NSW Adds 11 Surplus Sites to $5bn Home Push

Eleven sites have been added to NSW’s plans to solve its housing crisis as the state looks for development partners.

The NSW Government is offering the sites individually as part of its Building Homes for NSW program that includes plans to deliver 1400 new homes.

It expects about 1330 homes from this latest tranche, which brings to 22 the total number of surplus land parcels it is turning over to housing.

Among the new sites are blocks at Menai and Haberfield that will be transferred to Homes NSW to deliver 242 homes, 130 as social and affordable housing.

Government development agency Landcom is reviewing three sites—Rooty Hill, St Leonards, and Chatswood—with the potential to deliver nearly 850 homes, including 80 affordable homes.

▲ Twenty-two sites across Sydney and regional NSW have been selected.

Sites at Darlinghurst, Turramurra, Frenchs Forest, Wakeley and Wallarah will be developed in partnership with the private sector.

NSW planning minister Paul Scully said the program was a whole-of-Government effort to unlock more private, social and affordable housing.

A registrations-of-interest campaign, led by Property and Development NSW, is open for developers and interested parties to submit proposals for the sites and closes on December 14.

Proposals should aim to deliver a mix of low, medium and high-density housing, maximise home yield and support affordable and key worker housing, according to the state.

▲ NSW planning minister Paul Scully said surplus land was key to private sector housing delivery.

Lands and property minister Steve Kamper said the government was “pulling every lever” to deliver more housing.

“Having firmly established what can be achieved, the property audit will continue as an ongoing and regular function of government in our efforts to find new opportunities to deliver critically needed housing across NSW,” he said.

As well as the surplus sites, the state has identified nine redevelopment locations for new social housing.

These projects, in areas including Eastwood, Wallsend and Parkes, will deliver more than 100 social homes.

Construction on these projects is expected to start early next year.

This initiative is part of the broader Building Homes for NSW program, which includes a $5.1 billion commitment to deliver 8400 new social homes and release surplus government land to help create an additional 21,000 homes over four years.

This aligns with the national Accord Period, a five-year plan from 2024 that aims to deliver 1.2 million new homes across Australia.