Shelter NSW supports the urban renewal of transit centres in ways that make them more inclusive. In early December 2023, the NSW Government announced the long-anticipated Transport Oriented Development (TOD) program, intended to drive significant increases in housing supply around transport hubs in Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Illawarra and the Hunter. 

Prior to this, Shelter NSW had partnered with the Planning Institute of Australia (NSW) and within the Sydney Alliance calling for substantial proportions of affordable rental housing to be required within any future upzoned transport precincts (under a Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning MIZ framework); and for that affordable housing to be required to be in perpetuity, managed by not-for-profit community housing providers.  

In many respects, elements of our advocacy were successful. We commended the NSW Government for ensuring that regulated and genuinely affordable rental housing would be a part of any new, well located housing supply. We noted that done well, and at scale, this could be a game changer for NSW communities and especially low-medium income renters. 

Since then, we have learned more about the Government’s overall approach and individual precinct proposals. Due to the number and depth of our concerns we are unable to support the plans and recently called on our members to lodge formal objections to the overall plan for the Accelerated TOD precincts as well as individual rezoning proposals. 

For more information about: 

• our formal objection you can read our submission to the Explanation of Intended Effect (EIE) for Transport Oriented Development (TOD) accelerated precincts  
• the TOD Program and public exhibition dates: Department of Planning’s website 

Shelter NSW key concerns with TOD Accelerated Precinct proposals:

• A public and high-profile announcement of up to 15% affordable housing rates was part of the ‘density deal’ sold to the broader community  
• Proposing a range of affordable housing contributions for an individual precinct is poor practice – if the higher affordable housing rates have already been deemed ‘feasible’ by DPHI it should be adopted  
• In the case of a 15% rate not being committed to, there needs to be a clear provision for the ramping up of these contribution rates over time  
• There needs to be explicit consideration of the existing low-cost housing (and households) that will be displaced by development in some of these precincts 
• Lack of clear policy and practice expectations guiding the development of TOD Affordable Housing Contribution Schemes (AHCSs)  
• Any resulting affordable housing (and tenancies) should be managed by registered Not-For-Profit Community Housing Providers (not property developers which can be registered as CHPs).