The NSW Opposition is awaiting further information on leaked Government plans to rezone land around eight Metro and heavy rail stations and to apply new planning controls at 31 other train stations, but says Chris Minns’ reluctance to commit to infrastructure and to address high levels of immigration continues to threaten the state’s ability to deliver on Labor’s ambitious housing targets.
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said that the plan to deliver 45,000 homes offers no immediate relief to current pressures on rents and housing affordability, and has renewed the Opposition’s offer to work with Chris Minns to address demand by slowing the state’s immigration levels.
“On the Government’s own timeline, it will be four years before the first of these dwellings are completed. There is an urgent need to address demand now, to take the pressure off rents and the cost of homes for first homebuyers,” Mr Speakman said.
“If Chris Minns can sign up to Anthony Albanese’s housing targets, he can demand the Prime Minister scale back immigration. It’s apparent that Chris Minns isn’t even willing to pick up the phone to Canberra to address the significant demand pressures on our state’s housing.”
Shadow Minister for Transport Natalie Ward raised concerns that even if Sydney Metro West is completed within the current schedule of 2030, extra housing around it would be built before then, well ahead of the delivery of infrastructure.
“The Government expecting people to move in to The Bays precinct en masse, before Sydney Metro West is complete and functioning just shows they have no experience in delivering infrastructure. Yet again, it is a plan that has not been thought through and communities will suffer,” Ms Ward said.
“The Government’s reviews and spin on Metro West have been a complete farce. Chris Minns and Transport Minister Jo Haylen should release their plans immediately and give certainty to communities and the investors.”
Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Scott Farlow welcomes the delivery of housing along existing transport corridors, but cautioned that the Government needed to have a plan for all of the infrastructure required to support housing development.
“Transport is just one of the infrastructure components that is required to support housing. The Government needs to outline how they will support housing with schools, hospitals and improved public spaces,” Mr Farlow said.
“Chris Minns signed up to a national housing target of 377,000 homes in the next five years without any advice from the Department of Planning as to whether NSW could support this development.”
