Upzone Everything
Today the government has announced that they’re going to be allowing:
3-6 storey apartment buildings by default within 800m of train stations in R3 zones;
terraces, townhouses and low-rise apartment buildings in R2 zones around train stations;
dual occupancies in all R2 zones.
This is a significant step towards a fairer housing system in Sydney.
75% of residential land around train stations is only zoned for single-dwelling detached housing, and in many cases an entry level dwelling costs over $2m. This is something that needs to be grappled with to build homes that younger people, essential workers and those on lower incomes can afford, and replacing these with diverse housing types from townhouses through to mid-rise apartments accomplishes that.
By allowing such dwellings we can build denser, more liveable communities. Small businesses and high streets thrive in dense neighbourhoods and this will mean more people will be able to have their needs met within short walking distance of their home
It’s going to upset some powerful councils who will try every trick in the book to stop it, as they successfully scuttled the Low Rise Housing Diversity Code. Sydney YIMBY will be watching as they try to rewrite their planning controls to blunt its effect, and calling it out where that happens.
We should watch very carefully over the coming days because the reactions to this policy are going to tell you who’s serious about resolving the housing crisis and who’s just pandering to the wealthy landowning NIMBYs who created it.
To make sure this is effective the Government needs to carefully consider the interplay with council restrictions like heritage conservation areas, shadowing, traffic, etc. If the height limit technically allows six storeys but there’s only a handful of sites that meet other requirements, then it’s ineffective.
We congratulate Premier Minns and Minister Scully on this city-building change. If done well, these zoning changes will create a more connected, livable Sydney for generations to come.
To our members and supporters: Now is the time to get loud. You can guarantee people who love the status quo will be doing everything they can to protect it. We need you to show there’s support for “yes” in the community.
Write to your state MP to tell them you support this policy. Talk about it on social media. Listen to the radio and call into talk to them about it. Write a letter to your local paper- or the SMH or the Daily Telegraph. Let them know that the housing crisis it real, that it affects you, and that you support this important step toward housing abundance.
What is R2/R3 zoning?
Zones are essentially layers councils draw on a map which determine what can be built in certain areas. Traditionally this separates residential, industrial and commercial uses.
Residential use is split into R2, R3 and R4, with the difference between these being what kind of structures you can build. In almost every council in Sydney R2 means you can’t build anything denser than a dual occupancy, while R3 generally permits townhouses and R4 residential flat buildings. This is a serious problem for housing diversity when 85% of residential land is zoned R2 Low Density, including 75% around train stations.
This effectively upzones all R2 and R3 areas around train stations by one increment to permit denser forms.
What about “other controls”?
While zoning determines what types of buildings and uses are allowed, there are a bunch of other controls that determine the size and shape of those buildings. These include height limits, floor space ratios, setbacks, heritage, etc.
It’s not enough to just allow residential flat buildings in R2 zones around train stations - at a minimum the SEPP will also have to override height limits and floor space ratios as well. But there’s a whole suite of other requirements which could allow councils to refuse mid-rise buildings pretty much wherever:
Restrictions on shadows meaning if something overshadows a public space in mid-winter, it’s out.
Heritage conservation areas (which cover upwards of 40% of inner city councils like Inner West and City of Sydney) which generally prevent the construction of any additions visible from the street. Not only do these cover vast areas, but they are often used to object to housing hundreds of metres away from the heritage conservation area, because they intrude on the ‘context’. This was the justification used by Randwick Council to say that apartments in Zetland shouldn’t be able to be seen from West Kensington.
Such considerations are likely to mean that only one in six apartments would have qualified for the Government’s density bonus scheme. The SEPP will need to get a handle on how these mechanisms frustrate development to make sure that universal upzoning actually means universal.
For media or other inquiries please contact: sydney@yimby.au
