The Property Council has today welcomed the government's announcement that it will expand the Transport Oriented Development (TOD) Program to provide more homes in more locations.
"At this point, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the housing supply and affordability crisis is the single greatest issue impacting people in NSW," Property Council NSW Executive Director Katie Stevenson said.
"That's why we are pleased to see the government's collaboration with councils on the TOD Program is delivering positive results.
"The addition of six new stations to the list of Tier Two sites is a particularly welcome move and opens up new opportunities to house more families across the state. But more needs to be done to capitalise on the full potential of this landmark planning reform.
"If we are going to be able to combat the housing crisis in any meaningful way, we need to expand the scope and ambition of the TOD Program."
Ms Stevenson said the NSW Government should expand the Tier Two site area to 800m and increase building heights to a minimum of 12 storeys to deliver more homes close to transport and jobs.
"The misalignment between the policy's building height and floor space ratio controls means that in many locations, development will not be commercially viable or simply deliver poor amenity outcomes, which is the opposite of its intention," Ms Stevenson said.
"We're pleased that more sites have been announced today, particularly in key regional locations, but there is still a major spatial gap in the TOD Program across Greater Sydney.
"To give industry the certainty and confidence it needs to invest, we're calling on the government to announce a timetable so that industry and the community know when to expect future tranches of TOD sites to be announced.
"It's also vital that sites selected in future tranches of this program are more equitably distributed, so that more homes are provided right across Sydney and the regions in line with the Premier's original vision.
"This is not just a task for state government. We are also calling on all local councils to come forward with a list of sites that can accommodate more homes in the most appropriate locations in their communities."
The property industry is fully committed to working constructively with government so we can realise the full potential of these landmark reforms, which will be critical to removing us from the depths of this housing crisis.
