Woolworths Faces Criticism Over Affordable housing Component in North Sydney Development โฃPlan
NORTH SYDNEY โฃ- Woolworths is facing scrutiny over its proposed development on Sydney’s Northโฃ Shore, with concerns raised that โthe supermarket giant โis leveraging an โขaffordable housing component to gainโ approval for a significantly larger building. The โคcompany has appliedโ to the Department โof Planning โfor a โฃrezoning review that would allow it to โฃincrease the building’s height from 31โฃ metres to 44 metresโ and expand โtheโ maximum floor space.
Theโค development’sโค inclusion of affordable housing is a keyโ consideration in its request for State Critically important โขDevelopment (SSD) status, which would bypass local council approval and allow Woolworths to seek planning permission directly from the state goverment. โขSSD designationโ is granted,in part,based on criteria including โaffordable housing provisions.
North Sydney โฃMayor Zoรซ Baker isโฃ advocating for any affordable housing units โขincluded in the project to be offeredโค “in perpetuity,” meaning permanently, to match the โคlifespan of the increased building height and density. “The โขincreased height and density will remain for the lifeโฃ of the building and the affordable housing component โought to, too,” she said.
NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully statedโ the state government supports affordable housing in โฃnew developments, “whether its โfor 15 yearsโค or โคin perpetuity,” adding that โขa 15-year provision would “help NSW to have a rolling โคsupply of affordable housing stock.”
Woolworths’ development โฃapplication seeks to increaseโ both the height and floor space of โคthe proposed building, potentially setting a โprecedentโค for future developments utilizing affordable housing as a pathway to increased density. The Department ofโ planning will now review โthe application โand consider the rezoning request.