New changes proposed by the City of Sydney Council to planning and development rules aim to boost much-needed housing supply while improving sustainability and design excellence.

The proposed amendments to the Sydney Local Environment Plan 2012 respond to the changing needs of the City and will help effectively deliver additional space for jobs and housing, says Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“The proposed changes to our local planning controls balance the need for additional housing and the workplaces of the future while protecting and enhancing the City's character, public spaces and sustainability,” the Lord Mayor says.

“Exciting changes include new incentives for build-to-rent housing in the CBD, embedded Net Zero building controls, the promotion of increased tree canopy and green roofs, and streamlined processes for design excellence and major development applications.”

Additionally, the Council is also supporting housing diversity and addressing the loss of smaller and more affordable dwellings as a result of redevelopment.

The proposed changes would provide developers between 20% and 75% more floor space for build-to-rent development for both conversions and new builds, depending on the site location.

“We’ve seen build-to-rent work well overseas to help address the housing crisis, with these types of developments providing stable and secure accommodation for renters,” the Lord Mayor says.

“In addition to increasing rental stock in Central Sydney, this type of accommodation has high occupation rates. That is great for inner-city vibrancy and avoids situations where international investors leave newly built flats empty for capital gain.”

Developers will also be able to access 20% more floor space for co-living accommodation, which will help meet the housing needs of students and low-income workers.

“We know that students are one of the groups that have been hit hardest by the rental crisis in Sydney, with lack of appropriate accommodation and affordability both major issues,” the Lord Mayor says.

“By offering these additional floor space incentives we hope landowners and developers will create more co-living accommodation in areas like Haymarket area, which has proved popular with students in Sydney.”

Family-friendly accommodation is another focus area in the proposed changes – the proposals reduce the number of two-bedroom apartments permitted in a residential development while raising the minimum number of units with three-bedrooms or more.

“The proposed changes would see a minimum of 20% of dwellings in new residential developments made up of three-bedroom plus apartments to help provide more suitable accommodation for families, ideally located on the ground-floor or near to the building’s communal open space,” the Lord Mayor says.

The changes also encourage more sustainable buildings, with height incentives for buildings that include green roofs.

The draft changes will now be presented to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment for a gateway determination. 

Image: Wentworth Towers | Image Credit: Katherine Griffiths/ City of Sydney