Urban Taskforce Australia has called for the new Greenfield Housing Code to be extended to mid-rise urban infill projects to assist with greening these neighbourhoods.
Recently announced by NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts, the Greenfield Housing Code aims to fast-track approvals for projects situated in greenfield sites.
Urban Taskforce CEO, Chris Johnson says the speedy 20-day approval process is good news to home buyers seeking two-storey homes on greenfield sites. Given that apartments account for 72 per cent of housing completions in Sydney, Johnson said the housing code should be extended to mid-rise apartment developments in urban infill sites.
A key objective of the Greenfield Housing Code is to green the urban environment with more trees, providing a green canopy that cools the neighbourhood and offers shade and amenity.
With many tree species growing to a height of 30 metres, mid-rise apartment precincts will benefit from a similar greening effort.
Johnson cited the example of the mid-rise apartments at Victoria Park in South Sydney where trees are planted in a drainage swale in the middle of the road to provide a shaded canopy across the street.
Johnson said the NSW Government should establish a mid-rise apartment code with 20-day approvals for complying applications.
The code should apply to apartment blocks below 25 metres in height, and can provide setback and tree canopy requirements.
The Urban Taskforce has produced a publication, Urban Ideas on mid-rise apartments that covers the major requirements for complying developments.
