Anti-growth rhetoric unhelpful

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Anti-growth rhetoric unhelpful

Sydney needs more homes to address its dire housing shortage and address population growth and comments portraying the delivery of extra homes along transport corridors as being part of a developer ‘ambush’ strategy are not only unhelpful but at odds with common sense and good community outcomes.

“The public comments today describing the delivery of the new Sydenham to Bankstown metro line as a ‘giant property play’ are wrong, unhelpful and reflect a head in the sand mentality about Sydney’s growth,” Property Council NSW Executive Director Jane Fitzgerald said today.

“It’s about time our political leaders started treating the community like intelligent adults and began engaging in a conversation about what this city needs to deal with the growth we are experiencing rather than taking cheap political shots.

“Sydney is growing whether we like it or not and we need to make sure this growth is sustainable and delivers as many benefits as possible.

“This means not only more homes – at more affordable prices – it also means more schools, hospitals, new roads and transport options, and green spaces.  The property industry and the community agree on this.”

Ms Fitzgerald said the Greater Sydney Commission has found we need 725,000 more homes by 2036. 

“It will be an enormous task to deliver these houses equitably and to ensure that the challenges and the benefits of growth are shared right across the city, not just in communities already shouldering their fair share,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

“That means greater development around transport corridors such as the new Metro lines to provide better access to public transport, easier access to jobs and reduce the impact on the environment.

“It’s about time state politicians stopped using Sydney’s growth as a political football and started focussing on what we want Sydney 2036 to be.”

Sydney is currently about half as densely populated as London and notably less dense than cities like Vancouver and Montreal.

“We need a conversation about new approaches that will address people’s concerns over growth while still meeting the needs of a growing population.  It’s up to our elected officials to do this constructively and with solutions not sound bites in mind.”