Hornsby Shire Council Mayor, Philip Ruddock AO says the Council is committed to meeting the NSW Government’s new local housing target, but says the key to delivery is collaboration between all levels of Government.
“Hornsby Shire Council has a proven track record of delivering a variety of housing in the Shire that meets our obligations to State and Federal Governments appropriately, while maintaining the character of our area and meeting expectations from our diverse and unique community,” said Mayor Ruddock.
“And we are proud that our hard work has put us in good stead to meet our recently announced target, which is necessary to address housing supply and affordability issues.
“However, we are mindful that planning for additional housing opportunities should be responsive to the environmental constraints of our Shire, our character and the expectations of our community.”
The Mayor (pictured) said the Council has engaged with the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully, who acknowledged the area’s special characteristics which include heritage, flooding and bushfire management.
“We also hope the provision of new housing is supported by the coordinated delivery of essential infrastructure to ensure the current and future community experiences a liveable and sustainable environment,” he said.
The NSW Government has issued a housing target of 5,500 new dwellings for Hornsby Shire – just 600 more than the Council’s 2023 Town Centre Masterplan identified.
“This target will only be achieved through collaboration by all levels of government, key agencies, development industry and our community to best plan for housing into the future.”
“While Council provides a planning framework to facilitate housing provision, the construction of housing is undertaken by the development industry. Current market conditions, including construction costs, interest rates and labour shortages are constraints to housing provision that are beyond our control,” said Mayor Ruddock.
Meanwhile, Penrith City Council says its new 2024-29 target of 8,400 new homes is in line with its Local Housing Strategy (2021) which sets out housing delivery over a 5, 10 and 20 year horizon.
“Penrith City Council has consistently met or exceeded previous housing targets for the Local Government Area (LGA) and is again on track to meet the 2021-26 target of 4,400 new dwellings. This will bring delivery of new dwellings to 11,900 since 2016 which is 1,500 more than targeted,” a Council spokesperson said.
“Council is committed to working with the NSW Government on setting evidence-based and infrastructure-supported housing targets while improving the identification, coordination and delivery of infrastructure with state and federal government.”
