Developer-Led Model Fast-Tracks Sydney Mixed-Tenure Housing

Homes NSW is reshaping how government and industry work together to deliver housing across Sydney, unveiling a procurement model that gives developers greater flexibility in the delivery of large-scale, mixed-tenure projects.  

Through a Request for Proposals (RFP) now open for redevelopment sites at Hillsdale, Pagewood and Sylvania, Homes NSW is seeking experienced developers to lead the design and construction of more than 880 homes—as a combination of social and market housing.

The model combines direct government funding for social housing, private sector delivery and deferred land payments, to attract capable partners and accelerate housing supply.  

The projects form part of the NSW Government’s $6.6-billion Building Homes for NSW program, which is focused on renewing ageing public housing estates and increasing the number of homes available for people who need them most.  

The opportunity 

The projects are:

• Pagewood. A project (pictured below) with exceptional amenity next to Bonnie Doon golf course and Jellicoe Park, delivering a total of 224 homes in three 7-8 storey buildings. A new seven-storey social building of 84 homes will complement two eight-storey market buildings of 140 homes with unique outlook, just a short walk to Pagewood Centro and Eastgardens shopping centre.  

• Hillsdale. To the east, the Hillsdale opportunity is on Beauchamp Road. The project (pictured below) will deliver 179 homes, all of which are proposed to be well-designed social homes in two 7-8 storey buildings, close to local services and only 2.5 km from Maroubra beach.

• Sylvania. Further south in the Sutherland Shire is the Sylvania project (pictured top) offering the opportunity to deliver a total of 484 homes in seven 6-9 storey buildings centred around new neighbourhood scaled parks and street. A new eight-storey social building will deliver 159 social homes, to be delivered in Stage 1, with 325 market homes in Stage 2 benefiting from views to the Georges River and directly next to the Southgate Shopping Centre.  

Developer-led delivery

Homes NSW will contract directly with developers to finalise design and deliver social and market housing with Homes NSW funding the social housing construction.

Bringing forward social housing delivery ensures that each development can be mobilised quickly, with guaranteed NSW Government funding and no dependency on market conditions or presales to fund social housing.

Land payments from the developer for the market housing part of the land will need to be made only after the new social housing homes are complete.  

Developers will not be required to partner with a community housing provider (CHP) through the procurement. Homes NSW will separately engage a CHP to manage the new social homes once they are completed.     

This approach separates the selection of the developer and the CHP, to ensure that Homes NSW can cut complexity for all parties and drive the best housing outcomes for each project.

▲ Pagewood: Rendering of the view from the Bonnie Doon golf club to the 224-home Pagewood redevelopment. TOP: Rendering of the mixed-tenure community proposed at the 484-home development at Sylvania.
   

Market housing opportunities at well-located sites

While Homes NSW will fund and retain ownership of the social housing component, developers will gain the exclusive rights to develop the remaining land in each project for market housing.   

The projects will benefit from State Significant Development (SSD) approvals for mixed-tenure housing, staged to enable separate delivery of tenure blind social and market housing, on separate lots with separate accesses to ensure operational efficiencies.

The developer can modify the SSD approval to suit its market housing requirements. 

This developer-focused opportunity complements our ongoing partnerships with CHPs, which continue to play a vital role in delivering a significant portion of the social homes committed through partnerships under the Building Homes for NSW program.

▲ Hillsdale: Rendering of the central communal open space and community focal point for the 179-home Hillsdale social housing development.
  

A partnership model built for scale

Homes NSW is clear about what’s important: quality social homes delivered within a defined timeframe under a defined development brief, within an integrated community where the developer controls the timing, quality and type of market housing.

There’s no flip-flopping on positions about tenure mix or other outcomes.  

The developer-led procurement model reflects Homes NSW’s broader strategy to partner more effectively with the private sector to accelerate housing delivery across the state.

If successful, the Hillsdale, Pagewood and Sylvania redevelopments could set a benchmark for how governments and private developers collaborate to renew ageing estates and deliver mixed-tenure communities.  

Proposals are open through the NSW Government’s procurement portal and close at 3pm (AEST) on Monday December 8, 2025. 

For more information, visit https://buy.nsw.gov.au/prcOpportunity/14B64766-6712-40EE-9D195FEAF7F369FC

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