Changes to planning laws must deliver for people in need of homes

The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW welcomes the planning reforms underway by the NSW Government.

The NSW Government, in partnership with local councils, has identified 37 suburbs across Sydney, the Illawarra, Hunter and Central Coast where an estimated 170,000 homes will be built within 400 metres of train stations as part of its Transport Oriented Development program.

The Society says it is important that these new housing developments prioritise social and affordable homes to meet the demand that exists throughout the state.

“We are pleased to see the NSW Government recognising the scale of the housing crisis and taking policy steps to deliver more homes for people,” said Yolanda Saiz, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW CEO.

“The Transport Oriented Development model is a positive step in placing much-needed housing close to local services and public transport.

“Any new housing must prioritise the more than 125,000 people currently waiting for social housing across the state. We want to work with government and stakeholders in the sector to ensure that the most vulnerable are prioritised with housing that is located close to infrastructure and not in areas that will perpetuate the failures of the past.

“Policy that does not reflect this will lead to failure and further entrench the disadvantage people are facing,” said Ms Saiz.

The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW and The McKell Institute recently published a report calling for a generational investment in social housing to meet current and future need. Social housing currently accounts for 3.8% of all housing nationally and 4.5% in NSW.

The Society is calling for mandated affordable housing targets of at least 15% in private residential developments and requiring affordable housing dwellings to be affordable in perpetuity and managed by not-for-profit community housing providers.

“We want to see detail showing the proportion of social, affordable and private housing in any new developments,” said Paul Burton, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW State President.

“It is important that any new housing developments account for additional social infrastructure, such as green spaces, schools and medical facilities, to ensure that there is support for the community in place,” said Mr Burton.