Landmark decision allows The Hills Shire Council to enforce larger apartment sizes to accommodate families

IN A statewide first, The Hills Shire Council has been given the power to ensure ­developers build larger, more family-friendly apartments.

The Hills Shire Council has been granted the power to ensure developers build larger apartments.

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IN A statewide first, The Hills Shire Council has been given the power to ensure ­developers build larger apartments to make room for the more than 20,000 families set to call the area home over the next 20 years.

The State Government has exclusively granted The Hills Shire Council the power to enforce the building of more three- and four-bedroom units as well as implementing guidelines for larger floorspaces (such as 135sq m for a three-bedroom unit) than what some planning proposals are putting forward.

And studio and one-bedroom apartments would make up no more than 25 per cent of units.

The changes support the council’s push to promote a family-friendly option near the under-construction Sydney Metro Northwest.

Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of apartment developments still in the planning phase will be sent back to the drawing board to accommodate this change.

A total of 37,934 households will call The Hills home over the next 20 years.

Of these, more than 60 per cent are expected to be couples with children, single parents or multiple families living under one roof.

“This is the breakthrough we have been waiting for,” Hills Shire Mayor Yvonne Keane said. “People need to be able to choose to live, raise a family or retire in an apartment that suits their needs.

“Getting this policy right will contribute to housing ­affordability, provide opportunities for young families to choose apartment living ... and give real alternatives for empty nesters to vacate their traditional family home for a good-sized apartment.”

The council had lobbied for changes to allow it to ­enforce larger apartments since 2013.

Castle Hill state Liberal MP Ray Williams said it was great to see larger apartments being made a priority.

“It has long been my view that in the future young people will need to purchase an apartment as their first home,” he said.

“It is paramount these apartments are built large enough to accommodate the needs of young families.”

Councillor Alan Haselden called it a “historic” achievement and hoped residents appreciated its significance.

Councillor Jeff Lowe said it would send a message to developers that high-rises full of small one-bedroom apartments would not fly with this council.

“Housing affordability also needs to come into this,” he said. “Let’s have a look at stamp duty. It was about 2 per cent and now it’s about 4 per cent.”