Residents in dozens of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie streets will see building height limits double or almost triple after the NSW government published maps showing where the new planning rules will apply.
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The maps show precincts within 400 metres of Hamilton, Adamstown, Kotara, Cardiff, Teralba, Booragul and Morisset train stations identified for eight-storey apartment buildings under the government's "transport-oriented development" program.
The scheme also includes properties around Newcastle Interchange, but much of this 400-metre zone, including Wickham, has been excluded from the new height and density controls.
The government will implement new planning controls around a ninth Newcastle station, Cockle Creek, in April next year.
The maps identify all individual lots covered by the new development limits, which override existing council rules.
In one example, much of Cleary Street, Hamilton, had a height limit of 10 metres, but the new rules allow buildings up to 24 metres, or eight floors.
The same height-limit increase will apply in a host of roads in Adamstown, including Third, Sixth, Eden, Victoria, Bourke and Wood streets and part of Fourth Street.
The entire Kotara zone had a height limit of 8.5 metres, an allowance which has now almost tripled.
Almost all streets in the Teralba and Booragul zones also had 8.5-metre height limits, and the residential area south of Morisset station, including Macquarie and Mandalong streets, had a 10-metre limit.
Some neighbourhoods have been excluded, including streets west of Cardiff Station and along Hudson and Fern streets in Hamilton.
The nine precincts are among 37 across Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong where the government will allow 24-metre buildings in residential and "local centre" zonings.
Launching the program last year, Premier Chris Minns said allowing more density near train stations would help address the housing crisis.
"The simple truth is we don't have enough well located homes ... and that has to change if we want our kids to be able to afford a home ... and not leave for other states," he said.
The new planning policy requires developers to hand over at least 2 per cent of the apartments in a building to a community provider for affordable housing.
The program overrides local government planning controls, but councils will continue to assess development applications and can reject proposals based on heritage considerations.
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
