Media release
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne
Inner West Council's Our Fairer Future plan which will fix the housing supply crisis in our local community, was adopted at tonight's Council meeting.
The plan, which aims to deliver between 20,000 and 30,000 new homes over 15 years, was endorsed by Council after significant amendments. Informed by community consultation, these changes included reducing the scale of increased density in Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Ashfield by approximately 5000 homes.
Council is also proceeding in a partnership with the NSW Government to deliver up to 8,000 additional homes in the Parramatta Road corridor to ensure a fairer distribution of development across the community.
Council also voted to establish a new community infrastructure fund with approximately $500 million to deliver new open spaces, transport links and community facilities over the next 10 years.
The Our Fairer Future plan includes groundbreaking reforms to deliver new social housing including:
- Redeveloping five Council owned carparks to deliver an estimated 350 new social housing dwellings
- Allowing churches and faith-based charities to redevelop their lands for housing conditional upon 30% of all homes being social housing
- Incorporating the City of Sydney's policy of requiring a 3% affordable housing contribution on all private development in the upzoned areas with 20% required for any private planning proposal with additional floor space
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that the Inner West was taking decisive action to make sure the next generation of Inner West citizens have homes to live in.
"Our Fairer Future plan will stop the exodus of young people and essential workers from the Inner West and make sure that in the decades to come our children and grandchildren can have a home in the community they love," Byrne said.
"Importantly, we have listened to our community and have acted to reduce the density of new homes in Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Ashfield, by redistributing some of it to the Parramatta Road corridor.
"This plan also includes unprecedented initiatives to build social housing on Council owned carparks and land owned by churches and faith-based charities, a local government first.
"We are also proposing a compact with the NSW Government to deliver 1,000 new social housing dwellings over 10 years and replicating the City of Sydney's policy for affordable housing contributions from private development.
"Our Fairer Future is a social justice policy to fix the housing crisis in our own backyard.
"Just as importantly, our plan is based on independent expert advice and evidence about what will actually work to deliver new homes.
"We examined carefully proposals for up to 30% affordable housing contributions from private development and the evidence and economic modelling showed this would have required skyscrapers throughout the Inner West in order to be feasible.
"Instead, we have adopted a plan that will provide desperately needed new homes without destroying the heritage and character of our neighbourhoods.
"By concentrating new homes around main streets and transport hubs we have been able to protect heritage conservation zones in a way the NSW Government's rezoning would not have.
"We have delivered a practical plan that will ensure homes for many thousands of young people, renters and essential workers in the future.
"We will immediately commence consultation with the community about how best to invest our new $500 million infrastructure fund to meet the needs of our growing population.
"We call on the NSW Government to gazette our policy and repeal their TOD and other rezonings immediately."
