The Planning Proposal
A key component of the Proposal is the setting of minimum ‘parent’ (original) lot sizes for land proposed for dual occupancy or multi dwelling development –

  • Dual occupancy in zones R1&R2 (as SDCP) – 500 sqm (attached) and 700 sqm (detached)
  • Multi-dwelling housing in zones R1 & R3  – 900 sqm

Council is also seeking to retain the lower density characteristics of large lots in some areas by rezoning them from R2 to ‘R5 Large Lot Residential’.

The Proposal Could Make Over-Development Issues Worse
Although the Proposal focuses on the current inequity impacts of the titling system, the Forum Committee believes it should also address the potentially severe over-development issues that have emerged recently –

  • There are significant adverse social and environmental impacts resulting from the lack of an appropriate minimum resulting lot size for multi-dwelling developments in R1 zones. This is evident in the current proposal for five dwellings on a lot in Parker Crescent, on the top of a hill in Huntingdale. By permitting multi-dwelling development on a minimum ‘parent’ lot size of only 900 sqm, with no minimum size specified for the resulting lots, and enabling Torrens titling for the subsequent subdivision, over-development issues and adverse impacts will be intensified.
  • The potential for repeat dual occupancy applications. For example, a 2000sqm lot is subdivided into 1500 & 500, and then the 1500 lot is subdivided into 1000 & 500, and then the 1000 lot is subdivided into 2 x 500sqm.
  • There is potential for the Hitchcock Lane 150 lot subdivision next to Huntingdale effectively being turned into a medium density area, as developers take advantage of the 500sqm minimum size to create multiple attached dual occupancies.

Recommendation
Based on overwhelming feedback from existing Huntingdale Park residents, the Committee recommends –

  • In the same way that it is proposed that some R2 areas would be rezoned to R5 to retain their lower density characteristics, the larger lots on the periphery of Huntingdale (and similar developments across the Shoalhaven) should be rezoned from R1 to R2 to prevent inappropriate, opportunistic multi-dwelling developments in areas where larger lot sizes are intended to be preserved.
  • Council should investigate ways to prevent the use of repeat dual occupancy applications to create multi-dwelling developments staggered over time.
  • The medium density threat to the Hitchcock Lane subdivision should be addressed.

Intended Outcomes
In the case of Huntingdale, Council’s original intention to decrease densities from the heart of the development towards the rural periphery to soften the urban/rural interface was unintentionally impacted by its SLEP 2014 R1 zoning. This Planning Proposal presents an opportunity to enact Council’s original intention and to address the current over-development issues with multi-dwelling developments.