18 March 2016

The Council on Federal Financial Relations has formed an Affordable Housing Working Group to examine innovative ways to fund affordable housing. The Urban Taskforce submission suggested that a model similar to the National Rental Affordability Scheme could be developed that would attract institutional investment.

11 March 2016

The City of Sydney Council exhibited the draft City of Sydney Developer Contributions Plan 2015, which included increasing contributions for certain areas, changing precinct boundaries and make minor changes to definitions. The Urban Taskforce submission raised concerns regarding the contribution requirements for open space, which could not be justified as councils open space plan is not complete or publicly available.

19 February 2016

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal produced a draft report of a review of the reporting and compliance burdens on local government. The Urban Taskforce submission addressed fees, data sharing, e-planning and suggested a one stop shop be adopted to streamline development processes.

19 December 2015

Urban Growth NSW exhibited the Draft Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy outlining the future. transport and land use plans for the Corridor. The Urban Taskforce submission raised concerns regarding infrastructure funding mechanisms, employment and housing targets, performance monitoring, rezoning of land and governance.

14 October 2015

NSW Fair Trading conducted a review of ‘off the plan’ property sales, after concerns were raised regarding improper use of the ‘sunset clause’. The Urban Taskforce submission stated that the unethical use of the sunset clause is not supported and should be prevented, the extent of the misuse should be identified, and any proposed reforms to the current system should not unfairly disadvantage property developers.

28 September 2015

The Building Professionals Act 2005 was reviewed to determined its validity and effectiveness, examine building and subdivision certification and its application in the wider building industry and make recommendations for reform. The Urban Taskforce submission raised concerns regarding inconsistent and fragmented approaches to building standards and certification, the need to simplify the legislation and adopt more efficient online system and the need for more resourcing, training and support for certifiers.

28 October 2014

To avoid detrimental impact on housing affordability and project feasibility, the Government must immediately take action to ensure that until the draft SEPP and Guide are finalised, no
consideration or weight be given to them by a consent authority when making a determination of a development application. Unless this is done, Government will be shown to be pursuing a policy reform agenda that is in no way making apartment development more affordable.

31 October 2014

The Urban Taskforce argues that the draft State Environmental Planning Policy No 65 – Design Quality of Residential Flat Development and draft Apartment Design Guide try to do more than needed. That is, the draft guideline includes far too many performance criteria and acceptable solutions, particularly when it is understood that by law, only registered architects are able to design residential flat buildings in New South Wales.

14 February 2014

While supporting the general direction of the changes to BASIX we are concerned about timing relative to the current concerns with housing affordability.  We are aware that the NSW Government is looking at a number of regulatory changes to prescribed payments, bonds for defects and even levies to subsidise lower cost housing and that all of these could lift NSW housing costs by around 10%.  The Urban Taskforce argues that more stringent BASIX requirements which will increase the cost of new housing should not be introduced at this point in time.

19 December 2013

The Planning Bill has not yet cleared parliament and we argue that the

suggested amendments to the Bill will significantly reduce its effectiveness and cannot be supported by the Urban Taskforce in its current form. However, the Green and White Papers outline changes to the planning system that do not require the introduction of new legislation and we say that their proper implementation would achieve much for the development industry and delivery of urgently needed housing.