Governments in New South Wales and Victoria have unveiled fresh housing policies aimed at tackling affordability, boosting supply and streamlining approvals in the past week.
Here’s the run down.
New South Wales
Faster Water Approvals
The Housing Approval Reform Action Plan is a joint initiative between the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), Sydney Water, and WaterNSW to streamline approvals and accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure.
Beyond accelerating housing construction, the plan will focus on protecting, enhancing, and restoring waterways and water sources to ensure long-term sustainability.
The plan will streamline the removal of groundwater process on building sites, expand risk-based triaging for all referrals and revise key performance indicators.
Low and Mid-Rise policy
The government also announced a Low and Mid-Rise policy to deliver 112,000 homes over the next five years.
The new reforms change planning controls within 800 metres, or 10-minute walk, around 171 town centres and stations to allow dual-occupancies, terraces, townhouses and residential flat buildings across metropolitan Sydney, the Central Coast, Illawarra-Shoalhaven and Hunter regions.
The NSW Government’s changes will remove the restriction on developing terraces, townhouses and low-rise residential flat buildings on R1 and R2 zoned land, while also removing the restriction on delivering medium rise residential flat buildings on R3 and R4 zoned land in these areas.
Due to the extent of bushfire and flood hazards, the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Wollondilly Local Government Areas, have been excluded from stage 2 of the reforms.
Victoria
Pilot Activity Centre Update
On Sunday, the Victorian Government shared the updated plans for the Government’s first 10 Pilot Activity Centres, which will help deliver 60,000 homes in suburban areas by 2051.
Plans for these Pilot Activity Centres have been updated following two rounds of extensive community consultation, engaging with more than 10,000 people, councils and other key groups – with key changes made.
The 10 Pilot Activity Centres are in Broadmeadows, Camberwell Junction, Chadstone, Epping, Frankston, Moorabbin, Niddrie, North Essendon, Preston (High Street), and Ringwood.
Activity centres still contain a ‘core’ (the busy, commercial precinct where taller buildings are suitable) and a walkable ‘catchment’ in the streets surrounding (where gentler, low-rise development is preferred).
Under the updated plans, catchment areas will be split into two: inner and outer. Inner catchments are closer to the core and will have the same four-storey limit, or up to six storeys on larger blocks. Outer catchments are farther from the core and will have a new three-storey limit, or up to four storeys on larger blocks.
Housing Targets for Local Councils
On Monday, the government announced new targets for local council areas.
The government also said if individual councils don’t try to meet these targets, they’ll lose their planning powers.
The targets are designed to deliver 70 per cent of growth in established areas and 30 per cent of growth in the outer suburbs.
New greenfield housing sub-targets that have been introduced for growth area councils in metro Melbourne – as well as in Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat.
The statewide target projects 25 per cent of homes will be in Regional Victoria by 2051.
The Plan for Victoria, to be released soon, will contain a declaration that government will hold councils accountable with explicit directions to change planning schemes if they are not providing enough housing capacity – and, if required, the government will step in to update planning schemes.
The final council housing targets for every local government area can be found at: engage.vic.gov.au/project/developing-a-new-plan-for-Victoria/page/housing-targets-2051.
Townhouse Code
The government yesterday announced the introduction of a ‘Townhouse Code’, to help facilitate faster approvals and boost housing supply across the state.
The townhouse code sets standards for developments, such as a six metre setbacks at the front, tree canopy requirements and overshadowing requirements.
A planning permit application will have to include all the evidence it meets the code – which is formally called the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code. When an application is submitted, councils will assess if it meets the code.
If the code is met, the application is ‘deemed to comply’. No more assessment is required. It is fast-tracked. Affected neighbours will be notified and can have their say – but there are no third-party appeals at VCAT.