Housing SEPP EIE

An Explanation of Intended Effect (EIE) seeking feedback on proposed amendments to the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 (Housing SEPP) was exhibited from Tuesday 22 November 2022 until Friday 13 January 2023. The department is currently reviewing the feedback received in response to the exhibition.

The EIE proposes that the Housing SEPP be amended to:

In-fill Affordable housing provisions

• Further incentivise the uptake of the in-fill affordable housing provisions to help increase the delivery of affordable housing dwellings by:
  • Increasing the in-fill affordable housing floor space bonuses available by 25%.
  • Lowering the FSR threshold associated with calculation of the FSR bonus from 2.5:1 to 2:1.

Planning pathways for social and affordable housing

• Facilitate delivery of some forms of social or affordable housing within large residential developments by introducing a State significant development (SSD) pathway.
• Facilitate delivery of some forms of social housing carried out by the NSW Land and Housing Corporation and Aboriginal Housing Office by expanding self-assessment and State significant development (SSD) pathways.

Group homes and hostels

• Remove the definitions of, and provisions for, group homes (both transitional and permanent).
• Remove the existing definition of hostels in the standard instrument local environmental plan, and the definition of, and provisions for, hostels in the Housing SEPP. 
• Introduce high support accommodation, to enable delivery of short-term housing for the purposes of refuge or crisis accommodation and drug and alcohol rehabilitation via a without consent pathway.
• Introduce supported living, to enable smaller-scale housing for seniors and people with a disability to be delivered as complying development.

Temporary supportive accommodation

• Broaden the existing supportive accommodation provisions so that they apply to a wider range of residential accommodation, and to tourist and visitor accommodation.
• Provide additional pathways to support the delivery of temporary supportive accommodation in vacant buildings and on vacant land. 

Seniors independent living units

• Update the accessibility and usability standards for seniors independent living units.

Boarding houses

• Increase the area within R2 zoned land on which boarding houses may be permitted in regional areas.
• Extend the floor space ratio bonus for boarding houses to land where shop top housing is permitted.

Seniors Housing Design Guide

A draft Seniors Housing Design Guide has been developed to help inform design and assessment of seniors housing proposals and is now on exhibition. When finalised, this guide will:

• replace the Seniors Living Policy: Urban Design Guidelines for Infill Development, 2004 (PDF, 1.1 MB)
• apply to all seniors housing types
• be given effect through the Housing SEPP, which will require the consent authority to consider the guideline when determining a development application for seniors housing.