Could NSW’s Transport Oriented Development Program work in WA?
27 Feb 2024
Late last year the NSW Government launched a new Transport Oriented Development Program to help tackle housing supply.
Karen Hyde, Principal at TBB, takes a look at what's been proposed and considers how the Program could be applied in Perth.
The NSW Government's Transport Oriented Development (TOD) Program aims to create sustainable and connected cities now and for future generations by delivering much needed housing around 39 transport hubs.
Like most of the country, housing supply in NSW isn’t keeping up with demand, and the cost of living including mortgages and rent is escalating. The Minns Labor Government has proposed this new program as a pathway to address the housing crisis and cost of living pressure by rebalancing housing growth across the state with a focus on well-located homes close to transport, jobs and existing infrastructure.
TBB's 2023 research for Property Council of Western Australia on this topic highlighted 10 priority locations where TODS could work well. So with this in mind, I took a closer look at the NSW Program to see if, and how, it could be applied in Perth.
About NSW TOD development program
The program contains two tiers; Tier 1 -accelerated precincts and Tier 2 – rezonings.
Under Tier 1, eight Sydney transport hubs have been identified for accelerated rezoning for the delivery of up to 47,800 new, well-located, high and mid-rise homes over the next 15 years. Bankstown, Bays West, Bella Vista, Crows Nest, Homebush, Hornsby, Kellyville and Macquarie Park will all undergo rezoning and masterplanning by November 2024 to provide significant uplift and support new homes within 1200m of these Metro and rail stations, making way for development applications from mid-2025.
Under Tier 2 there will be snap rezonings of 31 locations within 400m of train stations.
Other reforms for significant development pathways and low and mid-rise planning reforms are also aligned to support this TOD initiative.
Could the NSW TOD Program work in WA?
The initiative that New South Wales is taking in Sydney could be applied to the Perth Metropolitan area, particularly where priority locations for TODs require a cross government approach and where state owned land could be brought forward for demonstration and partnership projects.
However, rather than attempting to apply this approach to a wide range of TODs and locations, it would be more appropriate and impactful to select a shortlist, like the top 5, and to marry the application of the planning framework with market interest in order to promote suitable redevelopment opportunities. The aim of this approach should be to bring forward land and buildings for redevelopment in the most expedient way possible and to ensure adequate de-risking and fast track approvals through a coordinated cross agency planning framework.
TBB’s research report highlighted that Leederville, Cottesloe, Maylands, Bayswater and Burswood, were the top 5 locations with the right conditions for successful TOD outcomes in the short term. The priority TOD locations demonstrated intrinsic qualities including good levels of amenity, character, walkability and nearby employment which are regarded to be the foundation for viable intensification and market-led development opportunities. Some of these locations, however, lack comprehensive and contemporary master planning and sufficient technical investigations to demonstrate the potential and to incentivise development. So, despite being ripe for redevelopment these priority locations still require a proactive planning framework to make it happen.
TBB’s research report highlighted that Leederville, Cottesloe, Maylands, Bayswater and Burswood, were the top 5 locations with the right conditions for successful TOD outcomes in the short term.
The case for a dedicated TOD Program in Perth
When identifying issues with TOD in Perth, our research highlighted that there were lengthy time frames and multiple layers of governance involved to formulate and approve plans and guidelines sufficient to support redevelopment opportunities. This was also evident when it came to identifying and resolving key infrastructure requirements and confirming delivery methods. The coordination of precinct and district scale planning, was highlighted as essential to ensure appropriate alignment across the tiers of government, transit agencies, community and private stakeholders.
Our report recommended that a single agency like the Department of Planning Lands and Heritage should be nominated to lead transit precinct and corridor planning frameworks and to draw upon Improvement Plans and Improvement Schemes as the available mechanism in the planning ‘toolkit’ to fulfil this task.
By the WA State Government stepping in with a program using a similar approach to NSW, this would no doubt be a well-received initiative, if done well.
a similar approach to NSW would no doubt be a well-received initiative, if done well.