New plan for Wilton North is great news for housing affordability but should not come with more taxes on homes

New plan for Wilton North is great news for housing affordability but should not come with more taxes on homes
Joel RobinsonDecember 7, 2020

Guest observer

The release of the draft precinct plan for the new community of Wilton North will provide a diverse range of homes and assist housing affordability in Sydney.

The announcement by the Minister for Planning and Housing, Anthony Roberts, of the plans for the new community which will provide 5,600 new homes is fantastic news and will assist in alleviating Sydney’s ongoing housing affordability crisis.

The plans include a mix of housing types detached, semi-detached, terraces, townhouses and medium density - so older people, families with children, singles and couples can access housing suitable for their needs.

Provision of infrastructure to this new community is absolutely critical in ensuring Wilton north is an amenable and accessible area

New housing supply is absolutely critical to bringing down home prices and getting families and first home buyers into the property market.

The NSW Government has recently removed the cap on local infrastructure contributions an upfront payment which is added onto the cost of a new home. Councils have already indicated that they are looking to increase these contributions to up to $80,000 per dwelling an astronomical increase which could put homes out of reach of first home buyers and others struggling to enter the property market.

State and local governments have been keen to take advantage of the property boom by putting extra costs and taxes on property development. This only has the negative effect of ‘killing the goose that laid the golden egg’.

Planning for this new suburb must be streamlined and efficient. Often the planning process can lag for years before there are homes on the ground. Families need homes now and the less red tape and bureaucracy in the planning process, the faster we will see more dwellings put out to the market.

The Urban Taskforce is keen to be involved in discussions with the NSW Government to ensure that planning for this new area takes place in a timely manner and with appropriate densities to accommodate Sydney’s growing population. 

Chris Johnson is the Urban Taskforce CEO.

Joel Robinson

Joel Robinson is a property journalist based in Sydney. Joel has been writing about the residential real estate market for the last five years, specializing in market trends and the economics and finance behind buying and selling real estate.

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