The draft Policy proposes the following priorities:

• an ‘Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme’ (AHCS) is proposed to apply to any land where Inner West Local Environmental Plan 2022 (Inner West LEP) is changed due to a Council or state-led process to enable or increase housing capacity.

• any developer-led proposal that aims to enable or increase housing capacity on a property should contribute to Affordable Housing

• strategic partnerships with the community housing sector to develop and manage Affordable Housing

• a ‘Governance and Distribution Framework’ will outline how Affordable Housing (funds, dwellings or land) can be distributed to the community housing sector,

• identification of Council-owned land that is surplus to requirements or with the potential to be repurposed for Affordable Housing, in partnership with the community housing sector

• advocacy to NSW Government for an increase in subsidised housing (such as Affordable Housing) in the Inner West Council area and at a minimum for no net loss of Affordable Housing following any redevelopments.

The draft Policy identifies the following target tenant groups, subject to also meeting income requirements for Very Low-, Low- and Moderate-income households:

• key workers and employees working shifts

• older people, including older women and long-term residents of the LGA

• young people, including those with a social, cultural or economic association with the LGA

• certain families, including sole parent families, and women and their children escaping domestic violence

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

• people with special housing or access needs, including people with a disability, those at risk of homelessness, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities

• artists and cultural creators.

The draft Policy details the following requirements:

• Where a proposal aims to enable or increase housing capacity 10% of the new or additional floorspace is required as Affordable Housing contribution

• Contributions can be money, dwellings, or land (or a combination of these).

• Monetary contributions are preferred and are calculated using a dollar rate based on location. 

• Dwellings should be of a quality suitable to Council and its nominated Community Housing Provider.  

• Land should be at least 800m2 and not contain any hazards or environmental constraints.  

The draft Policy proposes the following approach:

• Contributions are gifted or dedicated free of cost to Council 

• Contributed dwellings remain Affordable Housing in perpetuity, or until replaced with other Affordable Housing dwellings elsewhere in the Inner West Council area 

• Monetary contributions are paid to, pooled and managed by Council 

• Council will nominate a Community Housing Provider who will own and manage affordable housing funds and stock on Council’s behalf.

The draft Policy contains the following advocacy positions:

• advocate for a minimum target of 30% of new dwellings on government-owned land, to be designated as subsidised housing (affordable and/or social housing) in perpetuity

• work with Property NSW for securing underutilised or surplus government land suitable to contribute to Affordable Housing supply and supporting social infrastructure

• continue to collaborate with other councils and actively lobby NSW Government to encourage a more comprehensive approach to the provision of Affordable Housing

• advocate for cash contributions paid in lieu of a loss of low-rental housing under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 (Chapter 2, Part 3) within the Inner West Council area to be retained by Council.

The following changes are proposed: