Government urged to fast-track planning changes to meet Housing Accord target
Continued postponements to the New South Wales government’s low-mid rise housing reforms may put up to 32,000 new homes at risk of missing the National Housing Accord’s 2029 deadline, the Property Council of Australia has warned.
Property Council NSW executive director Katie Stevenson (pictured above) said the reforms, initially announced in November 2023, are critical for providing more diverse housing options in well-connected areas near transport, infrastructure, and essential services.
“These reforms are what’s needed to tackle NSW’s housing shortfall, but the longer they remain stalled, the harder it will be to meet the state’s Housing Accord commitment of 377,000 new homes by 2029,” Stevenson said.
She said that if the reforms had been in place from July 1, 2024, nearly 17,920 homes could already be progressing. Given that townhouse and apartment construction typically spans 10 to 32 months, as per Australian Bureau of Statistics data, delays could push this figure to between 21,333 and 32,000 homes falling short of the target.
“The government says these reforms have the potential to unlock 112,000 new homes during the National Housing Accord, but without immediate action, that opportunity will quickly slip away,” Stevenson said.
She warned that each month of delay could threaten the equivalent of a small suburb — between 2,240 and 4,000 homes. For context, suburbs like Arncliffe in Sydney, Thirroul in the Illawarra, and Mayfield in the Hunter each comprise a similar number of dwellings.
Calling on the NSW government to accelerate the reforms, Stevenson stressed the private sector’s readiness to deliver housing if provided with planning certainty.
“The private sector is ready to build, but we need certainty to get projects underway,” she said. “The clock is ticking and the sooner these planning changes take effect, the sooner we can get shovels in the ground and keys in doors.
“Another month of delay means another suburb’s worth of homes is at risk of not being delivered. That’s thousands of people left without access to the housing they need.”
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