The Opposition Spokesperson for Planning, Scott Farlow gave notice of his intention to introduce the Bill in the NSW Legislative Council that would allow for the abolition of Transport Oriented Development (TOD) scheme locations.

This would provide Mr Farlow and the Liberals and Nationals with the opportunity to stop any or all of the 37 different TOD locations.

Since the 30th May 2024, Development Applications have been able to be submitted at the 37 TOD sites.

Abolition of these locations would have a significant impact on feasibility of developments as well as business confidence in developing homes in NSW.

So far twelve of the thirteen councils with TOD locations have reached agreement with the government to plan for more housing. Ku-ring-gai is the only council who has not.

Ironically, Mr Farlow has waited until the very day that the Ku-ring-gai Council is to debate a motion to ‘constructively work with’ the Government and the Minister for Planning on the TOD SEPP. 

This is a desperate attempt by an Opposition with no plan to address the housing crisis, to stop the development of new homes for those in desperate need.

It is extraordinary that in the middle of a housing crisis, the Opposition has decided to introduce legislation in fear of Ku-ring-gai Council joining every other council in the TOD program and working with government to implement their own plan to increase housing supply.

The Opposition has decided to take the extraordinary step of legislating to stop housing, this is despite support from councils, housing advocacy groups, and developer peak groups.

Not content with abandoning young people and families in government by refusing to address the housing crisis, the Liberal National Opposition are now trying to confine another generation of young people and families to not being able to afford to rent or buy a home.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully

“Menzies would be rolling in his grave to see that the NSW Liberal Party is playing politics with an issue as critical as housing for the ‘forgotten people’ the Liberal party says it represents.

“The fact that this has been introduced on the very day that Ku-ring-gai Council is debating a motion to work with the Government to produce a housing plan demonstrates just how cynical the Opposition is.

“Rather than supporting a program that every serious commentator has applauded as increasing housing supply, they instead want to legislate to disallow that program to support the last council resisting increasing housing supply.”

Support for the TOD program from Councils, housing advocacy groups and developer peak groups:

Sydney Yimby: 

1. “These changes are the best thing to happen for young people’s housing prospects in decades. Increasing density around train stations not only makes housing more affordable, it creates walkable communities that rely more on public and active transport than cars.”

Housing Now! 

1. “The Housing Now! Alliance today expressed strong support for the NSW Government's latest announcement on the expansion of the Transport Oriented Development (TOD) planning reforms. The expansion of the TOD SEPP represents a significant milestone in addressing the housing crisis in NSW. As NSW faces an unprecedented housing crisis, the importance of initiatives like the TOD SEPP cannot be overstated.

St George Community Housing 

1. “St George Community Housing (SGCH), the largest community housing provider in NSW, has welcomed the NSW Government announcement of major planning changes for Transport Oriented Development that will enable delivery of more homes within 400m of identified stations.  This is a significant step towards unlocking more homes. Crucially the government is also mandating a minimum 2% affordable housing contribution on all new developments in these locations. 

Committee for Sydney 

1. “When this program was announced we said it was big, bold, and blunt. With the announcement that 12 councils have entered into agreements with the NSW Government to deliver joint housing strategies, I’m willing to upgrade this to big, bold and balanced. It’s rare to see this amount of progress achieved in just under a year.” 

Inner West Council 

1. “Inner West Council welcomes the decision of the NSW Government to allow planning powers over locations around 4 train stations in the Inner West to remain with Council.” 

Planning Institute Australia  

1. “The TOD SEPP contains measures that unlock growth potential.” 

Urban Taskforce CEO, Tom Forrest

1. “Today welcomed the announcement by the Premier of NSW, Chris Minns and Planning Minister, Paul Scully, on a two-tiered approach to Transport Oriented Developments (TODs) to deliver more housing around heavy rail and metro stations.” 

UDIA 

1. “The TOD program will help deliver liveable and connected new communities and make huge inroads to delivering our Housing Accord targets.” 

Property Council 

1. “We applaud the NSW Government for delivering this bold and significant planning reform so quickly.”  

Even the Liberals themselves (well – at least the young ones!) have supported the program:

1. “The Young Liberals are siding with the Minns government over its plan to increase housing density around train stations, urging their parliamentary colleagues to help Labor achieve its targets.” Sydney Morning Herald March 8, 2024

Chanum Torres – President of NSW Young Liberals, 4 January 2024 

1. “The Liberal party needs to be bold and tackle this issue at the root: supply. High density housing, done well in areas well-serviced by transport-links and public utilities, is the path forward.  It may not be politically expedient in the short term. Nimbyism is a force to contend with. But it is the right thing to do to broaden out the opportunity and to ensure that Australians my age have a fair go at building a future for themselves and their families.”