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The housing needs of people across NSW are changing. Our reforms provide for more affordable homes, more choice of homes and new types of homes to meet these changing needs.
The new State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 (Housing SEPP) began on 26 November 2021.
The Housing SEPP gives incentives to supply affordable and diverse housing in the right places and for every stage of life.
The Housing SEPP has made the planning system simpler by consolidating 5 former housing-related policies:
Introducing two new housing types to meet changing needs:
Improving the way existing types of homes are delivered including:
Including the planning rules for:
The following instruments were made with the Housing SEPP:
The types of homes people need are changing. More people need access to affordable housing, and more people want to be able to choose between different types of homes to suit their differing needs across all stages of life. The Housing SEPP:
The NSW Housing Strategy: Housing 2041 is the NSW Government’s plan to meet the State’s housing needs over the next 20 years. The Housing SEPP supports this strategy by driving the development of affordable and diverse housing to meet the needs of our growing community.
Learn more about the NSW Housing Strategy 2041 (PDF, 10.6 MB) and 2021-22 Action Plan (PDF, 1.9 MB).
The development of the Housing SEPP involved extensive stakeholder engagement including:
Submissions received in response to these exhibitions have been carefully considered during the finalisation of the Housing SEPP. Submissions reports are available on the Planning Portal.
Chapter 3 (Educational establishments and child care facilities) of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Transport and Infrastructure) 2021 now includes a definition of campus student accommodation which permits accommodation of people associated with the education facility (i.e. not just students).
Off campus student housing developers will use the co-living housing provisions.
The Housing SEPP includes savings and transitional provisions that may affect developments that were moving through the planning process at the time the SEPP was made.
View the savings and transitional provisions.
A minor amendment was made to the Housing SEPP on 18 March 2022 . This amendment addresses minor errors and inconsistencies and will ensure the SEPP operates as intended. The changes include:
You can find a copy of this amendment on the NSW legislation website.
We are now reviewing the provisions relating to group homes; caravan parks and manufactured home estates.
A comprehensive review of the Housing SEPP will be undertaken within 3 years of the date of commencement to ensure the new and amended provisions are functioning as intended.
Boarding houses and co-living housing will be similar in terms of their built form and operation. Boarding houses receive a larger density bonus to encourage the delivery of this affordable product.
Boarding houses are a type of affordable housing which must now be managed by registered community housing providers. Co-living housing provides a compact, ready to occupy form of accommodation for a range of people including young professionals and key workers.
We listened to feedback from stakeholders who told us that smaller private rooms in boarding houses and co-living housing need to be offset by shared spaces like large communal living areas and open space.
Both boarding houses and co-living housing are required to provide residents with a principal place of residence for a minimum of 3 months. This will:
Short-term rental accommodation refers to the leasing of all or part of a legally constructed dwelling for a period of less than three months. The Housing SEPP defines STRA as either hosted or non-hosted accommodation and includes additional fire and safety standards which all STRA dwellings must meet. All STRA dwellings must be registered on the STRA register to confirm they meet the new fire and safety standards.
Read more about the short-term rental accommodation policy.
The provisions of SEPP 70 have been consolidated into part 2 of the Housing SEPP. The Guideline for Developing an Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme is still current and can be viewed on our website.
The department has developed the Affordable Housing Viability Tool (XLSM, 254 KB) (the Tool) to assist councils in developing an affordable housing contribution scheme under the Guideline. The Tool is available for public awareness of the factors that would be considered by councils when using the Tool to determine a viable contribution rate. This version of the Tool does not contain any information regarding land prices or development calculations and is not intended to be used for property or development speculation.
For more information, access the Tool's frequently asked questions (PDF, 83 KB).
Learn more about the housing types covered by the Housing SEPP in the list on the right hand side of this page.
For more information about the Housing SEPP, email housingpolicy@planning.nsw.gov.au or phone (02) 8289 6701.
Page last updated: 04/04/2022