Billbergia Ups its Affordable Housing Pipeline

Sydney developer Billbergia has lodged plans for its Blaxland Road project and is doubling down on affordable housing—and the uplift it provides.

The developer is tapping into the NSW Government’s reforms to take advantage of the 30 per cent uplift in floorspace ratios (FSR) where 15 per cent of the total floor area is affordable housing. 

The projects are some of the first to undergo rapid assessment through the State Significant Developments (SSD) pathway, aimed at increasing housing supply. 

In addition to the 2800 homes in the pipeline at Rhodes, Wentworth Point, Arncliffe and Lane Cove, the builder-developer is aiming to create a further 3000 homes for about 7000 people by 2029, worth more than $4 billion. 

To date six of its eight projects are being assessed under the NSW Government’s housing reforms, including the recently approved Blaxland Road project. 

In total they will deliver affordable housing for more than 1000 essential workers and lower income families.

Billbergia anticipates construction commencements on sites in 2024/25 with all projects currently under rapid assessment. 

▲ Billbergia’s Wilston Street project at Chatswood comprises 313 dwellings, 69 of which are affordable, within a 36-storey mixed-use residential building.

Plans for the developer’s 48-storey tower at 9-13 Blaxland Road, Rhodes, have just been lodged for 313 apartments, of which 61 will be affordable. 

Billbergia is also undertaking one of the state’s largest social and affordable housing developments at Arncliffe Central with 75 per cent of the 804 apartments across four buildings earmarked for social and affordable accommodation. 

Billbergia development director Rick Graf said that although the NSW Government had been focused on the development of transport-oriented developments, the challenges around fragmented ownership around the identified areas would take some time to be ironed out. 

“Rhodes, which is not an identified TOD precinct, is probably the most successful TOD, and it’s still delivering,” Graf said. 

“Announcing the precincts is not the end of it.

“They need to provide some co-ordination for masterplanning of precincts so it’s not 10 developers doing 10 different things.”

Graf said the NSW Government needed to release more land in order to encourage greater development of social and affordable housing. 

“Mobilising government land is the fastest way to get feasibilities working and projects going,” he said.

He said projects such as Arncliffe Central were impossible without the support of government land and strong partnerships with community housing providers. 

Graf said Billbergia would look to do this kind of project again, should the opportunity arise.