For those in the business of building houses, there is no secret as to why we are in a national housing crisis. We have been trying to build houses at Kings Hill Urban Release Area since 2014. Currently it takes less time for a new mine approval than it does for some housing development approvals in NSW.
We were buoyed by the Premier's commitment to fixing the housing crisis - the housing crisis hasn't happened overnight nor on his watch. It's years in the making. The Kings Hill Housing Development project has in fact seen five NSW premiers, and seven planning ministers since commencing the project (but no houses).
Strong oversight, transparency and leadership are required to coordinate developments across government departments and multiple levels of government, all of whom are running individual agendas, to urgently fix the broken planning system.
Somebody needs to be in charge that has clear accountability and capacity to make final decisions and let commonsense prevail, particularly on large-scale developments that are complex. A coordinator general perhaps with the legislative powers to navigate the complex web of competing departmental and council priorities and agendas. This is already commonplace in some other states. Or a cabinet sub-committee at the very least.
We have navigated the Port Stephens Council and NSW planning system and multiple state government departments over 10 years, and continue to experience a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. Our project was recommended by Port Stephens Council to proceed, has had more than $6 million in funding allocated from Restart NSW towards critical enabling infrastructure since 2019-2020, has a current and signed Voluntary Planning Agreement with the NSW government that took five years and millions to negotiate, and active support from the Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Some of Australia's leading ecologists and koala experts and more than 15 years of survey and assessment on the site since 2003 was seemingly put aside by the local regional planning panel. Our project focused on funding onsite restoration and embellishment of ecological values with Aboriginal custodian support and koala habitat benefits supported by renowned local experts.
Meetings were held behind closed doors without the project experts.
Instead, a desktop review by a company that many of the local environmental department officials had worked with was used to introduce doubt, derail and reject the concept master plan, leaving the project no choice but to take the matter to the courts placing the considered holistic approach at risk, and proceed with local piece meal development applications. Which in the industry has become the normal mode of deliberate action as housing providers struggle to navigate the planning system.
In what can only be described as Groundhog Day, ironically with the rejection of the concept design, we are back where we started in 2014 having re-lodged this year individual piecemeal development applications as one of the only means to now progress the project.
There are projects right across the state that have been in limbo for years. Shovel-ready or near to, and at Kings Hill this is on land that had already been through a 10-year re-zoning investigation process before it was actually rezoned for housing in 2010. So, all up, we are up to a total of 24 years. And no houses.
We are not alone. This unfortunately is an all-too-common story. Government does not build houses - the private sector carries that load to the tune of 96 per cent of all private housing delivered in Australia.
We have a chronic supply problem and, until there is the courage to address the real systemic problems with the planning system, nothing will change. Incentives for home buyers won't help without an increase in supply as there is still the same number of limited houses to buy and rent. Incentives will increase competition and inflate the cost of housing, rendering the dream of home ownership or an affordable roof over their head even further away for some.
The project has never wanted special treatment - simply fair treatment.
