The NSW government will rezone land around eight Metro and heavy rail stations to provide for 45,000 new homes by 2027, and amend planning controls near another 31 train stations around Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle in a massive housing push.
The plans, accidentally published online on Tuesday, also confirm the government will proceed with the Metro West project between the CBD and Westmead, with The Bays station one of the priority precincts selected for transit-oriented housing development.
Part one of the much-anticipated program involves the state rezoning land within 1200 metres of eight heavy rail and Metro stations: Bankstown, Bays West, Bella Vista, Crows Nest, Homebush, Hornsby, Kellyville and Macquarie Park. In those areas, the land will be rezoned directly by the government “to allow for more new and affordable homes”.
In part two, the state government will impose new planning controls within 400 metres of 31 train stations including Roseville, Lindfield, Killara and Gordon on the north shore; Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Ashfield, Croydon and Canterbury in the inner west; Turella, Banksia, Rockdale, Kogarah in the south; and St Marys, Lidcombe, Berala and Wiley Park in the west and south-west.
The new planning controls applied to these precincts “will allow the development of more multi-storey housing”.
Outside Sydney, the stations are Gosford, Tuggerah and Wyong on the Central Coast; Corrimal, North Wollongong and Dapto in the Illawarra; and Morisset, Booragul, Teralba, Kotara, Hamilton, Adamstown and Newcastle Interchange in the Newcastle/Hunter region.
In total, 25 of the stations are located in Greater Sydney. The plan anticipates the rezonings will be completed by November next year, with development applications to be lodged from July 2025 onwards, and homes to be completed and occupied from November 2027.
“Housing is the NSW government’s top priority,” the documents stated. “We need to work together to address the housing crisis. We are working on a plan to create connected cities with well-located homes close to transport, jobs and services. This includes a greater choice of housing types in locations where people want to live.”
The proposal has been a tightly held secret within government since the Herald revealed plans for a series of priority development zones near public transport.
A map of the locations included the route for Metro West – which the government has repeatedly refused to confirm will go ahead despite months of speculation – and some of the site descriptions were written in dummy text.
After the Herald approached the government for comment, the documents were swiftly removed from the Department of Planning’s website. A spokesperson for Premier Chris Minns declined to comment, and Planning Minister Paul Scully did not respond to requests.
A map of the right priority precincts for transit-oriented development around Metro and heavy rail stations, including the Metro West line.Credit: Department of Planning
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman called on Minns to demand the federal government decrease immigration, and said the timeline for new housing was too long.
“On the government’s own timeline, it will be four years before the first of these dwellings are completed,” he said. “There is an urgent need to address demand now, to take the pressure off rents and the cost of homes for first homebuyers.”
Shadow transport minister Natalie Ward also questioned why the government was pushing for increased density in The Bays precinct given Metro West is not due to be completed until 2030.
Mayors had a mixed reaction. Labor mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown Bilal El-Hayek said a lack of consultation “would only enrage councils which are already planning to meet housing supply”.
“We are constantly reading about thought bubbles in the media, yet not one person from the Planning Department has bothered to pick up the phone and talk with us,” he said.
Inner West Labor mayor Darcy Byrne, whose municipality includes The Bays, Marrickville and Dulwich Hill, called on the government to convene a housing supply conference with mayors. “Failing that, we can convene it ourselves,” he said.
“Everyone knows there is new housing coming at transport hubs, but with no actual information from the government it’s impossible to address the merits.
“One thing we will vociferously defend is the requirement for social and affordable housing on government-owned land such as The Bays precinct. These sites are community assets, not just a playground for developers.”
Liberal mayor of Hornsby Philip Ruddock said if the intervention was limited to the train station he had no problem because the council was already progressing plans for 4900 units in the CBD. “We’ll be doing more than they are suggesting,” he said.
Committee for Sydney chief executive Eamon Waterford said the scheme was a significant moment for delivering “density done well” in Sydney, and could mean hundreds of thousands of new homes close to infrastructure.
“Our research shows Sydney can deliver up to half the housing required by our growing population over the next two decades in station precincts like these, so we’re excited to see this ambition move into real action,” he said.
“This is a huge amount of change that the community will be faced with, it’s critical that an increase in density results in increased amenity and affordable housing, and that good design is championed through the planning process.”
The information published on Tuesday did not specify the quantum of housing allocated to each of the zones, nor how the rezoning would intersect with heritage protections in some suburbs. The department will seek public feedback to “help us create a vibrant and thriving community for all”.
Separately, documents released by the Hills Shire Council in Sydney’s north-west showed plans for about 5700 new homes to be built surrounding the two Metro stations at Kellyville and Bella Vista.
Those council documents – released ahead of a vote on Tuesday night over whether to enter into a voluntary planning agreement with government developer Landcom – reveal plans for a series of large blocks of government-owned land slated for a state-significant redevelopment.
In Bella Vista there are plans for building heights ranging from seven to 68 metres, while in neighbouring Kellyville, heights would range from 21 to 50 metres. According to the council, the developments would include a 5 per cent affordable housing quota.
That rezoning plan pre-dates the Minns government, and it was unclear whether Labor would seek to overhaul them in its push for increased density.