The NSW Government and City of Sydney Council are at loggerheads over housing plans in Sydney’s CBD, with the state government adamant more residences can be created in the midst of the housing crisis.

Premier Chris Minns says he plans to work with Lord Mayor Clover Moore on a potential plan, but will ultimately overrule her if she does not come to the table. He is of the opinion that City of Sydney have “outlawed” apartments in the CBD, and must assist in formulating a plan alongside its state counterparts.

“(We have) laws and regulations in place already to make changes,” Minns says in an interview with 2GB.

“In the first instance, we’re going to give peace a chance and try and work our way through this but, if not, I’ve got obligations, as does the Prime Minister, to house people.”

Moore says current planning controls do not allow for additional dwellings within the CBD, with 4,000 currently in the pipeline. She feels she was blindsided by Minns’ public comments, and believes additional CBD dwellings – which will come at a high price – will not assist in solving the crisis.

“This isn’t going to be the silver bullet for addressing the housing crisis,” she says.

“It is incumbent on the city and state to work collaboratively in the interests of our communities, and I remain happy and eager to do that.”

The conversion of commercial buildings into residential remains an option, but has been the subject of intense debate. Plumbing, ventilation, heating, sunlight and overall wellbeing are major questions posed by such developments. City of Sydney’s planning rules currently incentivise commercial floorspace without preventing residential development.

“If you have a view that it’s a magical solution to the housing crisis, in most cases it’s going to be a really complicated process because the buildings aren’t designed for it,” says Planning Institute of Australia Policy Director, John Brockhoff, in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Don’t assume that converting these buildings is going to be cheap, easy, quick, or give you a product that’s affordable.”

Brockhoff believes that planning and research is key to creating further dwellings in the CBD, with the long view always the priority.

Jarrod Reedie

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