• What are some of the myths around the Local Housing Strategy?

• We have received a number of submissions on the draft strategy and various feedback through our communication channels also.

  We thought it would be useful to provide initial responses to some of the issues that have been raised so far.

  1. Close down the beaches – we are full.

  We understand many people would like to have a zero housing target for the future but the reality is that Sydney’s population is predicted to continue to grow and our area is required by the NSW government to take a share. We are living longer, still having children and still taking migration. And people downsizing on the Beaches want choice and want to stay local.

  Council has always advocated for appropriate infrastructure to come ahead of any proposed growth which is why we have the significant road upgrades around the new hospital and a commitment to increase capacity of the new rapid transit bus system from Dee Why to Chatswood ahead of development planned for Frenches Forest.

  Other local infrastructure and services required for the future would be determined during detailed planning and in consultation with the community and State government.

  2. Our housing targets are too high

  Our peninsula, topography and lack of transport options mean we have very low housing targets compared with much of the rest of Sydney. For example, the Greater Sydney Commission targets for 2016-2021 for the Northern Beaches was 3,400 whereas it was 11,800 for Camden, 8,250 for Liverpool, 7,600 for Ryde and 4,000 for Ku-ring-gai.

  3. The targets will result in rezoning areas and increasing density

  Much of the projected population growth can be accommodated in areas already zoned for growth, for example Dee Why and Warriewood, and in areas where growth is planned, for example Frenchs Forest and Ingleside. The Strategy recommends looking at other areas to accommodate the remaining growth, but this won’t need to be of significant scale to meet our targets.

  Specifically, the projected overall housing target to 2036 is 11,995 additional dwellings. Our current controls could deliver 10,751 of these dwellings. This leaves a difference of 1,244 dwellings. Proposed development at Ingleside and the Brookvale Structure Plan are likely to assist to meet the full target which means we don’t need to make big changes elsewhere.

  4. Our housing mix is fine as it is

  Right now we have a lot of detached houses and apartments and not much of what is called the ‘missing middle’. What we need to consider is more townhouses, terraces and shared housing in our strategic centres, within the 1km radius of those transport and employment hubs.

  A greater diversity of housing types allow older people to downsize and provides an entry to the market for young people and essential workers such as nurses and teachers, who may not earn sufficient income to afford stand alone housing forms in our expensive housing market.

  5. Mona Vale will be full of high rise

  We stand by the undertaking not to increase heights in Mona Vale and we can categorically rule out concerns we have heard of 7-9 storey height limits. We will make that clearer in the next version of the draft document.

  6. The community won’t get the chance to have a say on changes

  Where the draft Strategy identifies an area for investigation, that’s what it means.

  Investigations would include a study of each area and include extensive consultation with that local community in the development of a plan. Any plan developed would then be subject to a separate engagement process in accordance with State Planning legislation before it would take effect.

• How has community input been incorporated into the final strategy?

• Feedback collected through the development of our Local Strategic Planning Statement – Towards 2040, Northern Beaches Housing Strategy Issues and Opportunities Paper and draft local housing strategy has been used to develop and refine the final strategy.

  We also held a series of focus groups in mid 2020 to help us refine the draft strategy prior to exhibition of the draft.

• What is a Centres Renewal Framework?

• This is the approach taken in the Draft Northern Beaches Local Housing Strategy to plan for new medium to higher density housing around the five centres located on the B-Line.

  It identifies investigation areas within one kilometre of these centres that will be subject to separate detailed master-planning and public consultation process.

  Detailed information about the Centres Renewal Framework can be found in Draft Northern Beaches Local Housing Strategy (pg.8).

• Why is a centres-based approach being considered?

• NSW Government planning strategies as well as our Local Strategic Planning Statement look to locate housing in centres that have good accessibility to public transport and other services.

  Other factors considered include:

  • areas on key transport corridors/B-Line
  • local hubs for employment and services
  • building on existing small-scale characteristics and areas with amenities or assets that could support modest additional development

  
  

• Which areas have been identified to accommodate housing demand?

• Areas within a one-kilometre radius of Brookvale, Dee Why, Mona Vale, Manly Vale and Narrabeen along the existing B-Line route and close to services and infrastructure have been identified as the best locations to investigate medium-higher density development housing options in the medium-term which are in keeping with the character of those areas, subject to a separate detailed master-planning process that would involve extensive community consultation.

