Affordable Rental Housing SEPP

SEPP (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009

The Affordable Rental Housing SEPP is designed to retain and increase the amount and diversity of affordable housing in NSW. The SEPP aims to better encourage home owners, social housing providers and developers to invest and create new affordable rental housing to meet the needs of our growing population and existing residents. In particular, the SEPP:

• encourages partnerships between private and not-for-profit housing providers,
• assists in the provision of housing closer to major employment areas, consistent with the State Plan,
• mitigates against the loss of any existing affordable housing,
• positions NSW to be a beneficiary of major Australian Government housing funding programs,
• supports innovative affordable housing styles, including granny flats and new style boarding houses,
• delivers good urban design outcomes.

Further information on affordable housing and how the SEPP applies is provided on the Department of Planning's website.

Affordable Housing Strategy

On 20 October 2008, Council adopted the North Sydney Affordable Housing Strategy, 2008. The overarching aim of the Strategy is "to maintain and increase the amount of affordable rental stock in North Sydney LGA and ensure the long-term sustainability of Council's involvement in affordable housing. It is proposed to achieve this by implementing a number of strategies.

 Affordable Housing Strategy (1.68MB)
 Affordable Housing background report (2.98MB)

The commencement of the Affordable Rental Housing SEPP has implications for the implementation of the strategies within Council's Affordable Housing Strategy, primarily due to shifts in policy for the provision and retention of affordable housing. Council is currently considering the extent of these impacts on the Strategy.