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This was published 5 months ago
The Goldilocks solution to Sydney’s housing crisis
By Julie Power
More than half of all apartment buyers want to live in smaller blocks, the housing that the NSW government says has been zoned out of existence in Sydney’s “missing middle” suburbs.
The finding is part of new research that also found only 16 per cent wanted to live in high-rises with many neighbours.
Government Architect Abbie Galvin says the research from the City Futures Research Centre at the University of NSW found “conclusively a really high preference for what you would call medium density or smaller apartment buildings”.
Darlington Brickworks by Glyde Bautovich is an example of the type of medium-rise housing that the NSW government wants to see more of across Sydney. Credit: Brett Boardman
A bit like the story of Goldilocks, most apartment buyers were happy to have some neighbours – enough that they knew their names, but not so many that the block felt like a hotel and created a cumbersome strata scheme.
Many said they wanted a block that was not too old and not too young, due to fears of defects. They would like a view and gardens, but don’t care about fancy internal meeting rooms, and worry that blocks with pools and lifts add costs.
The survey of 260 apartment purchasers, including 210 owner-occupiers, last May was commissioned by the government architect.
The research supports proposals by Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully to change zoning laws to allow for more medium density in established Sydney suburbs dominated by single family detached homes.
Finding the Goldilocks apartment
Nearly 60 per cent of apartment buyers wanted smaller blocks. This is what they liked:
- Courtyard apartments – 20 per cent
- Terraces, townhouses, manor houses – 19 per cent
- Narrow infill apartments– 18 per cent
- Perimeter apartments (close to the street) – 13.5 cent
- Tower apartments – 8 per cent
- Tower complex apartments – 7.8 per cent
- Shop top apartments – 5 per cent
Source: UNSW City Futures Research Centre
Medium-density housing had been part of Sydney’s past. Yet, it had been “banned from being part of Sydney’s future,” he said. “We’re not suggesting a radical new housing typology. It’s what Sydney in particular was built on – think Wollstonecraft, Waverton, Erskineville, Newcastle or Wollongong,” Scully said.
The government’s plan for low- and mid-rise housing, three to six storeys, within 400 metres of 31 railway stations, would create more diverse housing for people of all ages and incomes, Scully said.
Many councils say the plan is too simplistic, and resident groups have picketed stations, claiming Premier Chris Minns’ “wrecking ball” will destroy heritage and trees.
Architect Peter McGregor says residents of this block he designed in St Marys are delighted with the trees - 44 in all - and the bench is a source of delight. The block will be included on a website mapping good examples of medium-density design in Sydney. Credit: Jessica Hromas
The research by the centre’s deputy director Professor Hazel Easthope with Dr Charlie Gillon asked buyers of apartments what influenced their purchases.
Owner-occupiers cited the stronger community in smaller blocks, the benefits of knowing neighbours well enough to leave a spare key with someone, and smaller, easier-to-manage strata schemes.
When shown images of different block styles, respondents preferred apartments clustered around a courtyard; infill blocks, such as the old art deco blocks of six found in Bondi; and the houses and terraces seen in old suburbs like Stanmore, Paddington and Kirribilli.
They were less interested in shop-top flats – very likely to happen above retail near railway stations under the reforms – and high-rise apartments.
When researchers asked buyers why they had purchased, the most common answer was location. An apartment’s size and layout, aspect and outlook, were listed ahead of price.
Respondents didn’t want too many neighbours: 25 per cent preferred blocks with fewer than 10 apartments, and 21 per cent with fewer than 19.
The most sought-after apartments were relatively new – built in the past five years, or 11 to 20 years old. Respondents cited flaws in blocks six to 10 years old, which have been named and shamed by Building Commissioner David Chandler.
One respondent wrote that looking at all “these really shoddy builds, I’m glad I went for at least 11 years old because by that time, defects, if it’s a poor build, it starts to show up.”
Galvin said 200 out of the 260 owners surveyed were owner-occupiers, who represent 30 per cent of apartment owners in NSW.
They had different needs from investors – they wanted “a sense of sort of permanence, security, maintenance” and cared about the quality of the materials.
Galvin said buyers were more interested in knowing “who’s in your building” than having fancy add-ons. “They’re not saying, ‘I want 10 bedrooms and the butler’s pantry’.”
Many respondents said it was important to have a view or a green outlook. That was the case for nearly every apartment in a corner block in St Marys, designed by McGregor Westlake Architecture.
It has a tree for every apartment – 44 in all – and will be included on a map of well-designed medium density projects to be released by the government.
The block allowed for a basement car park, which freed up space for a bigger garden, allowed the block to be set back from the street and maximised deep soil landscaping.
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