"If this policy means you create smaller apartments and more smaller apartments, then we'll just approve less."
Sydney has a serious undersupply of new housing, so the last thing the city needs is local councils saying they will approve fewer apartments in a tussle of egos with the NSW state government. NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes last week confirmed the size guidelines widely used by architects and developers, a move which has angered some local councils who believe the guidelines mean they have less power to dictate development in their areas.
"It's saying: 'We don't have a lot of confidence in councils to get it right and we are putting rules in place Sydney-wide'," Andrew Jefferies, Mayor of The Hills Shire council, told The Australian Financial Review. "If this policy means you create smaller apartments and more smaller apartments, then we'll just approve less. That's basically where this will go."
Last week, Stokes confirmed the minimum sizes outlined in the SEPP65 planning guidelines, which are 35 square metres (sq m) for studios, 50sq m for one-bedroom apartments and 70sq m for two-bedroom apartments.
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