and heavy rail stations as the state grapples with a chronic housing crisis.
The scheme will also see new planning controls applied to a further 31 stations around Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle.
Guardian Australia understands the policy was due to be released publicly later in the week, but it was accidentally published on the NSW government’s planning department website. It was removed from the website on Tuesday when the department was made aware of the error.
“We need to work together to address the housing crisis,” the plan read.
“We are working on a plan to create connected cities with well-located homes close to transport, jobs and services. This includes greater choice of housing types where people want to live.”
The first phase of the scheme would see the rezoning of land within 1.2kms of the stations at Bankstown, Bays West, Bella Vista, Crows Nest, Homebush, Hornsby, Kellyville and Macquarie Park.
The second tranche would see new planning control applied to precincts within 400m of 31 train stations “which will allow the development of more multi-storey housing”.
A timeline published and subsequently taken down explained that between November 2023 and October 2024, technical studies would be undertaken and a precinct master plan finalised to inform rezoning decisions.
The zones would then be rezoned over the coming year before development applications could be lodged with councils and the department.
The plan predicts development assessments would be conducted in 2025 before construction commenced in January 2026 for people to move in from November 2027 onwards.
The opposition leader, Mark Speakman, said the plan failed to offer “urgent relief” and repeated his calls for the government to ask the federal government to decrease immigration to ease the housing crisis.
“On the government’s own timeline, it will be four years before the first of these dwellings are completed,” he said. “There is an urgent need to address demand now, to take the pressure off rents and the cost of homes for first homebuyers.”
The government has focused on housing since coming to power in March after 12 years in opposition.
It will review the regulation of short-term rentals, including Airbnbs, over the next six months, as revealed in Guardian Australia last week.
Vacant property taxes, levies and annual caps will be considered in the review that the housing minister, Rose Jackson, said would place “every part of our housing market … under the microscope”.
The terms of reference are expected to be finalised before the end of the month, with the review to be completed in the first half of 2024.
The government and the department have been contacted for comment.
