We see your 30% social/affordable/diverse housing Minister Stokes and raise you 30%

Last month we reported on the NSW Government proposal for the extensive redevelopment of a part of North Eveleigh known as the ‘paint shop’; ten hectares of railway land (public land) between Carriageworks and Redfern Station. The proposal includes plans for up to 450 new homes, 15% of which, according to this SMH article about the redevelopment plans for this historic Sydney precinct would be deemed affordable or social housing, while a further 15% are earmarked for so-called diverse housing ranging from student to build-to-rent accommodation.
 
Shelter NSW has made a submission on the rezoning proposal. We recognise the effort and commitment being made to prioritise the delivery of some form of ‘affordable’ and ‘diverse’ housing on this site – on land currently reserved for transport and recognise the leadership of Minister Rob Stokes in driving that commitment.
However, given the proposed loss of a major public land asset; the lack of commitment to a substantial delivery of social housing and affordable housing, and the capacity of Government to exercise its considerable power to do more, we contend that the proposal fails to stack up.

Notwithstanding the commitment to deliver 15% ‘diverse’ dwellings which may include Build-to-Rent and student accommodation (not necessarily affordable), this proposal could see as few as 55 – 65 additional social/affordable housing dwellings delivered on the site over the predicted decades of its development. How can that be regarded as a reasonable contribution by the NSW Government on behalf of the people of NSW? 
On this basis, Shelter NSW cannot support the proposal in its current form.
Our concerns and that of the City of Sydney were recently noted in this Sydney Morning Herald article.

Shelter NSW has proposed an alternate housing mix: 

• 1/3 social housing and 1/3 affordable housing (rental and home ownership), where the latter includes Affordable Rental housing (owned and managed by the Community Housing sector); affordable Build-to-Rent; affordable Student Housing and Shared Equity home ownership targeted at certain cohorts.
• commit at least 10% of (this larger) social and affordable housing stock to the Aboriginal community.

For more information you can access the following links:

• DPE Planning Portal
• Transport for NSW Redfern North Eveleigh Precinct Renewal webpage
• REDwatch site which has assembled a comprehensive set of relevant documents