Sydney YIMBY Blog

To: Charishma Kaliyanda, Member for Liverpool

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms.

The development of Sydney is crucial for the longevity and livability in our city, as well as the direct solution to tackling our housing crisis. I hope we can make sure we have enough measures to ensure plenty, high quality housing and prevent developers from cutting corners and endangering lives - but as a foundational step this is correct. We must avoid NIMBYism at all costs less we stay so low density we fall into the unlivable prices of cities like San Francisco. The domino effects on the social fabric are horrendous and we must take steps now to make a better future for our community.

Yes, In My Backyard!

Hoang Mai, Bonnyrigg Heights

To: Ron Hoenig, Member for Heffron:

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms.

While I am already in a unit I purchased I spent years living in pretty poor quality units and for a period without adequate connections to public transport.

I strongly support these proposals and they're needed for Sydney. I also think once built people will learn to realise how amazing density actually is.

Erin from Zetland

To: Felicity Wilson, Member for North Shore:

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms. I was able to move into a new Townhouse with my young child because North Sydney Council, despite their misgivings has approved more housing in the area. I'm fortunate enough to live in an area with these changes, but other people are not.

I run a software business and have an entirely onshore team of well paid highly skilled talent, but I can see they're being priced out of the property market and in some instances the rental market entirely. If I can't afford to hire talent in Australia, I would have to hire talent offshore, which would be disastrous for this country's tech sector.

We need a plan to make housing in Sydney plentiful and affordable and share this great city with more people, so that we can have a thriving and prosperous economy.

Dan Nolan, Neutral Bay

To: Mark Hodges, Member for Castle Hill:

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms.

Housing affordability remains one of the biggest concerns for me and many of my peers in our 20s and 30s. The growing fear that we will not be able to afford to live here, the “jokes” about forking out our entire paychecks just to afford rent until we die, the crushing anxiety that we’ll never own a home because we don’t have rich parents, and simply can’t afford to enter the market no matter how hard we work and how many discretionary things we cut out of our lives - this is the reality for me and many of my friends and family.

Finally the NSW Labor government has announced substantial and concrete strategy to address this - after years and years of minimal action. As my elected representative, it is incumbent on you to reflect the huge community support from young people for this policy. I hope you will do so amongst your political cohorts.

Margaret T, Castle Hill

To: Jenny Leong, Member for Newtown:

We actually met and briefly and chatted ​ about housing at an event a couple of months ago.

My position as expressed then is the same as now > we need to use every tool we have to try to solve this. I am very supportive of more public housing (and would love to see better maintenance too - which perhaps it seems like that could improve under the new scheme?). I am very supportive of upzoning. I am supportive of anything that can sensibly and meaningfully increase the supply of housing.

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms. This is one of the biggest issues facing our city, state and country. I strongly believe that this will make a big impact in improving things over the coming years.

Mark Tanner, Redfern

To: Jenny Leong, Member for Newtown:

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms to allow the following:

1) 3-6 storey apartment buildings by default within 800m of train stations in R3 zones;

2) terraces, townhouses and low-rise apartment buildings in R2 zones around train stations;

3) dual occupancies in all R2 zones.

I am currently renting in a small 3-level block of units in Lewisham, which is an area of mostly houses. This is a great building to live in - there's enough space for everyone, but it doesn't feel crowded. This area is full of lovely old houses which might have been great in the time they were built but don't serve the needs of people now and into the future.

I'd like to see more buildings like mine in this area, and upzoning around the train and tram stations would allow this. Let's look forward in our planning, not be stuck in the past.

Alison from Lewisham

To: Jordan Lane, Member for Ryde

I am writing to you to offer my strong support to the NSW government's newest planning reforms permitting mid rise buildings around train stations.

As you are aware Mr Lane we are in the middle of an unprecedented housing crisis and every bit of additional housing will help in mitigating it. Building multi storey structures near train stations will also provide sustainable transport options for residents. This will greatly complement the excellent public transport initiatives of the previous Liberal governments.

Failure to act runs the risk of pricing young people out of the housing market in much of the Sydney Metro Area.

@unraveaero from Epping

To: Chris Minns, Member for Kogarah

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms.

