By ANNA USHER

Local councils will fight against proposed housing reforms after new mapping reveals an alarming number of streets could be impacted by the construction of multi-storey units.

Mosman and North Sydney councils are pushing back on the NSW Government planning changes to address the housing shortage by meeting a target of 377,000 new homes across NSW by 2029.

The planning changes include provisions for housing up to 21m tall – or about the size of a six-storey building – within 400m of areas defined as ‘local centres’ and buildings up to 16m – or about the size of a four-storey building – in areas up to 800m walking distance.

It means a development surge may be likely around Mosman and Spit Junction town centres, stretching from MacPherson St to parts of Beauty Point and across to the Balmoral slopes.

In North Sydney, a change to planning laws could see a housing explosion in Waverton, Kirribilli, Neutral Bay and Wollstonecraft.

“If enacted, these proposals would represent a transformative change to the built form planning controls in Mosman and will result in substantially larger built forms, dwelling yield and future population than previously anticipated,” a Mosman Council spokesperson said.

At the February meeting, the Council unanimously resolved to endorse a submission to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, raising severe concerns about the proposals outlined by the government in its consultation document.

Mark Monk, the Director and Chief Executive of developers Helm told the Mosman Daily the reforms would support a diversity of housing on the north shore.

”The last development we undertook in Mosman took us 7.5 years to get over the line, and it sold out in two hours – highlighting the demand,” he said.

“The reality is there have been very few rezonings in Mosman over the last 40 years, and we’ve got a database of people wanting to downsize into apartments but won’t move because they can’t find anywhere close to the suburb they’ve lived in all their lives,” he said.

“As a consequence, you have two people living in a five-bedroom home while younger families aren’t able to move into homes.

“If we don’t provide a diverse range of housing, we won’t have a diverse community, and we’re already seeing that in Mosman.”

On Wednesday, Mosman Council announced they will host a special “Town Hall” meeting on Monday, 19 February, for residents to learn more about the proposed changes.

“This is a very important issue for Mosman and for all communities across Sydney,” Mayor Carolyn Corrigan said.

“ The NSW Government’s housing reforms have the potential to significantly change future housing densities here and elsewhere.  The Information Session next Monday evening will provide interested residents with more information on the potential impacts.”

This gathering – to be held from 7pm to 8pm at the Mosman Art Gallery – will assist anyone wanting to make a submission by the NSW Government’s deadline of Friday, 23 February.

Register to attend HERE.