'Cut-and-paste' housing fix near stations could be detrimental: council

The first, expected to come into effect in April, proposes to rezone all residential and employment land within 400m of Morisset, Booragul and Teralba train stations to allow six-storey apartment blocks to be built.

The second would facilitate the development of six-storey buildings within 400m and four-storeys between 400m and 800m of all nine train stations in Lake Macquarie.

At a council meeting this week, Labor councillor Adam Shultz said he wanted genuine consultation from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure on reforms he believes could have a "detrimental" effect on the city.

He also demanded Lake Macquarie get its fair share of infrastructure funding to support new housing developments.

"We want a seat at the table," he said.

"In the two briefings that we've had from the department, there's been a lot of, from my experience anyway, a lot of them talking at us, rather than them talking with us.

"I think they would benefit, as would we, from imparting some of that local knowledge onto them."

The council voted to write to the NSW Premier, relevant ministers and local MPs urging them to delay the housing reforms until adequate consultation can take place.

It will ask for dedicated funding streams to be explicitly linked to both programs and for funding to be set aside in the 2024-25 State Budget for infrastructure needed to support the reforms.

The state government has announced $520m in funding towards infrastructure upgrades for the eight Sydney metro stations included in the transport-orientated development program.

However, no funding commitments have been made for the 31 metropolitan and regional train stations at the centre of snap rezoning reforms, including those in Lake Macquarie and Newcastle.

It was reported this week that the state government may offer some councils up to six more months to put forward alternative plans to accommodate housing growth.

Planning Minister Paul Scully told the Sydney Morning Herald that councils working on their own schemes may be offered deferrals, but only where they delivered more housing than the government's reforms.

''It's not about going backwards from where the [government's policy] would get you to, it's about going beyond,'' he said.

''We're going through what councils have provided us and we'll have more to say on that.''

Lake Macquarie council wants the reforms to take a staged approach, starting with Cockle Creek.

Cr Shultz said if the state government moves ahead as is, Lake Macquarie would effectively have 11 suburbs rezoned simultaneously, at a minimum, within 800m of nine train stations come June this year - coupled with no infrastructure funding.

"From my perspective, I don't want to see a bureaucratic cut-and-paste approach for every train station in Lake Macquarie, we need local input," he said.

"A nuanced approach to planning outcomes for areas like Morisset and Cardiff train stations should be different to those in Wyee, Dora Creek and Awaba.

"I'm therefore urging us, and the NSW Government, to commence a process of genuine consultation that considers local knowledge with a dedicated source of funding for those infrastructure upgrades in regional areas, and to implement these reforms in a strategic and staged approach so that we make sure Lake Macquarie gets what it needs and deserves."

According to the council, its train stations and town centres can support the delivery of the extra 18,600 homes needed to accommodate the forecast 38,800 additional residents in the city by 2041.

It argues further focus on strategic infill around train stations offers a number of advantages, including an increase in public transport use, reduced need for new development on the urban fringe, better use of existing infrastructure and access to jobs, shops and other services.

Liberal Cr Jason Pauling said he's all for a "sensible" approach to development, but said the state government's reforms seem "reactive" and "less-than-considered".

"Putting it straight out there, I think this is a desperate attempt to try and alleviate some of that [housing] pressure and pull the levers that are available to the state government," he said.

"Once again, it doesn't control immigration, that's not its problem, but it does have to try to find somewhere for people to live and it's trying desperately to do that.

"And unfortunately, some of that ill-thought through, ill-considered consequence might splash on us."

Lake Macquarie council will hold a workshop to discuss infill opportunities around the city's train stations and establish criteria for assessing and prioritising train stations and economic centres included in the housing reforms.