NSW Government’s Shiny “Sydney Plan” Promises More Eastern Suburbs Housing

The NSW Government has unveiled the “Sydney Plan”, a 20-year development framework to increase housing supply and jobs. The plan, which particularly emphasises building more homes in the east and the economic development of Western Sydney, is designed to coordinate the infrastructure Sydney will need to support a projected population of 6.6 million by 2046.

Shaped by over 2,000 submissions, the plan includes a commitment to work with councils on updated five-year housing targets following the 2029 National Housing Accord, and the requirement for councils to maintain at least 30 years of feasible housing capacity through their Local Environmental Plans.

The hope is this focus on housing will aid in the construction of the 800,000 new homes Sydney is expected to require over the next 20 years.

The Sydney Plan: Not Just About Housing

Alongside supporting housing infrastructure and Western Sydney’s industry and innovation precincts, the plan will also invest in the natural areas that make Sydney liveable. This includes the identification of priority Blue-Green Grid corridors to improve access to parks, waterways, and open space, with the first three delivered over the next three years.

“For too long, Sydney’s growth was left to chance,” said Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully, “with housing, jobs and infrastructure planned in silos and communities left to pick up the pieces. The new Sydney Plan changes that. 

“This Sydney Plan provides a clear roadmap for where homes, jobs and infrastructure should go over the next 20 years, so communities have the services and opportunities they need as they grow.”

According to Scully, the plan could prevent another housing crisis akin to the one Sydney has been in for almost a decade, if not longer.

“[The plan] locks in a requirement for an ongoing pipeline of feasible housing supply, so we do not find ourselves back in the position we are in today. This is about planning ahead, not catching up, so Sydney has the homes it needs for the next 30 years and beyond.

“It recognises that different parts of Sydney have different strengths, supporting more housing in well-serviced areas while driving the next wave of economic growth in Western Sydney.”