The PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak Properties
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The PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak Properties
EP. 1391 New Unit Blocks Going Into The Northern Beaches, The 21 Day Aftermath
The property landscape of New South Wales is experiencing a quiet revolution that many homeowners remain completely unaware of. Mark Novak and Josh Wapshott delve into the game-changing planning reforms introduced by the Minns government affecting 170 town centres across the state, creating unprecedented development opportunities that could transform neighborhoods and property values virtually overnight.
We unpack how the state government has effectively bypassed local council restrictions by switching off certain density controls, dramatically increasing allowable building heights from 8.5 to 17.5 metres, and permitting dual occupancies and unit blocks in areas previously restricted. Properties within 400 metres of designated town centres can now accommodate developments up to six storeys high, while those within 800 metres qualify for terrace housing on blocks as small as 450 square metres – a seismic shift for property development potential across the Northern Beaches and beyond.
The conversation explores not just the planning changes themselves but the practical economic considerations that will determine their impact. Construction costs, market demand, and the potential for oversupply all factor into whether these new development opportunities will prove financially viable. For property owners wondering if these changes affect them, we provide a simple way to determine eligibility: text "REZONE" to 0460 111 111 for a three-step process to identify your property's development potential. Whether you're considering developing your own property or concerned about changes to your neighborhood, understanding these reforms is essential for anyone with an interest in NSW property.
One hundred and seventy town centres in New South Wales nominated for dual occupancies unit blocks, terrace style homes. It has happened under your nose. We're going to talk about it quickly this morning to give you a basic understand, and tonight we're also doing a massive uh, a massive educational night in the office on the same topic sold out, stay tuned.
Speaker 2:I'm the ringleader, so let's go Morning morning.
Speaker 1:Good morning, Josh Wapshot.
Speaker 2:How are you, Mark Novak?
Speaker 1:Yeah, really good, really good, really good.
Speaker 2:Fantastic. Are you gearing up for a big night tonight?
Speaker 1:Big night tonight. We've invited our community to come talk about the changes that the Mins-led government has brought in in relation to putting uniblocks into town centres all around the northern beaches and all around New South Wales, and it still surprises me. It takes a while for good news to spread and I'm still having conversations every day where I talk with people about it. They're like what, what, what it's like. How have you not heard of this? How do you not know?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's massive changes in terms of you know what it's like. How have you not heard of this? How do you not know? Yeah, it's a massive change in terms of you know your restrictions for building heights. You know your floor plan, your facades yeah, huge. We're speaking to people every day about it as well. So a big topic and obviously everyone wants to know, because we've got about, I believe 117 people coming tonight.
Speaker 1:Big night, big night Sold out. We can't take any more people. And it is going to be a Q&A session as well, which is going to be very cool for people that have got those questions on their lips. Now let me just take it right back to the intention of what's happening and clear up some of the things which, even internally in our office, between sales people, we're talking about this and clearing this up. Dual occupancies can now be done on the northern beaches. They don't have to be 800 or 400 metres to a town centre.
Speaker 1:All of this stuff was introduced because they made the necessity to get more property and more density into New South Wales. So the Minns they tried, have been trying to do it for years and years through local councils, but they have been shrouded in red tape with local planning laws. So the new planning laws that come over the top on a statewide level, over the top of local government, are switching off certain density controls and certainly controls within the, within the, within our LEP, our planning controls. So they're saying with they normally would say well, you can't, you can't build higher than 8.5. The new legislation that's come through and overridden still left in place the old legislation local. But the states come over the top and said guess what? We're switching off the 8.5, it's now 17.5. Um, so there's controls, as an example, like that, that are being switched off only if you qualify. So can you tell us about the qualification of 800 meters, 400 metres, josh?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so essentially within that 400 metres you're eligible up to six storeys high, something that you go beyond that 400 metres for something like townhouses, manor housing. You know you're looking at blocks as small as 450 metres squared. So sitting on a plate of 225 metres squared must be facing the street and have a frontage of 12 metres. Also, things like FSRs to 0.1 and a half, and these changes are massive, mark. I mean I've dealt with a few developers on a few sites and the growth in the Sydney market and the cost of construction.
Speaker 2:Once you pair these two together you start to unravel why there's not more of this going on prior to this change, why there's not more of this going on prior to this change. It's just not feasible. With the growth in Sydney, pricing and obviously vendors sticking quite tough at prices and no one's selling cheap, especially on the northern beaches and inflationary pressures on common goods, that has jacked up pricing on the construction. There really is no margin for developers. So for something like this that does now unlock that the potential for them to come in invest their money and create more homes in the local area.
