Southwest Sydney housing crisis: Planning approves 2500 homes after three-year delay

Overdue plans for thousands of new houses in Sydney’s booming southwest have finally been green lit. Find out where and how you can snap up your new home.

Overdue plans for the approval of more than 2500 new homes in Sydney’s booming southwest have finally been green lit — paving the way for the revival of thousands of construction jobs and an increase in housing supply as prices skyrocket.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes said the government “responded to the increased demand for greenfield housing” by approving a huge rezoning that paves the way for $4 billion worth of development at Leppington.

Pictured in Leppington in western Sydney at the site of a yet to be finished display home village is Romeo Tamburri, Emilio Raco and Antonio Gerace who hit out over the three-year delay in approval. Picture: Richard Dobson

The approval comes more than three years since developers and builders in the precinct were promised plans would be finalised.

Crownlands Developments general manager Phil Scott said NewsLocal’s campaign to fast-track the approval of thousands of homes in Sydney was a lifeline for the construction industry, as well as housing supply numbers in the city’s southwest.

“We were completely blown away after inaction for so long,” Mr Scott said.

“We were notified of the approval on Thursday by NSW Planning.”

Thousands of tradies like Victor and Andrew Angioni will secure work in Leppington stage two and five. Picture: Richard Dobson

Mr Scott said Crownlands Developments wasted no time when it submitted development applications for 150 new homes just hours after the approval was granted.

“We were ready to go months ago,” he said.

“There will be 150 homes in the first two applications and we have another half-a-dozen DAs coming through shortly for around 380 lots.”

The general manager said the decision would be a lifeline for housing supply and demand issues, “particularly seeing as construction is currently at a standstill across Sydney”. 

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“This will (put) more stock into the market and reduce pressure on demand and pricing,” he said.

“(It) will secure hundreds of jobs for construction workers, whose opportunities were drying up as a housing shortage crisis loomed.

“The government needs to establish a targeted program on keeping the supply pipeline going so we don’t end up with massive shortfalls like this ever again.”

Property developer Barry Dickinson and Crownlands Development chief Andrew Wiesener. Picture: Richard Dobson

Mr Stokes said it was important NSW had a “steady pipeline of construction to help Sydney’s economic recovery”.

“The approval of these rezonings will help provide the homes we need in a post-pandemic Sydney,” he said.