NSW Unlocks Sites for 1400 Homes

The NSW Government will look for private development partners as part of its plans to open sites for 1400 social and affordable homes in the state.

Under the scheme, a dozen new sites across NSW will be developed with the private sector or Landcom.

There are nine sites in Sydney and three in the regions.

The sites are unused government land—three at Rouse Hill and one each at Edmondson Park, Stanmore, Earlwood, North Sydney, Chippendale and Fairfield. The regional sites are in Broadmeadow (Newcastle), Morisset and Orange.

As well, two sites at Box Hill and Riverstone would be transferred to Homes NSW for the potential development of almost 50 social and affordable homes and more than 35 market homes under the plan.

The details on quantity and types of housing would be confirmed after further due diligence, subsequent planning and regulatory approvals, according to the state.

The announcement followed the NSW Government’s previous announcement that 14 other sites across Sydney and regional NSW would be transferred to housing delivery agencies.

Homes NSW is due to start construction on the first of 16 state-owned sites in Sydney, the Central Coast, Newcastle, the Northern Rivers, and the Riverina by the end of the year.

▲ The property audit is part of the Building Homes for NSW program that identified state-owned land in Orange among other locations.

The property audit was announced in May of last year and aims to address the housing supply shortage. It is being carried out by the state’s central property agency, Property and Development NSW.

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said the audit was ongoing.

“The property audit has been methodically assessing government land and is now in full swing, delivering surplus land for more homes with 28 sites so far announced ... capable of providing more than 3000 residential dwellings,” Kamper said.

The Building Homes for NSW program would eventually deliver up to 30,000 homes on government sites, including 8000 public homes, giving priority to women and children fleeing violence. 

NSW housing and homelessness minister Rose Jackson said delivering more social and affordable homes was critical to rebuilding the housing system.

“The two Sydney sites identified for social housing are ... close to public transport and services so they can deliver accessible, modern housing with over 250 new homes for those most in need,” Jackson said.

Rental reforms begin

Meanwhile, the NSW Government passed what it called “the most significant” rental reforms in more than a decade in Parliament this week. 

The reforms that affect 2.2 million renters in the state include a ban on no-grounds evictions, limiting rent increases to once a year, introducing fee-free ways to pay rent, a ban on paying for background checks, and steps to make it easier to have pets. 

The legislation changes came after extensive and detailed discussions with renter advocates, industry stakeholders and tenancy experts, as well as public consultation process with more than 16,000 submissions and survey responses, the Government said.

NSW Rental Commissioner Trina Jones said the reforms would help ease the insecurity and vulnerability of renting in challenging city and regional rental markets.

“The current rental market in NSW is the toughest that renters have seen for decades, with historically low vacancy rates and median rent prices for houses increasing by around 7 per cent over the past 12 months,” Jones said.

The Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill 2024 adds to previously announced steps to rebalance the rental marketplace, which included a $6.6-million portable bond scheme, an online rent check tool and a $8.4-million rental taskforce within NSW Fair Trading.