Speaker 1:Now to give you an idea, guys and girls, if you want to, maybe, if you just write this in the comments, josh, if you SMS to, maybe, if you just write this in the comments, josh, if you um sms this word, so grab this phone number. Zero four, six, zero, triple one, triple one, and you, we're going to give you the tools to identify your area, your zoning, and if you, if you can do, a unit block where you live, so the phone number 0460 111 111, send the word rezone it's not actually a rezoning, I'll explain that in a sec but send the word rezone R-E-Z-O-N-E to that phone number, 0460 11111. We will send you back a three-step process on how to identify if your property or your property next door is going to be able to have a unit block built there. So, just to qualify it, what the government's done is they've selected particular town centres that could take the capacity, one of the first things that they chose with town centres.
Speaker 1:So, for instance, in Northern Beaches, they chose, to name a few, mona Vale, manly, manly Vale, dy, french's Forest, I think, forestville, and the reason they chose. And then they've said if you're within 400 metres, you can build a unit block. As an example if you're an R3 zoning they've said if you're within 800 metres you could build terrace housing. Is you could build, you know, terrace housing if you meet certain qualifications which are not really hard. But SMS that number and you'll get the boom, boom, boom, boom. How to identify, you know if you're in that zone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's been very helpful. We've had a few discussions with people texting. I think we've had a really good response in regards to that text message. So plenty of conversations and plenty of people interested to see you know what is happening. What are the changes? One question I probably have for you, mark, is with this legislative change, do you see it lasting and for how long?
Speaker 1:I think it will be around a couple of years. I don't think it will be around a couple of years. I don't think it'll be around forever. And you know we're running some pretty high-level information for clients. Now People are really getting their head around it, they're understanding how to map all that out and you know some areas which you actually think will actually be a ripper are not.
Speaker 1:Um, some, some areas actually work. So you know there's there's things into it which also include the cost of building. Um, there's into things that you know, just because you're there's changes within your zoning, um on, if you just tuned in on 170 town centres around New South Wales, just because you've got that flexibility in your zoning now, it doesn't mean that it works. Cost of building is one of those things. What the end product would be worth is is one of those things. Uh, what the end product would be worth is another one of those things.
Speaker 1:Um, there's, there's, these are, these are, these are moving targets. So to give you an idea, you know if, if there are a lot of uniprox are going to be built in the area, it could well push the prices down and make that that more affordable, that price range. So developers are also not only running their math, but they're saying we don't want to be stuck with these units, so let's make sure where we think the units would have been worth today $1.2 million. If there's a plethora of units, they might only be worth $1.1. So it's been interesting some of the modelling that I'm seeing get done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's an important point, mark. They're having a real understanding of the depth of market in terms of you know what they're going to be bringing in, how much it wants, because that's definitely going to have a play on the current market. As you say, you know it's your demand and your supply. Luckily for the Northern Beaches, we've always got a healthy amount of demand, but you know it's supply that seems to be the. Thing that doesn't change as much. So it will have. You know it will have an effect.
Speaker 1:And you can also put that concept over building, because more people are going to be chasing a builder. So if that's the case, then maybe building costs are going to go up. So you've got to have that foresight as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's exactly why we run these events like we are tonight, so that, I mean, you can only really arm yourself with information in order to how to plan and tackle the future. So that's why these events are so important and that's why we're sold out this evening, so it'll be great.
Speaker 1:Tonight we've got a town planner as well, which is these guys have been very sought after people in the last month or two with all these changes coming through, because people, people don't know where to go for the information. They jump on, they jump on the on the portal that the government supplied, which I gave you that sms number four. It'll give you that, and then they're sort of they're a little bit like a kid in a candy shop, but then once they've've consumed all that information, they don't know what to do then.
Speaker 2:Exactly right, and then we've got a comment from Lisa. Will this become a construction issue? So it was sort of playing on what you were saying before, mark.
Speaker 1:I think it will if it stacks, you know. But there's, you know there's, you know it's the. This component of the rezoning is a piece of the puzzle. It's not the puzzle that's been, you know, broke, that's been, you know, completed. It's part of it. So, you know, construction is one other component, resale price is another component. Um, you know there's, there's other bits to it as well. But yeah, certainly, you know it may be good. And and another thing people may be doing is you may end up just getting the approvals put in place for later. Um, so if you can sit on your da approval for for three years, um, you can sort of park it till you could push the problem down the road a little bit where it may ease up a little bit. But yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely want to be prepared. And good point, lisa, we will be live streaming tonight. So, guys, if you couldn't make it inside, make sure to stay on the channel. We'll be live streaming the event. So plenty of big pockets of information to absorb, so don't make sure you don't miss it and don't forget um zero four, six zero.
Speaker 1:Um triple one, triple one. If you want us to send you the information for tonight, um, uh, it's just up on the screen there Hit that number 0460 111 111, and write that word, three zone, and you'll get a three-step process to identify if your property is going to be eligible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, exactly right. That'll be great, and we'll be putting together a little post-show next week for you guys to delve into what Mark and the town Planner had pulled out of the conversation from tonight. So stay tuned.
Speaker 1:Happy days and have a great day everyone. Josh, thanks so much for coming on. Thanks, mark. I'm happy to hear that your dog's better.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so am I.
Speaker 1:See you guys, see you guys, see you guys.