Sydney's new northern suburb could have more height: Chris Johnson
GUEST OBSERVER
The proposed new suburb on the Northern Beaches will help provide additional housing supply, but lacks tall buildings, particularly in the town centre.
The new suburb of Ingleside on the Northern Beaches with its 3,400 new homes is a welcome addition to Sydney’s housing supply.
But the Urban Taskforce is concerned that there appear to be no buildings higher than 3 storeys.
New town centres in Western Sydney, like Oran Park, have heights of 6 and 8 storeys in their town centres to provide a diversity of housing types. It is important that all parts of Sydney pull their weight in terms of providing new housing as Sydney’s population grows. The government must get the right density and height upfront as it is very hard to change the built form after it is constructed.
The general approach to a green, environmentally sensitive, suburb can lead to excellent life styles and we understand that sensitive land like that at Ingleside will need to be managed carefully. This can still be done with taller buildings as this can limit the spread of dwellings across the landscape.
The Ingleside strategy will include a component of 5-10 percent affordable housing however the documents have not provided information on how a proposed target will be calculated. The requirement to provide affordable housing will increase the costs of developing this site, and it is essential that these additional costs do not deter developers and investors from developing and investing in Ingleside.
Chris Johnson is chief executive officer of property development industry group Urban Taskforce and can be contacted here.
