New planning report card sounds warning on housing affordability

New planning report card sounds warning on housing affordabilityThe Property Council of Australia today released the 2015 Development Assessment Report Card (3rd Edition), showing NSW is failing to make progress on reforms that will improve housing affordability in the country’s biggest city.Property Council of Australia NSW Executive Director Glenn Byres said the report ranked NSW as 7th was a damning indictment of the state of planning reform in NSW, ranking the state as seventh of eight jurisdictions and citing the abandonment of wholesale reform promised by the long-awaited overhaul of the planning system. “The cost of politics and game playing on planning reform two years ago is now clear,” Mr Byres said.”NSW is the only state to have flatlined on its score and the cost of that it is felt in new housing and commercial projects.”The government has made some good progress at the strategic level, particularly with the integration of freight, transport and broader infrastructure plans.”But we are still way behind in terms of creating a system that is clear and usable for developers trying to deliver housing.”Even with record levels of housing approvals, NSW is on track to have a housing deficit of 190,000 dwellings by 2031. The complexity of the planning system, the ability of local councils to play politics with developments and the excessive time delays added to developments are the biggest problem facing housing in this state.”All members of parliament need to take note of this report, and the views of the people who use the system every day – we need to lift our game.”Without reform that includes a complete overhaul of the State’s planning laws and policies, and meaningful local government reform, housing affordability will worsen, and Sydney will become a city truly in the grip of a housing crisis.”Chief Executive Ken Morrison said the report shows most states and territories are making positive changes but urgently need to step up their planning reform efforts to take pressure off house prices.”Poor planning and antiquated development assessment processes significantly drive up the price of housing and commercial projects.”The only really effective way to make housing more affordable is to build more homes, build them faster and at lower cost.”Our planning processes are the key to all these solutions.”The slow progress provides a leadership opportunity for the Commonwealth to incentivise reform to radically simplify processes, get more housing built and improve affordability.Media contact: Glenn Byres | M 0419 695 435 | E [email protected]