NSW Government sparks ire in Mosman over push for increased density, housing approval

The state government has been accused of ‘bullying’ Mosman and using the council as a ‘whipping boy’ over a reluctance to approve new homes to address Sydney’s chronic housing shortfall.

Planning Minister Paul Scully.

The state government has been accused of baiting Mosman Council over claims the north shore suburb is unwilling to accept increased development to address Sydney’s chronic shortfall of new housing.

NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully has sparked the ire of Mosmanites after using recent interviews to argue Sydney’s west is carrying too much of the housing burden, while inner city councils including Mosman and Hunters Hill are lagging behind.

The comments come as latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures reveal Mosman approved just two new dwellings in the entire month of July – compared to 438 in Blacktown, 223 in Liverpool, and 138 in Canterbury-Bankstown.

Mosman mayor Carolyn Corrigan has argued there were valid reasons why Mosman’s housing approvals had fallen shorter than those in Sydney’s west, including the relative size of Mosman – which measures as the third smallest council in NSW – and a lack of vacant land to accommodate increased density.

Speaking at a conference in Parramatta earlier this year, Mr Scully said western Sydney had 10 times more dwelling completions than councils in Sydney’s northern suburbs.

NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully.

“This comes at a time when all of greater Sydney has to start pulling its weight on housing supply,” he said.

Mr Scully has now written to Ms Corrigan saying “there is shared responsibility” for councils “to address the housing crisis.”

Mosman Council measures as third smallest council in NSW.

“It is critically important we undertake this shared responsibility and work together to meet that challenge,” he wrote.

“The urgency is real – as we return to strong population growth in challenging market conditions, we are seeing housing pressures impacting housing supply.

“I ask that you and your council teams prioritise the opportunity to deliver homes.”

Mosman councillor Roy Bendall has accused Mr Scully of singling out Mosman – saying “we can’t be the whipping boy for this government”.

Mosman councillor Roy Bendall.

Mosman Mayor Carolyn Corrigan.

“He’s accusing Mosman and Hunters Hill of not doing their fair share and we’re now receiving letters suggesting that we’re to co-operate with providing land for affordable housing and increase density,” he said.

“Before the election they were saying we weren’t pulling our weight. We seem to be under siege by this state government.

“I wouldn’t take that from school bullies and nor should we as a community.”

The state government is currently in the process of finalising new housing targets for NSW councils, which the government has confirmed will be open for public consultation by the end of this year.

NSW is currently falling short of its current five year housing target.

The review into new targets has included identifying suitable land for increased density including around Metro stations and other key transport hubs.

Mosman mayor Carolyn Corrigan has rejected calls from Mr Bendall for the council to write to Mr Scully regarding Mosman’s dwelling approvals – saying a strongly worded letter could have unintended consequences.

“I don’t know if I would keep poking the bear,” she said.

“I don’t think a letter would achieve anything and it might just make him very angry with us and he might just put another zero on our housing target.”

A photo of the Parramatta skyline in western Sydney.

Mosman Council, in a statement, said it was focused on achieving its housing targets and delivering additional housing.

“Council does not share the views expressed by the Minister for Planning and considers that it is approving an appropriate number of new housing commensurate with the size and capacity of the local government area and as previously approved by the Greater Cities Commission, the Department of Planning and previous Planning Ministers,” a spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman said the local government area was constrained in its ability to provide increased dwelling stock.

“(The local government area) does not have any greenfield sites for new housing and 65 per cent of Mosman’s existing housing stock is comprised of medium and high-density dwellings, much of which is limited in its redevelopment opportunity due to strata-titling,” she said.

A photo of the Military Rd corridor in Mosman.

The state government has forecast NSW will fall short of its current five-year housing target by about 134,000 homes.

Most of the high-rise housing currently planned in Mosman is along the Spit Rd and Military Rd corridor – which Transport for NSW figures show carries an average of 51,854 cars a day, ranking as one of northern Sydney’s busiest roads.

Willoughby state MP Tim James has rejected claims the wider north shore has restricted increased development – pointing to Crows Nest and St Leonards which has a set housing target of 6680 new homes by 2036.

“St Leonards already has some of the highest densities in the state.” Mr James said.

“The government needs to stop telling our community to ‘get out of the way’ and blindly accept improper development.”

Mr Scully in a statement said ”every single one of us in Sydney and in NSW share responsibility to deal with our housing situation.”

“As the Productivity Commission recently revealed, taxpayers have been footing the bill for the unbalanced focus to date on greenfield development in Western Sydney,” he said.

“The Commission’s latest report shows the modelled infrastructure cost for a new dwelling in Mosman was $52,600 - less than half that of a home built at Baulkham Hills.”

“Every LGA faces unique challenges whether size, geography, infrastructure, land and existing density. All these factors are considered in terms of the housing targets to which each council has committed to deliver in their local housing strategy,” he said.