I am a local who has just finished university who has lived in Sydney my whole life and am now struggling to move forward into the next stage of life due to the lack of housing.

I am delighted to hear the changes to zoning rules, and believe it will help a lot of people in similar situations as me.

Emma H., Hurstville

To: Tim James, Member for Willoughby

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms. We need more housing close to existing amenities so that people like me, young families with children, can afford to live close to the city.

It is disappointing to me that the Libs won't get on board with this. You already have problems with young voters and this will make it worse. Check out the Canadian Tories' housing policy for proof that conservative parties can win back young voters by addressing the housing crisis.

Eleanor Robertson, Naremburn

To: Jo Haylen, Member for Summer Hill:

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms.

As you may be aware, I am disabled and currently live in a flat that has only stairs to our house on the third floor. As a result, I cannot leave the house independently.

We live here because when our previous landlord raised our rent, there were no modern flats with gold or silver standard accessibility available. At the very least, modern apartment blocks have lifts, rather than stairs.

I am pleased that the Labor state govt is promising a change of zoning policy that would see 3-6 storey apartments within 800m of train stations in R3 zones, townhouses and low-rise apartments in R2 zones around train stations, and dual occupancies in all R2 zones.

I wish to throw my wholehearted support behind this. Maybe, one day, I’ll be renting an accessible flat in an accessible area in the Inner West. This change gives me hope.

Kitty Farrell

To: Paul Scully, Member for Wollongong

Just want to throw my support behind your government’s bold move to force councils to permit duel occupancy on R2. Plus mid rise units for r3 near town and train.

This should help legalise enough supply to hit these housing targets.

Next you should enforce the housing targets, as well as redistribute them near the employment hubs (inner city particularly). The census tells me 350k jobs were added to City of Sydney since 2001, yet only 100,000 population added within 7 immediate councils.

For some reason all the housing is going up in Camden. I chose to relocate to Fairy Meadow despite working in Martin Place.

Phill Balding, Fairy Meadow

To: Stephanie Di Pasqua, Member for Drummoyne

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms.

This is what Sydney needs to provide more housing and progress our city into the future!

On a personal front, I rent an apartment with my son in Drummoyne, on the same street I grew up on, and I’d love to one day buy here.

I hope this bold planning reform along with more reforms in the future, will allow more houses to be delivered, increasing supply in Sydney and helping to reduce the cost of housing.

Melissa Neighbour, Drummoyne

To: Jo Haylen, Member for Summer Hill

I strongly support the government's policy announced this morning to allow mid-rise apartment buildings in R3 and smaller apartments on R2 around train stations. This is an important step towards a fairer Sydney.

We need the state government to stand tall against local councils and other powerful interest groups who are going to try to frustrate the intent of this policy by introducing new heritage conservation areas (as Inner West Council are trying to do in Marrickville and Dulwich Hill) or nitpicking about traffic, parking, etc.

Justin Simon, Summer Hill

To: Matt Cross, Member for Davidson

I strongly support the Government’s announcement today of increased housing density.  I also support the similar motion passed by the NSW Liberal Party State Conference.

Sydney has a crisis of housing affordability. The high cost of housing is increasing inequality and homelessness and ruining aspirations of home ownership.  The (preventable) reason for this is that our planning system restricts supply.  Proposals by the Government and Liberal Party Conference would partially remedy this.

I recognise that many of my neighbours think extra housing will ruin the character of our suburb.  I do not think their opposition is either representative or well-founded.  The extra shops, entertainment options and transport that come with extra density improve amenity.

I hope you will support these measures.

Peter Tulip, Roseville

To: Jo Haylen, Member for Summer Hill

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms.

If done well, these reforms will create a new more inclusive and liveable Sydney for generations to come.

The Inner West has so much more capacity to welcome new Australians, we just need the housing. I’m excited that with these new reforms will mean that our area’s history of being a place for new Australians to settle will continue.

These reforms will mean that the house that my partner and I own will be rezoned for greater density. This is a good thing, it means that other people of my generation will have a chance to live in a vibrant walkable neighbourhood. I’m not about pulling up the ladder behind me.

I thank you, and your government, to taking this great first step.

