The Minns Labor Government has delivered masterplans for its Transport Oriented Development (TOD) Accelerated Precincts.
The masterplans and rezonings around seven transport centres will have the capacity to provide nearly 60,000 homes and more than 126,000 commercial and retail jobs.
The rezonings include space for schools, health services, public parks and options for councils to nominate Special Entertainment Precincts within the areas.
Masterplans have been completed for Bankstown, Bella Vista, Crows Nest, Homebush, Hornsby, Kellyville and Macquarie Park.
The finalisation of the rezonings for these precincts means development applications can now be submitted and assessed.
Also known as tier one TOD sites, these are high-priority locations that have undergone accelerated rezonings and will accommodate high and mid-rise homes within around 1200m of these metro and rail stations.
These homes and jobs will also be supported by $520 million to fund new public spaces and active transport links meaning more vibrant and walkable precincts.
The masterplans establish a three per cent affordable housing rate, with homes to be held as affordable housing in perpetuity across all sites, and higher affordable housing rates of up to 18 per cent across key sites within the precincts. The TOD Program is the first time in NSW history that a government has introduced inclusionary zoning for affordable housing in perpetuity.
To encourage faster development, new provisions were exhibited alongside the masterplans to offer a streamlined pathway for planning assessments, including:
- Proposals which are more than $60 million (or approximately 100 homes) will have access to the State Significant Development pathway. This will provide an assessment within 275 days, with only 90 of those days being in government hands.
- Excluding certain low-risk concurrence and referral (C&R) provisions as requirements for development applications, because this has been dealt with at the rezoning stage. This means that new homes will be delivered faster.
- Exempting residential developments in TOD Accelerated Precincts from design competitions while still requiring design excellence and meeting the Apartment Design Guidelines.
These masterplans were finalised following public feedback received during an extended six-week community exhibition period which concluded in August.
All feedback from the community and stakeholders was carefully considered by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) to shape the finalisation of these rezonings.
This rezoning will come into effect this Wednesday, 27 November 2024, and development applications will then be able to be lodged to build new homes.
The delivery of the final masterplans for the TOD Accelerated Precincts will be a significant contribution to the Minns Government's commitment to rebalance Sydney's housing growth around existing transport infrastructure meaning better, more accessible and connected communities.
The TOD Accelerated Precincts will deliver:
Homebush - 18,000 new homes and 3,000 jobs
- Key community benefits such as new open spaces, transport connections via two Sydney Trains stations and a future Sydney Metro station, along with community facilities.
- Land near the Bakehouse Quarter to be rezoned as public recreation, offering additional public open space for the community in this area.
- New active transport links and streets to be created, which will provide better connectivity for walking and cycling across the precinct and new and enhanced public open spaces are also proposed to provide areas to relax and unwind in.
Hornsby - 6,000 new homes and 2,900 jobs
- New and upgraded parks to be delivered by the NSW Government with other open space at the heart of the town centre.
- Better connectivity through walking and cycling road upgrades. There will also been an increase to local tree canopy with a boost of up to 50 per cent in street coverage.
- Road upgrades with a provision for a new future bus interchange to the west of the train station.
- A new library, community centre along with cultural and creative facilities.
Bella Vista and Kellyville - 4,600 new homes and 3,800 jobs
- New and improved public open spaces with new playing fields and greater protections for biodiversity.
- New active transport links.
Bankstown - 14,000 new homes and 14,300 jobs
- New planning provisions to encourage more community facilities and public open space.
- Plans to encourage the delivery of a new bus interchange. This includes publicly accessible open space in the town centre and at the Bankstown Shopping Centre site.
Macquarie Park - 9,600 homes and 100,000 jobs
- 3.15 million square metres of commercial floor space, which provides capacity for approximately 100,000 jobs.
- New and improved parks, plazas and open spaces, totalling over 14 hectares, supporting social infrastructure including active recreation fields and courts, community facilities and improved public and active transport.
Crows Nest - 5,900 new homes and 2,500 jobs
- Better connectivity for walking and cycling to the Sydney Metro and heavy rail stations with new road and public open space upgrades.
- Increased tree canopy to maintain the leafy character of the St Leonards and Crows Nest precinct.
These new homes and jobs are all part of the Minns Labor Government's plan to build a better NSW with more homes and services, so young people, families and workers have somewhere to live.
Community consultation for the Bays West TOD rezoning proposal will occur with the exhibition of the masterplan in 2025.
More information on TOD Accelerated Precincts can be found here: https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/policy-and-legislation/housing/transport-oriented-development-program/accelerated-precincts
Premier of NSW Chris Minns said:
"By getting these masterplans done, we are another step closer to building more homes for the next generation.
"These precincts will deliver a mix of housing, new open spaces and playing fields - they'll be great communities for families to build a life.
"This is all part of our Government's plan to build a better NSW with more homes, so young people, families and workers have somewhere to live."
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
"These Masterplans were delivered in less than a year and is a testament to our commitment to delivering more homes, jobs and amenities in NSW.
"The finalisation of the TOD Accelerated Precincts means development applications can be submitted and assessed, so that housing construction can start as quickly as possible.
"Elements of the planning pathway have been streamlined for the assessment of proposals in these locations, which will allow for greater speed without compromising the quality of the assessment or the final result.
"We made an election commitment to rebalance Sydney's housing growth around existing transport infrastructure and today we're delivering the blueprint for those homes. This is work that should have been undertaken by the previous Government when the Metro was being built but wasn't.
"We have also committed $520 million to fund community infrastructure to make sure these precincts receive critical road upgrades, active transport links and good quality open spaces because the Accelerated Precincts are about building better communities as well as building new homes."
