Coffs Harbour council seeks to unlock housing supply through planning rule change

City of Coffs Harbour Council has announced it will lodge a proposal with the NSW Government to reduce the minimum lot size required for dual occupancy across the region.

The proposal, under which 5,000 additional properties would be eligible for dual occupancy development, aims to increase the variety and supply of affordable housing in existing neighbourhoods already serviced by infrastructure, community facilities and public spaces.

The Council says it will also help reduce urban sprawl.

While dual occupancies are currently a permissible land use in zone R2 Low Density Residential, they are restricted to lots that are at least 800 square-metres in area. The Council’s planning proposal seeks to remove this restriction. 

“We see this as an enabler for a greater variety and supply of affordable housing in existing neighbourhoods,” said Mayor, Nikki Williams.

“In particular the change would promote infill development, supporting a compact urban form to help reduce urban sprawl. It’s about looking to encourage development in established urban areas already serviced by infrastructure, community facilities and public spaces.” 

Importantly, the planning proposal is linked to an associated amendment to the Development Control Plan which looks to assure good development outcomes, the Council said in a statement.

The proposal – endorsed by Council at its 23 July meeting – will now be lodged with the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure for gateway determination. 

City Planning and Communities Director, Ian Fitzgibbon said associated amendments to the Coffs Harbour Development Control Plan would ensure high-quality urban design. 

“We’re looking at design-based controls for dual occupancies within the zone R2 Low Density Residential, which would address matters such as built form, streetscape presentation, landscaping and residential amenity,” Mr Fitzgibbon said. 

“It’s an approach which would balance the need for greater housing diversity while staying in keeping with the prevailing character of a neighbourhood.” 

Suggested provisions include:

• Ensure development sites have sufficient width to accommodate two dwellings, vehicular access and parking, boundary setbacks and landscaping;
• Ensure development does not create unreasonable impacts on adjoining development as a result of vehicular access, manoeuvring and parking;  
• Ensure street-facing facades and front setback areas present a positive appearance to the street and are not visually dominated by car parking and driveways; and 
• Ensure that each dwelling in a dual occupancy is recognisable as a distinct dwelling. 

“We’re striving to accommodate the needs of a growing and changing population by providing additional housing options for families, smaller households, older residents and key workers,” Mr Fitzgibbon said. 

The Council says its proposal has the potential to increase the supply of dwellings within the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area, with the number of lots in zone R2 Low Density Residential permitted to develop a dual occupancy increasing to approximately 11,000, up from approximately 6,000 currently.