Latest news with #UrbanDevelopmentInstituteofAustralia
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
NSW needs to build thousands more homes. Developers say this change will help
The NSW opposition has seized on proposed changes to the way developer contributions are used to criticise the state government for offloading the responsibility for building basic infrastructure, while property developers say the shake-up will advance the delivery of greenfield developments. Premier Chris Minns on Thursday released long-awaited draft guidelines for a scheme that enables property developers to choose between paying a $12,000 levy per residential lot, or delivering infrastructure such as parks and roads as a 'works-in-kind' contribution for new developments. The changes underscore debate about the provision of infrastructure in fast-growing parts of Sydney, as the state government seeks to ramp up the delivery of desperately needed housing stock. Developers will be able to dedicate land for public purposes or deliver infrastructure projects, rather than paying through the Housing and Productivity Contribution. The government introduced the contribution as a tax on new developments across Sydney, the Illawarra, Hunter and the Central Coast to replace the existing Special Infrastructure Contributions scheme in 2023. The state government hopes the proposed guidelines will improve the feasibility of greenfield developments, as developers will not be required to hand over significant amounts of cash before the issue of the first construction certificate or throughout the development approval process. Loading Urban Development Institute of Australia chief executive Stuart Ayres said the absence of a works-in-kind framework for the past couple of years had been a roadblock to starting construction on new homes. 'In the middle of a housing crisis we need more green lights for housing. This will take the pressure off the taxpayer and allow developers across the state to use their own capital to fund critical infrastructure, and that means projects can get rolling much earlier.' But Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said the draft scheme was 'an admission that Labor can't build the infrastructure needed to support housing – so now they're begging the private sector to do it instead. But the $12,000 tax per home still exists, driving up costs and driving down supply.
The Age
2 days ago
- Business
- The Age
NSW needs to build thousands more homes. Developers say this change will help
The NSW opposition has seized on proposed changes to the way developer contributions are used to criticise the state government for offloading the responsibility for building basic infrastructure, while property developers say the shake-up will advance the delivery of greenfield developments. Premier Chris Minns on Thursday released long-awaited draft guidelines for a scheme that enables property developers to choose between paying a $12,000 levy per residential lot, or delivering infrastructure such as parks and roads as a 'works-in-kind' contribution for new developments. The changes underscore debate about the provision of infrastructure in fast-growing parts of Sydney, as the state government seeks to ramp up the delivery of desperately needed housing stock. Developers will be able to dedicate land for public purposes or deliver infrastructure projects, rather than paying through the Housing and Productivity Contribution. The government introduced the contribution as a tax on new developments across Sydney, the Illawarra, Hunter and the Central Coast to replace the existing Special Infrastructure Contributions scheme in 2023. The state government hopes the proposed guidelines will improve the feasibility of greenfield developments, as developers will not be required to hand over significant amounts of cash before the issue of the first construction certificate or throughout the development approval process. Loading Urban Development Institute of Australia chief executive Stuart Ayres said the absence of a works-in-kind framework for the past couple of years had been a roadblock to starting construction on new homes. 'In the middle of a housing crisis we need more green lights for housing. This will take the pressure off the taxpayer and allow developers across the state to use their own capital to fund critical infrastructure, and that means projects can get rolling much earlier.' But Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said the draft scheme was 'an admission that Labor can't build the infrastructure needed to support housing – so now they're begging the private sector to do it instead. But the $12,000 tax per home still exists, driving up costs and driving down supply.
Sky News AU
12-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
‘Asleep at the wheel': Ben Fordham unleashes on Anthony Albanese for torching housing targets with excessive immigration intake
Ben Fordham has blasted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a fiery verbal spray, accusing the government of undermining its own housing targets by allowing in record levels of migrants. Sky News uncovered on Wednesday that the Albanese government would fail to reach it's target of constructing 1.2 million new homes over five years, with forecasts putting Australia 260,000 short by the deadline of June 2029. The State of the Housing System 20205 report forecast the government would only build 938,000 new homes by June 2029, well short of the 1.2 million repeatedly touted by the Prime Minister. Speaking to Sky News, Urban Development Institute of Australia President Col Dutton said that the UDIA National analysis found that Australia 'will actually undershoot the Housing Accord target by up to 400,000 homes', and that the accelerated immigration program had only made matters worse. Fordham said the Albanese government was deceiving the Australian public if it continued to tout its promise of constructing 1.2 million homes over five years, and that the current rates of immigration were untenable. 'The Albanese government promised to build more houses, today they're building less. They promised to lower immigration, today, they're bringing in more,' Fordham said on his 2GB breakfast program. 'The PM will tell us he's bringing down the migration numbers,' referencing the government's move to limit international student arrivals and 'building as many homes as he can, but we're not seeing it'. Fordham said Australia's housing build was "going backwards" due to the immigration surge. He said while Australians were not ant-immigration the "speed and the size" of the government's intake had caused angst in the community. Mr Dutton said factoring in immigration, UDIA data projections showed that the net losses in housing had ballooned to more than 1,500 every week. 'We simply can't build the houses fast enough. What we need is a sharp focus on skilled migration and coordination of housing supply policy with immigration numbers.' He also stated that the construction industry was being strangled by a myriad of challenges including rigid regulations and red tape, approval delays and a lack of coordination between all levels of governments on environmental laws. 'Supply is being choked by development approvals processes through councils and state governments, lack of funding for enabling infrastructure to service development ready land and cumbersome environmental approval processes lacking a coordinated approach between all levels of government," he said. ABS dwelling completion data showed that Australia had built only 166,000 homes in 2024, with 446,000 net overseas migrants entering the country that same year. With an average of 2.5 people per household, this created a housing shortage of roughly 12,400 in 2024 alone, separate from the existing shortfall.
