A push for more apartments designed specifically for larger families, particularly in Western Sydney, has been unveiled as one of the top five Committee for Sydney’s Big Ideas finalists.

 

The City of Canterbury Bankstown’s planning team has developed the concept, pushing for changes that would better cater to the needs of families with children.

 

Strategic Planner, and Big Idea lead, Liam Apter said there is a market failure in Sydney to provide enough family apartments to meet demand, due to factors such as the growth of housing built for the investor market.

 

“Finding a three or four-bedroom apartment in Sydney’s west is like finding a needle in a haystack,” he said.

 

“Canterbury-Bankstown boasts a population of more than 380 thousand residents from over 160 countries. The average household size is larger than the Sydney average and there is multi-generational living among extended families, which is challenging when 28 per cent of our residents reside in apartments.

 

“Families shouldn’t see apartments as second best. Many of our new residents are surprised at the lack of apartment diversity on offer. Unlike their home countries, they come to Sydney to find rooms so small they can’t fit in two single kids’ beds, and there’s a living space with no room for a dining table.

We have a generation of children eating dinner off stable tables on the couch every night.

 

“Our Big Idea will mean more people will look at apartments as a viable place to raise their children, with room to live and run around, creating vibrant city centres,” Mr Apter said.

 

New mandated changes to design principles included in the NSW Government’s Apartment Design Guide and Housing SEPP 2021 being proposed by the council would include:

·       Increased minimum floor and balcony sizes for family style apartments

·       Mandated mix of two, three and four bedroom apartments

·       New standards for storage and corridor widths

·       Updated rules for more communal open space to encourage children’s play and recreational                areas

·       Connected green spaces across apartment blocks to increase tree canopy

·       More flexibility for families to purchase and extend living space into neighbouring apartments.

 

Committee for Sydney Planning Policy Manager Estelle Grech said it was great to see councils such as Canterbury Bankstown, City of Parramatta, Hills Shire and Lane Cove already some of those working to encourage child-friendly apartments that are commonplace in other global cities.

 

“Where there are clear standards and incentives – like in Hills Shire Council – we know it works, with family-friendly apartments becoming some of the most popular and in-demand products on the market.

 

“In high density cities, apartments designed for families are the norm – from Milan through to Paris, Copenhagen, Singapore, New York and Tokyo and cities such as London, Toronto, Vancouver and Rotterdam are leading the way with set design guidelines.

 

“Good developers want to create liveable apartments that meet the needs of modern families. But they need the right design standards and incentives to make it feasible, especially in today’s tight housing market.

 

“If we want to avoid a city without grandchildren, we need housing that accommodates kids.  Incentives for generous-sized apartments and more three and four-bedroom apartments, combined with tweaks to apartment design guidelines can go a long way to giving more families more choice. Think more storage, study or play spaces and room to grow,” Ms Grech said.

 

The Big Ideas winners will be showcased at the Sydney Summit on Tuesday, 4 February at the ICC Sydney.