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HDA declines fast-track status for Stockland's 235-home Braemar land lease project
Key points5 points
- The HDA declined to recommend Stockland's 235-home Braemar land lease community for State Significant Development fast-tracking on 14 October.
- HDA concerns centred on site location, access to services, absence of affordable housing commitments, and infrastructure and environmental constraints.
- Stockland's earlier application for 238 independent living units was refused by the Wingecarribee Local Planning Panel in February, and the developer is now in Land and Environment Court proceedings against the council.
- Reported project value is roughly $287 million, while the refused development application carried an estimated cost of $167.4 million.
- PwC's inaugural national land lease survey found NSW land lease operators average 17.4 months for planning approvals.
Summary
The NSW Housing Delivery Authority declined to recommend Stockland's proposed 235-home land lease community near Mittagong for State Significant Development status, citing location, service access, lack of affordable housing commitments, and infrastructure and environmental constraints. The decision follows the Wingecarribee Local Planning Panel's February refusal of an earlier 238-unit independent living application on the same site, which Stockland is now challenging in the Land and Environment Court. The article notes that NSW land lease operators face average planning approval times of 17.4 months, according to PwC's national land lease survey. For providers and developers in the seniors and retirement housing space, the case shows how planning delays and site-specific concerns can stall projects for extended periods.