27 February 2012
Sydneys growth over the next 25 years could lead to the need for 500,000 new apartments says the Urban Taskforce.
Sydney is at a tipping point where the character of the city is evolving from a suburban model to a more urban model, says Urban Taskforce CEO Chris Johnson.
Increasingly, younger people are preferring to live close to amenities including shops, transport and work even if this means a different type of house.
With the Metropolitan Plan targeting 770,000 new housing units by 2036 and 70% of these likely to be in infill sites, we believe, the best way to accommodate this increased growth is in apartments up to 25 metres in height. To accommodate 500,000 apartments in 6 storey buildings would require 15 square kilometres of land which is far more efficient than the 225 square kilometres required for 500,000 detached houses.
The Urban Taskforce in its submission to the review of SEPP 65, the policy that covers the design of residential flats, says the big issue now is supply not design.
The design of apartments has improved dramatically since the SEPP was introduced 10 years ago. Mr Johnson said. What we now need is to drive the supply of well designed apartment buildings in appropriate locations.
The Urban Taskforce has published a magazine called Urban Ideas, devoted to the issue of how Sydney can accommodate 500,000 new apartments. A seven step plan is proposed that calls for stronger state leadership and better ways to involve communities in the early strategic planning stages. The Taskforce also proposes, that all apartment building proposals should be determined by the Joint Regional Planning Panels.
The most important initiative to drive supply is to use a Code Assessable system for apartments below 25 metres. This is based on the successful Queensland model where up to 80% of all applications are determined in this manner.
Community involvement needs to be focussed at the early planning stages so that the detailed assessment is made in relation to the controls for height, bulk and setbacks agreed by the community. If the project fits into these code-based rules then there is no need to advertise.
The Urban Ideas magazine contains many suggestions about how SEPP 65 can be modified and how design advice is best given.
Essentially we need a simpler planning system, says Chris Johnson. Our concern is that the number of rules now applying to apartment buildings means we are getting Design by Regulation not Design by Innovation.
The Urban Taskforce supports the requirement for architects to design this building type but we should then not tell the architects how to design the building through a multitude of micro controls.
To contribute positive ideas to the growth of Sydney the Urban Taskforce asked six of Sydneys top architects and urban designers to develop ideas for built solutions. (see www.urbantaskforce.com.au)
The Urban Taskforce is a property development industry group, representing Australias most prominent property developers and equity financiers.