Accidentally Released Document Reveals Plan to Rezone Land Around Sydney’s Stations, Build 45,000 Homes

Sydney’s central station. Supplied by Atlassian

The New South Wales (NSW) government has accidentally released a massive housing plan to build thousands of multi-story buildings and homes in its most populous state over the next four years.

It was published by the Department of Planning on its website on Dec. 5 but pulled down shortly after.

The plan would rezone land around eight heavy rail stations rezoned as part of one of its key policies of the centre-left NSW government to improve density around transport hubs and deal with the crippling housing shortage.

The highly-anticipated scheme, called the Transport Oriented Development Program, is set to be announced later in the week.

According to the details in the draft, the first phase of the changes will be rezoning land around eight railway and Metro stations in Sydney suburbs, including Bankstown, the Bays, Bella Vista, Crows Nest, Homebush, Hornsby, Kellyville, and Macquarie Park.

The government said it would plan and rezone these areas by November 2024 and “build up to 45,000 new and affordable homes, within walking distance (1200 metres) of these key stations,” according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The second part of the plan involves the development of more multi-storey housing, within 400 metres around 30 stations across the state.

This includes stations in Gordon, Lindfield, Killara, and Roseville, in the north; Banksia, Kogarah, Rockdale and Turrella in the south; Ashfield, Canterbury, Croydon, Dulwich Hill and Marrickville in the inner west; and Berala, Lidcombe, St Marys and Wiley Park in the west.

Regional New South Wales areas that will be subjected to changes include Adamstown, Booragul, Corrimal, Dapto, Gosford, Hamilton, Kotara, Morisset, the Newcastle interchange, North Wollongong, Teralba, Tuggerah, and Wyong.

“We need to work together to address the housing crisis,” the document reads.

“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.”

A woman walks in front of Sydney Metro billboard in Sydney, Australia on May 1, 2018. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

The plan has also revealed Labor’s plan to continue developing the Sydney Metro West, a rapid 24-kilometre transit underground rail project currently under construction.

The Metro West line will run from Westmead to a new station on Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD and comprise nine stations. It is expected to open in 2030, running through Parramatta and Sydney Olympic Park.

Calls For Higher Density Around Stations

Business groups, universities, and essential worker unions have been calling on the government to rezone areas around stations as Sydney grapples with a housing crisis that is estimated to cost the city’s economy over A$10 billion (US$6.55 billion).

On Nov. 28, the Committee for Sydney, the city’s peak advocacy and urban policy think tank, released new modelling showing that rezoning the precincts around key Metro stations to increase density by three to four times would pay for the delivery of 15-20 percent affordable housing.

Eamon Waterford, CEO of the Committee for Sydney, said that it means “up to one in every five homes can be set aside for essential workers.”

“We have a shared responsibility to help deliver housing so people can afford to live in Sydney,” he said in a press release.

High-rise apartments are seen in the inner city suburb of Surry Hills in Sydney, Austral on May 8, 2021. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Mr. Waterford noted that a typical hospitality worker “would have to spend 79 percent of their income to rent a typical apartment in Burwood.”

“It’s clear we need to increase the amount of affordable housing in our city if key workers are going to be able to keep living here.”

“While this will mean significantly higher density in these locations, where this is done well it means creating incredible places where people from all walks of life have access everything they need.”

The sentiment was echoed by David Borger, Executive Director of Business Western Sydney.

Mr. Borger said the NSW government must be ambitious with its affordable housing targets “if essential workers are going to have any hope of putting a roof over their heads anywhere near the jobs we need them to do to keep our city running.”

“We’ve only got one shot to get the housing right around transport interchanges when we change the zoning,” he added.

Government’s Housing Policy

In late November, the Labor government announced it would force councils to allow the construction of terraces, townhouses, and two-storey apartment blocks in “high value” suburbs near transportation and social amenities.

The move is expected to create capacity for 112,000 homes out of the required 377,000 across Greater Sydney, Hunter, Central Coast, and Illawarra by 2029.

Planning Minister Paul Scully said Sydney is among the world’s least dense cities, yet fewer than half of the councils permit low- and mid-rise residential buildings in areas suitable for such homes.

He said allowing the townhouses, apartments, and terraces in areas with shops, high streets, and parks is “density done well.”

Under the federal government’s National Housing Accord, which was agreed upon by the states, territories and the Commonwealth, one million new, well-located homes are set to be built in the country over five years from 2024.

Isabella Rayner contributed to this report.