War on the Homefront: Chris Minns takes on Clover Moore to build more apartments in CBD

Premier Chris Minns says Lord Mayor Clover Moore is ‘not interested’ in having more apartment towers in the city, but he is — and he’s up for the fight. Take our poll.

Premier Chris Minns says the Sydney CBD needs more apartment towers and that he’s prepared to take on Lord Mayor Clover Moore to make it happen.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mr Minns also said he was “open” to converting vacant city office space into units.

As part of the War on the Homefront series, Mr Minns said: “The last few high-rise residential buildings closer to the CBD … were progressed by Frank Sartor, the next-to-last Lord Mayor of Sydney.”

Mr Sartor’s 12-year stint in charge of the city ended in 2003.

Mr Minns said the “current mayor (is) not interested in residential in the heart of the city, but I think it needs more and if you look at a lot of buildings that surround us … they are empty.”

Current Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

Former Sydney mayor Frank Sartor. Picture: Danielle Butters

The Premier argues there has been too much commercial development in the CBD over the past two decades, leaving the city without a soul.

“We could do with a more vibrant city,” Mr Minns said. “Part of that can be driven by more residential development in the heart of the CBD. That’s an element we are looking at.”

Chris Minns wants more high-rise unit towers in the CBD. Picture: NCA NewsWire

He also said a proportion of new high-rises could be reserved as social housing, noting that this is what happens in New York and London.

Ms Moore countered the Premier’s claims.

The Lord Mayor said central Sydney’s planning controls “are flexible and permit residential development in the CBD. There’s no impediment to remove.

“Already 30,000 people live here, and there are nearly 5000 CBD dwellings in the development pipeline as we speak,” she said.

“For example, at its last meeting the City of Sydney’s Central Sydney Planning Committee approved Deicorp’s Hyde Metropolitan, a 55-storey apartment tower on the corner of Liverpool and Castlereagh streets in the CBD,” Ms Moore said.

“It will involve demolition of the office building.

“Housing projects proposed and delivered in the CBD are generally at the higher end of the market, so this isn’t going to be the silver bullet for addressing the housing crisis.

“We have to ensure that the CBD balances all needs, including our desire for a bustling 24-hour economy and sufficient employment floor space, but I am always open to these discussions with the Premier,” she said.

Mr Minns also said he was “open” to converting unoccupied city office space into apartments, as Victoria recently announced it would seek to do.

The Premier believes there has been a change to people’s work habits due to the pandemic, and he is not convinced that levels of office-based work will bounce back in the way some have suggested.

Ms Moore said “there are of course significant challenges to converting office buildings to residential use, with plumbing, ventilation and access to sunlight expensive hurdles.

“Large, open floorplans allow enough natural light in an office setting, but once you start putting in walls you may discover most of your rooms have no window.”