  Low to medium density housing (such as dual occupancies) is proposed within a one kilometre radius of a number of local centres including Avalon, Newport, Warriewood, Terrey Hills, Belrose, Forestville, Beacon Hill, Freshwater, Balgowlah and Manly

  In the longer-term, Forestville and Beacon Hill could be explored as areas for more detailed master-planning, dependant on a second B-Line bus route to Chatswood.

  Full details on proposed growth areas is available on Draft Northern Beaches Local Housing Strategy

  (pg.8).

  
  

  Updated on 10 February 2021.

• What is ​affordable housing?

• Affordable Housing are homes for very low income households, low income households or moderate income households.

  This is often provided through a housing assistance program that provides rental dwellings for a specified level of below market rent price.

  As a rule of thumb, housing is usually considered affordable if it costs less than 30% of gross household income.

• Why is a target for affordable housing important?

• The high property prices and rents in the area reduces housing options for young people, our aging population and for key workers in service industries and retail.

  At present we have a shortage of 8,100 social and affordable housing dwellings on the northern beaches, and that shortage will grow to close to 10,000 dwellings by 2036.

  Council is proposing to adopt this future shortfall (1,880 dwellings) as a target, which means we will plan for the additional forecasted shortfall in social and affordable housing to 2036 to provide more diverse housing options for our community.

• What happens if we do nothing?

• If we do nothing, the Northern Beaches Council will have less control over the type and location of housing that is built in the future.

• Was an additional report added to the project page?

• Yes, a more legible version of the Submission Summary Report was added as a stand alone document as it was brought to our attention that the version embedded within the Community and Stakeholder Engagement Report was difficult to read.

  All content remains the same.

Housing strategy - general information

• Why do we need a local housing strategy?

• The NSW Government requires all Councils to deliver additional housing to accommodate the expected growth of Greater Sydney over the next 20 years.

  This process involves responding to priorities identified in strategic regional and district plans that have been developed by the Greater Sydney Commission.

  The Northern Beaches Council is located in the North District and is required to respond to the Greater Sydney Region Plan - A Metropolis of Three Cities, and the North District Plan.

• What is the objective of the Northern Beaches Local Housing Strategy?

• The Northern Beaches Local Housing Strategy outlines Council’s approach to managing the location, type and amount of new housing to meet the needs of the community to 2036.

• Does every Council have to prepare a local housing strategy?

• All Sydney Metropolitan Councils are required to respond to the priorities identified in the Regional and District plans which include an action to prepare a Local Housing Strategy. In 2019, the State Department of Planning, Industry and Environment released a Local Housing Strategy Guideline and Template.

  The Draft Northern Beaches Local Housing Strategy has been prepared in accordance with this template. All Councils in the North District are in the process of preparing, exhibiting and finalising a housing strategy.

• How will the Northern Beaches Local Housing Strategy affect Council owned property?

• The Northern Beaches Local Housing Strategy sets the direction for new housing in the Northern Beaches.

  Any proposals for the re-zoning or redevelopment of Council-owned property will be assessed and considered against the directions in the strategy in the same way as proposals for private land.

• Why is the local housing strategy important?

• The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment released updated population projections in December 2019 for the Northern Beaches Local Government Area.

  These projections estimate that by 2036, the Northern Beaches resident population will reach 288,431 people – an increase of 22,000 people over the next 20 years. This will will equate to an 8 per cent increase since 2016, which represents relatively modest growth compared to many parts of Greater Sydney.

  Couple families with children will continue to be the most common household type, however, there is expected to be an increase in lone person households and our ageing population. A range of housing types and affordability levels are needed to meet this demand.

• Why do we have to plan for growth?

• There will be increases in population across Greater Sydney over the next 20 years. The population of the Northern Beaches is growing and community needs are changing.

  If we don’t plan for change now, we will not have a considered approach to meeting current and future residents’ needs. For example, enabling our population to age in place, and to providing affordable housing options for our children.

  Council and the community can work together to influence the way in which change occurs. Acting now will help to ensure that the things we most cherish about the character and lifestyle of the Northern Beaches can be maintained and enhanced.

  The local housing strategy is about setting a plan in place so that the future of the Northern Beaches is sustainable and our quality of life is the best it can be.

• What is housing affordability?

• Housing affordability relates to the general affordability of both rental and purchase housing on the open market, and is not limited to those on low to moderate incomes.