Moved by the Chair (the Lord Mayor), seconded
by Councillor Kok –
It is resolved that:
(A)
Council
endorse the City of Sydney submission on the NSW Government Changes to Create Low
and Mid-Rise, shown at Attachment A to the subject report, recognising the
seriousness of the housing supply crisis and that all elected representatives
at all levels of government must take responsibility for addressing this,
pending the following changes:
(i)
recommend
the NSW Government extend the consultation period for a minimum additional four
weeks to allow enough time for councils and the community to understand the
proposal and provide additional feedback;
(ii)
recommend
the NSW Government use the extended consultation period to undertake meaningful
consultation with local communities to help them understand impacts to specific
areas;
(iii)
clarification
that the Council supports working with the NSW Government to accelerate
planning proposals which would add capacity for the city, where these are
developed and implemented in cooperation with Council; and
(iv)
in
relation to the National Housing Accord, which includes a target for 3,100
affordable homes for NSW (or approximately 1 per cent of the overall housing
target for NSW), note in the submission that the City supports stronger
affordable housing targets being established and implemented, and that the City
has already established greater targets for the Local Government Area;
(B)
Council
agrees in principle that increased residential density around transport hubs is
a vital element to increasing housing supply;
(C)
Council
seeks to engage constructively with the NSW Government on their proposed Create
Low and Mid-Rise rezoning reforms and notes that on 12 February, the Lord Mayor
wrote to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces raising concerns about the
proposed changes and requesting an urgent meeting for City staff to brief him
on impacts to the City;
(D)
Council
notes that these rezoning proposals were only issued for consultation in Late
December 2023 and that they should not be rushed through prior to dwelling
targets having been provided or without proper negotiations between the Council
and the Government;
(E)
Council
seeks urgent clarification from the NSW Government and the Department of
Planning, Housing and Infrastructure regarding the dwelling targets and how the
CLMR will relate to existing heritage protections and heritage conservation
areas in the City of Sydney;
(F)
Council
seeks an urgent commitment from the NSW Government and the Department of
Planning, Housing and Infrastructure that if councils meets the targets
provided, heritage protections and heritage conservation areas will be allowed
to be preserved by the councils, where they determine, and that the CLMR will
not be applied;
(G) authority be delegated to the Chief
Executive Officer to make amendments to the submission prior to lodgement on 23
February 2024 which are consistent with the approved recommendations or to
correct errors;
(H)
Council
note that Councillors can provide comments to the Director City Planning,
Development and Transport by 11 March 2024 for inclusion in an addendum to the
submission to be sent to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and
Infrastructure by 15 March 2023; and
(I)
the
Lord Mayor write to other NSW Government Ministers responsible for relevant
portfolios providing a copy of the submission and highlighting the potential
impacts of the changes, including to:
(i)
the NSW
Minister for the Arts, noting the potential pressure on creative spaces in the
city;
(ii)
the NSW
Minister for Housing, noting the likely reduction in the ability of Council to
levy affordable housing contributions where new height or FSR is being
delivered (‘value uplift capture’), and
(iii)
the NSW
Minister for Heritage and Environment, noting the potential reduction in street
tree plantings and significant impacts on heritage.
Carried unanimously.
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