Proposed new apartment design guidelines in New South Wales will allow multi-unit dwellings within 400 metres of railway stations to be built without parking in 22 Sydney council areas.
The guidelines are in an effort to make apartment living more attractive, slashing up to $50,000 off the cost of a unit, according to Planning Minister Pru Goward.
A planning department spokeswoman said some councils, including the City of Sydney, Waverley and North Sydney, already do not require car parks to be constructed.
Local Government NSW president Keith Rhoades says the proposed policy is ‘ill thought’.
“The proposed policy is a cross between a developer’s dream and a planning delusion,” Mr Rhoades said. “More units will mean more cars, increased traffic movements and a greater demand for public parking.”
“Ultimately this policy will turn private costs into public costs, as it will be councils left to deal with increased on-street parking.”
A spokesman for Ms Goward said councils were consulted in the development of the proposals, which are now on exhibition for a month.
“It is ultimately up to councils how many street parking permits they give out per dwelling, and it is timely for a discussion to take place about what is sustainable and reasonable,” he said.