Name withheld, Marrickville

To: James Griffin, Member for Manly

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms.

Allowing more housing to be built close to transport hubs such as the B-line stops at Manly Vale, Brookvale, and Dee Why, and Manly Wharf, and other town centres on the Northern Beaches, is greatly needed. The reforms will be a broad improvement in our planning system which is needed to make significant improvements to the housing affordability situation in our community.

You would of course be aware there is a low supply of apartments in the area, and rents have been growing incredibly quickly. As I am currently looking for my first home, I see first-hand how the limits on the locations where apartment buildings, townhouses and duplexes push up the prices to rent and buy. Allowing more of these diverse types of housing to be built would help many younger families like mine.

Housing affordability is a big issue for younger residents of Manly who would love to stay a part of our community, but are struggling because of the lack of local housing supply. I have seen too many friends and family members pushed out due to high housing costs.

We also know that essential workers in our local schools, hospitals and emergency services need to commute for hours each day because housing is unaffordable for them in this area.

We need reforms such as these to change course, and make the Northern Beaches a more affordable place to live.

I hope that you support these reforms.

Name withheld, Curl Curl

To: Alex Greenwich, Member for Sydney

Hi Alex, just wanted to throw in my support for the government's announcement this morning to allow townhouses and small apartment buildings around train stations. And dual-occupancy everywhere.

These kinds of bold move is exactly what we need to help the housing crisis. Our family has been personally struggling with the rent rises and low vacancy rates; we got evicted while my partner was in labour with our first baby, and had to look for new places with a newborn, waiting in lines for viewings with hundreds of other people. It was a disaster, we almost weren't able to stay in town.

We've seen similar moves in Auckland, upzoning around transit and allowing terraces everywhere, and it's helped many of my friends in New Zealand be able to buy their first homes in these new, non- mouldy terraces.

Increasing the supply of housing by transport will directly help young families like mine. And it will reduce pressure on rents throughout the whole strata of society, helping those at risk of homelessness too, and it'll make it easier to build social housing, which is often constrained by site availability.

The councils will need strong state government oversight to stop them neutering these regulations on technicalities e.g. by blanket heritage listing everything.

Mark Hansen

To: Mark Hodges, member for Castle Hill

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms. I strongly support these reforms and believe that they will help it substantially boost housing supply in Sydney and drive prices down.

As a young student, I simply cannot afford to move out closer to the city and uni. My girlfriend can’t even afford to move to where she will be doing her hospital student placement for the next year. These changes will actually give me hope that I might be able to afford rent one day, and live in a convenient location.

I run a YouTube channel with over 3 million views that discusses all sorts of issues relating to transport and urban planning in Sydney. I’d love if you could take a look at it: https://youtube.com/@BuildingBeautifully?si=L4FioyMpXReglvwl

Your party recently voted to pass a motion into policy at their annual conference to allow R4 zoning next to train stations and R3 zoning in close proximity. Please know that I strongly support this motion, and I expect you and your state opposition to represent the wishes of the public and help pass it into legislation.

Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I wish you all the best in helping to make Sydney a more liveable and affordable place to live.

Sharath Mahendran, West Pennant Hills

To: Trish Doyle, Member for Blue Mountains

I am emailing to strongly support the NSW government's newest planning reforms.

First, I think the Mountains culture has historically relied on abundant housing and low rents. This is now at risk as we are not building enough housing to cope with the increased number of arrivals from Sydney. I also see many run down potential residential sites around the stations which indicates permitting problems. We need abundant high quality new housing for incoming professionals, freeing up the older housing stock for the young people and creatives.

Second, I want my children to be able to afford a home whether in the Mountains, Sydney or regional and coastal NSW.

Third, we need greater population density particularly in suburban and exurban areas to make low-carbon lifestyles more accessible.

I am very comfortable with increased townhouse/duplex/small apartment form factors as contemplated under the R2 reforms. I have ZERO interest in watering down these reforms with any heritage/affordability riders as I see these as a Trojan horse for unrepresentative LGAs to slow the supply of housing. In fact, I would love to see Heritage NSW completely dismantled and heritage status stripped from any building constructed since Federation.

Blair Pritchard, Katoomba