Hawkesbury City Council is one of five Western Sydney councils exhibiting a draft plan that will deliver an estimated 3,600 new affordable rental dwellings over 10 years. The other councils are: Blue Mountains City Council, Blacktown City Council, Camden Council and Wollondilly Shire Council.
Housing affordability is a growing problem for Western Sydney households. In the past, Western Sydney was among the more affordable regions in Greater Sydney, however house and unit rental prices have risen sharply in recent years, widening the gap between the cost of housing, and what people can afford to pay. This has left many people, including full-time workers, struggling to meet their rental payments. There is an increasing number of people in Western Sydney experiencing homelessness, sleeping in cars, or staying in unstable accommodation.
A housing needs study prepared by SGS Economics and Planning shows that 16.3% of households in Western Sydney in 2021 were experiencing housing stress or in need of social and affordable rental housing. This amounts to 82,700 households. This number would have increased sharply since 2022.
The need for affordable housing is projected to increase to 18.1% of all households by 2041, or 129,000 households. Councils in Western Sydney are concerned about the impact this crisis is having on local communities.
The draft scheme proposes the collection of monetary contributions from some new developments - to be introduced from March 2028 - which will help pay for new, affordable rental housing.
The lead-in time of three years is to ensure the draft scheme does not impact the current supply of new housing. It also provides notice to the development industry and community, allowing time for developers to factor the contribution into future land purchases and development costing.
New affordable rental housing will be managed long term by the not-for-profit community housing sector.
The councils worked with the Western Sydney Planning Partnership to prepare the draft plan which is required by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI).
The five Western Sydney local councils will individually consider all feedback from their local communities. This will inform the finalisation of the draft scheme later in 2025.
The draft scheme, draft distribution plan, summary and FAQS are on exhibition from 10 March until 7 April 2025 on Your Hawkesbury Your Say
