FAQs

A Local Housing Strategy is a planning document developed by local councils to guide housing supply in their area. It identifies housing needs, establishes goals for housing diversity and affordability, and sets out strategies to accommodate future population growth while ensuring sustainable development.

In NSW, local councils are required to prepare and implement Housing Strategies to ensure that they are meeting the demand for housing and contributing to the state's overall housing targets to ensure balanced, sustainable, and community-focused housing development.

A Housing Strategy for Sutherland Shire Council must align with key state and regional planning frameworks, while addressing local growth needs. 

The strategy should reflect the Community Strategic Plan and comply with environmental policies like the Biodiversity Strategy. It should also ensure that growth is supported by adequate transport and infrastructure planning and meet the goals of affordable housing. These elements ensure the strategy promotes coordinated, sustainable housing growth that meets the needs of the community.

Sutherland Shire Local Environmental Plan (LEP) establishes the residential development capacity through zoning and development controls which set the bulk and scale of development. The proposed changes to zones, permissibility, height and floor space ration (FSR) in the Housing Strategy can only be delivered through amendments to the LEP. 

Council has a new approach to place-based land use planning, which will be implemented in Place Plans as next steps. The place-based planning will ensure the additional housing growth is aligned with infrastructure and that the actions across all informing strategies are embedded in a consolidated place. Along with zoning changes, the Place Plans will outline what Council is going to do over the next 10-20 years to improve centres and their surrounding neighbourhoods.

The housing strategy provides a range of housing options to meet residents’ changing needs, allowing people to choose homes that suit their circumstances. It also targets specific groups, such as seniors, with low-maintenance or specialised housing near transport and services. The strategy plans for 1,200 new dwellings annually to meet the housing target set by the state government.

The strategy focuses development around key centres while protecting low-density areas and sensitive environments from dramatic change. It ensures new homes are resilient to natural hazards and climate change, supporting energy efficiency and sustainability. It also aims to increase affordable housing options, including social housing, to improve residents' wellbeing.

The Housing Strategy does not provide more opportunities for single dwellings because most suitable land for this type of housing has already been developed. There are limited areas for new single dwellings, and subdividing existing large lots will not provide enough new homes to meet the growing housing demand. Additionally, single dwellings on large lots are not affordable for many residents. The Strategy continues the current policy for single dwellings due to environmental constraints and bushfire risks in areas on the urban fringe.

Apartments are a key component of the Housing Strategy because they provide a high-density housing option that allows for more dwellings in strategic areas, helping to meet housing demand without significantly altering the character of low-density neighbourhoods. 

Apartments offer more affordable housing opportunities, particularly for those entering the housing market, and are essential to address the need for smaller dwellings. They also allow for a higher number of homes on a smaller footprint, making them an efficient way to increase housing supply in areas with limited land. However, careful planning is needed to balance the benefits of apartment development with the preservation of local character and the minimisation of negative impacts, such as overshadowing and loss of privacy.

The Strategy will be delivered through the development of Place Plans for select centres to ensure there is infrastructure to support a changing population and housing growth. The Place Plans will revise zoning and development standards under Sutherland Shire Local Environmental Plan 2015 and the Sutherland Shire Development Control Plan 2015 to enable more well-designed and well-located dwellings. We will also work closely with State Government agencies advocating for appropriate infrastructure to support growth.

There is a mismatch between supply and demand for all types of housing across Sutherland Shire. Sutherland Shire has experienced a construction boom for freestanding houses, dual occupancy and apartments since the implementation of Sutherland Shire Local Environmental Plan 2015. Despite this we have a very low vacancy rate of 0.9%, which is well below the point where housing supply and demand are balanced (3%). Projected population growth and more people living alone, particularly older people, means that this imbalance will be exaggerated.

Managing population growth is a significant challenge, especially when considering the capacity of existing infrastructure.  Growth will include new people coming to the area as well as current residents moving out of their homes into more suitable housing types. As part of the Place Plans for select centres, we will be consulting with infrastructure providers to understand any constraints and plans for local investment so we can align infrastructure and services with growth.