At its meeting on Tuesday 22 October 2024 Council considered a report including community feedback and decided the following.

1. That Council receive and note the report.

2. That Council welcomes the 1,221 submissions from the community, providing valuable input and feedback on the proposed planning principles.

3. That Council commits to the timely development and finalisation of a LGA wide Local Environment Plan (LEP) that aligns with the State Government’s housing targets.

4. That Council incorporates all the planning principles we consulted the community on into the development of the LEP.

5. That Council prioritises affordable housing options within the LEP, including for social and public housing.

6. That Council reports back to Council a draft LEP for submission to the NSW State Government.

7. That Council notes the key recommendations in the NSW Productivity and Equality Commission report titled Review of Housing Supply Challenges and Policy Options for New South Wales (September 2024) (the PC Report) regarding the importance of a fast and smooth development process; and

a) acknowledges that design excellence is critical to delivering quality, sustainable, affordable housing and that everyone in our community has a right to live in housing that is well-designed, meets minimum standards and has access to sunlight;

b) supports protecting and maintaining existing solar access provisions in design guidelines;

c) receives a report from Council officers to the November Ordinary Council meeting assessing how the recommendations of the Productivity Commission Report could be applied to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of development assessment in the Inner West.

8. That Council notes that NSW is only one of two states that are yet to sign up to the Silver Livable Housing Design Standards in the National Construction Code – a set of design standards that require new housing developments to offer basic accessibility for all people.

9. That Council note the need for increased standards around sustainability and design to ensure new builds are meeting Council’s goals of energy efficiency and equity, including cooling and heating measures, where possible solar panels being incorporated, and other best practice standards laid out by Council’s own Design Excellence Panel.

10. That Council notes that new residential buildings in the Inner West need to be a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms to accommodate broad types of living arrangements and stages.