Following the announcement by the NSW Government of a housing target of 5,500 new dwellings for Hornsby Shire, Hornsby Shire Council has confirmed its proactive and innovative planning has put it on the front foot to reach its target.
Adopted in 2023, the Hornsby Town Centre Masterplan demonstrates Council’s most recent commitment to the provision of housing, identifying opportunities for over 4,900 new dwellings in slender residential towers supported by open spaces reflective of the Shire’s bushland identity, a new multi-purpose community facility, pedestrian, cycling networks and enhanced public transport access.
Council’s commitment to delivering a diverse range of housing is outlined in its adopted Local Housing Strategy, which was prepared after extensive consultation with the Hornsby Shire community and includes other initiatives such identifying opportunities for medium density housing.
“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 Hornsby Shire Mayor the Hon Philip Ruddock AO.
“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.
“We have engaged with the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the Hon Paul Scully, who acknowledged our 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.”
Mayor Ruddock went on to emphasise that the recently announced target requires collaboration and commitment by all levels of government.
“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.
“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.”