Perth Now
11-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Eco win for Ocean Reef Marina development
The first stage of the Ocean Reef Marina development is still a while from completion but the project is already earning recognition after becoming the first marina development in Australia to receive 'EnviroDevelopment certification' at the highest level attainable. The marina was independently awarded certification by Australia's peak development industry body, the Urban Development Institute of Australia, for sustainable design and construction across six key areas: ecosystems, waste, water, energy, materials and community. Among the green features of the development will be a renewable energy microgrid, expected to reduce annual energy bills by up to 30 per cent for future residents. Your local paper, whenever you want it. The State Government also claims that more than 80 per cent of construction waste is being diverted from landfill, with recycled materials repurposed for use in roads, carparks, drainage and other parts of the project. Once completed, the project, which the State Government has invested $272.3 million in, will feature 12,000sqm of business, retail, and commercial floor space, along with more than 5ha of publicly accessible open space, including parks and playgrounds. A 50m coastal pool, the first of its kind in Perth, will be complemented by a family beach created using more than 7500 tonnes of sand trucked in for the project. An artist's Impression of Perth's first sea pool in the Ocean Reef Marina, expected to open in late 2026. Credit: DevelopmentWA / DevelopmentWA With stage one of the project set to open in 2026, Planning and Lands and Housing and Works Minister John Carey hopes the marina will become a major tourism precinct for WA. 'Ocean Reef Marina will become a world-class tourism precinct, featuring a diverse mix of residential options, lively local enterprises and attractions designed to draw visitors throughout the year, all underpinned by leading environmental sustainability practices,' Mr Carey said. 'This certification demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative, environmentally responsible projects that enhance the quality of life for Western Australians.' The marina will also feature 1000 new homes, including apartments, single-residential dwellings and mixed-use developments. The project is expected to create 8600 jobs during construction and provide ongoing employment for more than 900 people once completed. The marina will have 1000 new homes once complete. Credit: DevelopmentWA Construction of the marina began with breakwater works in April 2021. Major construction activities, including clearing, earthworks, dredging and land reclamation, started in August 2022. The new Ocean Reef Sea Sports Club, Joondalup City RSL, and Marine Rescue Whitfords facilities are on track to open in late 2025, with the family beach and coastal pool anticipated to open in 2026 when stage one of the development is completed. Civil construction of the marina is not expected to be complete until 2030, with full build-out projected to extend beyond 2036. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.
The Age
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Sydneysiders were facing a 50 per cent water bill hike. That's now been halved
Households will be spared steep bill increases after the pricing regulator halved those sought by Sydney Water, which had called for a 50 per cent hike to pay for much-needed infrastructure upgrades. However, furious developers say the move to limit hip-pocket pain over the next five years will only undermine housing supply. 'You can't have more homes without more water infrastructure,' Urban Development Institute of Australia chief executive Stuart Ayres said. The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal's (IPART) draft report includes an average 4.6 per cent increase, about $61, for each of the next five years before inflation. As a state-owned monopoly utility provider, Sydney Water's pricing is set on five-year terms by the regulator. A final report is due in September and stakeholders are expecting little change to IPART's draft determination. The 23 per cent hike is less than half of what Sydney Water proposed in a controversial submission to IPART in late November 2024. Household water bills would have soared by 50 per cent in the five years to 2030, including an 18 per cent rise in the first year alone. Under IPART's revised proposal, average bills would increase from $1220 in 2024-25 to $1527 in the last year of the determination, excluding inflation. Comparatively, Sydney Water's submission would have resulted in an increase in the typical household bill to $1928 by 2029-30. The hike was justified by the agency's then-chief executive Roch Cheroux as being essential to 'manage Sydney's water future', predominantly to ensure infrastructure was upgraded and expanded in line with the state's target of 377,000 new homes under the National Housing Accord.
