Decision details

Moved by Councillor Ellsmore, seconded by the Chair (the Lord Mayor) –

It is resolved that Council:

(A)       note that the NSW Government has announced its intention to introduce planning changes that will allow developers to build larger and denser buildings than would otherwise be permitted under planning rules, through a fast-tracked approval process that would by-pass local councils, in return for delivering some affordable housing for a temporary period of 15 years; and

(B)       submit the following motion for consideration at the upcoming 2023 Local Government NSW Annual Conference:

Topic: State Planning Policy Changes Affordable Housing in Perpetuity

That Local Government NSW:

(a)          calls on the NSW Government to develop affordable housing policies that prioritise delivering affordable housing in perpetuity, rather than only for a temporary period of 15 years;

(b)          calls on the NSW Government to develop affordable housing policies that deliver housing that is genuinely affordable. That is, policies which are based on delivering housing that a person can afford (no more than 30% of their income), not based on a discount from market rent only; and

(c)          calls on the NSW Government to work with local councils to develop strategies to protect and expand affordable and public housing cooperatively, which build on, rather than override, local planning rules and housing strategies. 

Carried unanimously, as part of an in globo motion.

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