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Introduction
The NSW Government is addressing the housing shortage, including affordable housing, through reforms that have affected the permissibility, built form scale and approval processes of housing across NSW. These reforms came into effect in 2024 and 2025.
Over the coming years, we may start to see visible changes to building heights and density across our local government area. This will depend on uptake by landowners and developers, and the approval and construction process for each project.
The following pages cover the most significant changes and initiatives the NSW Government has introduced that affect our area. Council has compiled this information to help explain the changes, in particular how they may affect the North Sydney local government area. For the most detailed and up-to-date information, please see the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure website.
Crows Nest Transport Oriented Development precinct
The NSW Government’s Transport Oriented Development (TOD) program focuses on delivering more housing near metro and rail stations. This is so more people can live close to transport, jobs and services.
There are two parts to the program:
- TOD Accelerated Precincts: Crows Nest is one of eight precincts in the metropolitan area that have been subject to a State-led design and rezoning process.
- Amending State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) (TOD SEPP): This policy will enable higher-density housing within 400m of 37 other station precincts. These changes do not apply to the North Sydney local government area (LGA).
Crows Nest State-led rezoning
On 27 November 2024, the NSW Government rezoned land around the Crows Nest TOD precinct. The State-led rezoning provides:
- capacity for 5,900 new homes to be built (in addition to the 3,200 already rezoned under the previous St Leonards and Crows Nest 2036 Plan)
- capacity for approximately 2,500 new jobs
- a minimum of 3% affordable housing in all new residential development and between 5% and 18% for key sites
- floor space ratios (FSRs) of up to 20:1
- a range of building heights from 6 up to 62 storeys across the precinct
Permissible building heights in the Crows Nest TOD precinct. Source: Crows Nest TOD Precinct Urban Design Report, p. 92
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Tall, mixed-use and commercial towers will be concentrated along the Pacific Highway from St Leonards Station through to the Five Ways intersection at Crows Nest. A 62-storey tower will be located on the Royal North Shore Hospital site in the Willoughby LGA. 18-storey towers are now permissible along Clarke Street in front of Hume Street Park in Crows Nest Village.
The Crows Nest TOD precinct extends west to Lithgow Street, River Road and Gillies Street in Wollstonecraft. This area will support a mix of 6 to 16-storey apartment buildings.
A potential new open space has been identified for the corner of Christie and Oxley Streets.
Council submissions
You can read Council’s submission in response to the original rezoning proposal, which was exhibited in July and August 2024.
You can also read Council's previous correspondence with the Department of Planning regarding funding of essential community infrastructure in the TOD precinct and the Department's response.
After the TOD rezoning came into effect, Council staff prepared a report discussing the key issues and implications, as well as post-exhibition changes, for North Sydney Council.
More information
For more information, please see the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure's webpage about the Crows Nest TOD.
You can also watch Council's recorded information session about the Crows Nest TOD.
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.
Housing Delivery Authority and State significant developments
The NSW Government established the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) to accelerate the delivery of new housing. The HDA allows major housing developments to be assessed as:
- State significant developments (SSDs) or
- State significant developments with a concurrent rezoning
A development is considered to be State significant if it is over a specific size, is in an environmentally sensitive area, or will exceed a specific capital investment value.
Major developments within the Crows Nest Transport Oriented Development (TOD) precinct (valued at over $60 million) are also assessed by the NSW Government as SSDs.
The HDA initially evaluates proposals submitted by applicants through an expression of interest process. It then recommends to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces whether they should be declared as an SSD.
After the Minister declares it as an SSD, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure assesses the application to determine whether it should be approved (with or without amendments) or refused.
Applicants can also lodge a concurrent rezoning to facilitate the development.
The HDA meets regularly and publicly notifies the applications that do or do not meet the criteria to be declared as SSDs. A list of the applications and determinations are published on the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure's webpage about its Housing Delivery Authority.