By Sydney Liberals
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10 Sep, 2023
The City of Sydney is finally getting real with housing affordability after months of complaints for a sensible housing approach by the Sydney Liberals. The new opportunities for City owned land highlights a shift advocated by the Sydney Liberals for advertising and selling properties. Over the past few months Cr Shauna Jarrett has been advocating for the City to investigate and sell surplus properties owned by the City of Sydney to bolster the Council’s failing affordable housing targets that have been lagging by nearly 50%. In the event there are no suitable expression of interests for a property, any remaining properties should be sold to the general property market at market rate, with proceeds directed to Affordable Housing initiatives by the Council. Low and behold, the City of Sydney has adopted the policy position advocated by Cr Jarrett, identifying four surplus properties that has potential to yield 15 affordable bedrooms and 12 additional bedrooms via future affordable housing grant projects sourced through the City’s Affordable and Diverse Housing Fund. Cr Jarrett has raised questioned how the matter has finally been put on the council timetable despite advocating for these changes for months in advance: “It is a welcomed move to see the City of Sydney get real about affordable housing and its property portfolio despite months of advocating for the changes,” Cr Jarrett said. “However, after months of discussion, the City has been silent on the matter until recently. Whilst I commend the City for finally actively contributing to meeting its affordability housing targets, it is seriously behind the eight ball.” “As of 30 June 2022, only 1,427 affordable housing dwellings have been delivered, despite the City of Sydney’s target requiring an additional 2,714 affordable houses needing to be built from 2016-2021. For the City to fail its housing targets by nearly 50% is sad indictment and demonstrates how we need to get real and think differently about affordable housing. It’s clear the red tape mentality doesn’t work and that it’s time to try something new.” The Housing for All Committee Item can be found here .