Increasing taxes and charges on the development industry will only make it harder for the next generation to buy a home, a leading Illawarra body says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Urban Development Institute of Australia represents the property development sector’s interests.
The UDIA NSW Illawarra Committee had its first meeting of the year last week.
Illawarra chair Tamara Rasmussen said their working groups will focus on housing diversity, infrastructure, biodiversity reform and community housing.
UDIA NSW’s Greater Western Sydney & Southern Region manager Keiran Thomas said with state and federal elections in the first half of the year, they were focusing on driving home the message that increasing taxes and charges on the development industry will only make it harder for the next generation to buy a home.
"Charges for local infrastructure and biodiversity off-sets are increasing, making fewer housing projects feasible," he said.
"We need the government to support housing affordability by forward-funding crucial infrastructure like road upgrades in West Dapto."
Mr Thomas also said they hoped to see the Low Rise Medium Density Housing Code begin applying in the Illawarra in July, as well as more focus by councils on allowing smaller housing lots.
The new code was due to come into effect last July.
The state government’s code would allow one and two-storey dual occupancies, manor houses and terraces to be carried out under a fast-track complying development approval.
A manor house is a two-storey building that contains three or four dwellings under one roof, designed to appear as a double storey house from the street.
Low rise medium density housing as complying development would only be allowed where medium density development is already permitted under a council’s Local Environmental Plan.
However, it was announced in July that following requests, the state government had deferred the code’s introduction for many councils until July 2019.
Councils with deferral included Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery previously described the code as “medium density by stealth”.
Meanwhile, UDIA NSW will host an 'Illawarra Biodiversity Briefing' on Thursday, April 4 at City Beach Function Centre, Wollongong.
The event will aim to investigate how to balance the environment and development in the Illawarra region.
A panel of experts will present possible solutions to the region's biodiversity challenges. These include Steve Hartley, who has led the Department of Planning and Environment’s conservation planning in many NSW regions.
More details here.