Building spree is picking up pace across Sydney

Construction is set to erupt at unprecedented levels across Sydney, with the city’s west leading the way.

IF you think Sydney is booming now, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

An analysis of Department of Planning figures has shown the full extent of the building spree picking up pace across the city and highlighted the areas where construction is set to erupt at unprecedented levels.

Parramatta, Sydney City, Blacktown and Canterbury-Bankstown will absorb 35 per cent of the city’s new dwellings in the next four years.

Western Sydney’s boom towns of Liverpool and Camden are also marching ahead with development — those two areas will get 9574 new homes between 2016 and 2021.

Overall, the figures reveal housing construction in Western and Central Sydney is happening at 10 times the rate of the rest of the city.

Cranes dominate Parramatta’s city skyline.

Small businessman Ryan Simpson, 29, will move into the new Altitude apartment building in Parramatta later this year.

He said proximity to his work, public transport and the city’s second CBD all influenced his decision to buy a three-­bedroom apartment on the 54th floor.

“Living in Parramatta is really good for getting around, especially when you consider how bad Sydney traffic is,” he said.

Ryan Simpson 29, recently bought a 3-bedroom apartment off the plan in the Meriton apartment building in Parramatta. Picture: Toby Zerna

This unprecedented amount of construction activity comes at a time when the state government begins finalising plans on how it is going to house 8 million people in Sydney by 2056; an extra 3 million people than the current population.

The Greater Sydney Commission, a government body ­appointed to plan for Sydney’s future, revealed it had received 2000 submissions on its six draft District Plans and Towards our Greater Sydney 2056.

The plans for these six areas will be finalised towards the end of the year and, if they remain largely intact, will lock in a very different version of Sydney ­depending on where you live.

The population of the Northern District (Wisemans Ferry to Dural, North Sydney to Palm Beach) will increase 18 per cent between now and 2036.

Northern Sydney: Population will increase by 18 per cent in the next 20 years.

This compares to 36 per cent for West Central District (Sydney Olympic Park, Marsden Park, Parramatta, Blacktown and Mt Druitt) and 34 per cent for the areas between and including Fairfield, Campbelltown and the proposed Western Sydney Airport.

The South District population (Bankstown Airport, ­Sutherland, Campsie) will grow by 21 per cent, while Central Sydney (Vaucluse to La Perouse, Bexley to Rhodes) will grow by 24 per cent.

A 24 per cent growth in population is expected between Vaucluse and La Perouse by 2036.

The Australian Institute of Architects’ submission said the state government needed to spread out the housing targets so they were located where there was the most amenity and access to employment. “Targets in the beach suburbs and Woollahra, for example, are too low,” its submission said.

“Population growth targets for the Northern District should be more ambitious especially along the transport corridors and at nodes. Many parts of the north shore have large lot sizes and large houses. There needs to be a strategy to increase dwelling density within the ­existing frame, including granny flats and dual occupancies.”

The AIA’s submission is echoed by Tim Williams, CEO of Committee for Sydney, an independent think tank that claims to represent “no one sector or interest”. He said some small, non-amalgamated councils, such as those on the north shore and Hunters Hill, were successfully stopping development, meaning more homes were being built in areas further away from jobs and transport.

“Most development in Hunters Hill is low density, but it is a desirable location for higher density development,” he said.

“This doesn’t need to be 23-storey towers. Potts Point is only four to five storeys high and it’s one of the highest density precincts in Australia. With small local government areas, a small number of people who oppose every change can capture the political and planning process and prevent good and necessary development, even well-­designed, higher-density development.

“We completely agree that you cannot have a higher density Sydney and expect the roads to cope. Higher density requires a shift to mass transit.”

Penrith looking towards the blue mountains: Home to more than 90,000 more people by 2036.

Putting apartments into ­existing areas of Sydney can be politically difficult.

Many residents oppose those developments because of fears about lower house prices, congestion and the destruction of leafy surroundings. Some local councils are reluctant to defy their ratepayers and approve apartment developments.

Ben Hendriks is a planning consultant with urban planning and development advisory firm Mecone, whose clients include government, ­developers, councils and those opposed to developments. Having attended hundreds of community consultations, he said people needed to understand the wider implications of opposing development.

“My general observation, and this is a generalisation, is that older age groups such as Baby Boomers often seek to maintain the existing pattern of development and resist change, while younger groups are the ones seeking to live in more ­active and higher-density neighbourhoods,” he said.

“There is sometimes a lack of understanding with local residents that the level of supply of housing has an impact on housing affordability.

“I often hear from people who at the same time as objecting to developments in their neighbourhoods (are) also ­lamenting the lack of housing affordability and highlighting problems such as their children being unable to afford to buy in the suburb that they grew up in.”

High rise coming to Blacktown, as it prepares for a 36 per cent increase in population.

The Greater Sydney Commission said the submissions it had received would contribute to the final version of its District Plans, which would act as a blueprint for the city’s development over the next 20 years.

“In relation to the issue of apartments, we’ve had lots of conversations with Sydneysiders who’ve told us that they want to live close to transport,” a spokesman said.

“When planned well, apartments are a more affordable form of housing that maximise access to transport but we also recognise that growth needs to align with hard and soft infrastructure provision, including schools, hospitals and open space.”