Low and mid-rise housing reforms
The NSW Government released the low and mid-rise housing reforms on 28 February 2025. The reforms allow a wider range of low and mid-rise housing within walking distance of shops, services, and public transport across NSW. These changes aim to increase housing choice for people at different life stages and support more sustainable urban growth.
‘Low-rise housing’ is generally 1–2 storeys and includes dual occupancies (2 dwellings on the same lot), terraces, townhouses and low-rise apartment buildings (manor houses). It does not include freestanding houses.
‘Mid-rise housing’ is generally 3–6 storey apartment buildings.
The low and mid-rise housing reforms increase development capacity on land zoned R2 Low Density Residential, R3 Medium Density Residential and R4 High Density Residential that is near a ‘station or town centre precinct’.
This includes land:
- within 800m walking distance of a heavy rail, metro or light rail station (including Crows Nest, Milsons Point, St Leonards, Victoria Cross, Waverton and Wollstonecraft stations)
- within 800m walking distance of a 'town centre' (including Cremorne and Neutral Bay town centres)
You can see the indicative areas affected by the low and mid-rise housing reforms on the NSW Government’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy Indicative Map.
The low and mid-rise reforms apply to heritage conservation areas, however they do not apply to land that contains heritage items.
Land is also excluded from the reforms if it is within the Crows Nest TOD precinct or is bushfire prone.
What is now allowed in North Sydney
The low and mid-rise reforms prevail over Council’s local controls. The most significant changes in the North Sydney Council area are:
- manor houses and multi-dwelling housing are now permitted within the R2 Low Density Residential zone
- residential flat buildings and shop top housing are now permitted on land zoned R2 Low Density Residential and R3 Medium Density Residential
The reforms allow:
- dual occupancies of up to 9.5m (current height limit of 8.5m) and floor space ratio (FSR) of 0.65:1 on land in a residential zone
- multi dwelling housing, multi dwelling housing (terraces) and attached dwellings of up to 9.5m and a FSR of 0.7:1 on land in a residential zone
- residential flat buildings within 400m walking distance of a station or Town Centre on land zoned R3 Medium Density Residential or R4 High Density Residential of up to 22m (6 storeys)
- shop top housing on land zoned R3 or R4 of up to 24m (6 storeys)
- residential flat buildings and shop top housing within 400m-800m walking distance of a station or Town Centre on land zoned R3 and R4 of up to 17.5m (4 storeys) and FSR of 1.5:1
- residential flat buildings and shop top housing on land zoned R2 of up to 9.5m and a FSR of 0.8:1
- residential flat buildings and shop top housing within 400m walking distance of a station or Town Centre on land zoned R3 or R4 of up to a FSR of 2.2:1 and height of 22m (for a residential flat building) or 24m (for shop top housing)
Council submissions
You can read:
- Council’s submission to the Department from 23 February 2024
- Council's revised submission from 21 June 2024
More information
For more information, please see the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure's webpage about its Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy.
You can also watch Council's recorded information session about the low and mid-rise housing reforms.