NSW Government Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy

Stage 2 of the NSW Government Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy commenced on 28 February 2025, changing planning controls within 800 metres walking distance around 171 town centres and stations across Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Illawarra-Shoalhaven and Hunter regions.

In Mosman, the new controls will apply to land zoned R2 Low Density Residential and R3 Medium Density Residential within 800 metres walking distance of:

• Spit Junction 
• Cremorne 

The new controls will override Council’s planning controls and allow higher and denser development than is currently permitted.

Certain land is excluded from the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy, relevant to Mosman this includes:

• bushfire-prone land
• coastal wetlands, littoral rainforest or a coastal vulnerability area 
• heritage items.

The Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy does not apply to Employment zones or land zoned C4 Environmental Living.

Council continues to raise the following concerns about the Stage 2 reforms:

• Council should be allowed to accommodate the State’s housing targets in areas of Mosman Council’s choosing rather that this one-size-fits-all approach which has no regard to the individual circumstances of Mosman.
• The new controls will irrevocably alter the character of place established under Mosman Local Environmental Plan 2012 and will represent a transformative change to Mosman’s urban environment and will result in substantially larger built forms, dwelling yield and future population than Council and the community had anticipated. This is exacerbated in heritage conservation areas, which are not excluded from the changes.
• The reforms affect Council’s ability to ensure our communities will remain sustainable in the future with sufficient tree canopy to combat climate change and the urban heat island effect with substantially less landscaping than what is currently required for new medium density development under Mosman Local Environmental Plan 2012.
• DPHI has not released modelling at a State or individual council level to gauge the impact of these reforms, it is therefore unclear what the likely uptake of these reforms might be in Mosman. There has been no analysis about the impacts of the changes on things like traffic, parking, and community facilities, which are vital for our communities.
• The additional residential yields enabled under the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy will have longer term implications in terms of placing significant additional demand on infrastructure and services. The State Government has provided no additional investment in infrastructure to support the uplift. 

Council staff are working through the details of the reforms and will provide more updates in the coming weeks as more detailed information is made available by the State Government.

Council will be hosting a Community Information Session on Wednesday 9 April so interested residents can learn more about the NSW Government’s recently-announced Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy. This event is now fully booked. Council is considering options to hold an additional online information session. You are able to register your interest in a future session by selecting Join Waitlist via bit.ly/PlanningChangesMosman

Further information, maps and FAQs are available on the NSW Planning website.