Draft NSDCP2013 Amendment - Car Parking Rates for new high-density developments in areas with high public transport access

Feedback closes Tuesday 13 December 2022

There is a growing number of large-scale residential developments being proposed in North Sydney LGA. These proposals often include a very significant number of on-site carparking spaces.

The population forecast and extent of development both planned and proposed will significantly impact our road network. More and more, Governments are having to increase the capacity of these networks, by widening roads, building motorways (e.g., Western Harbour Tunnel) to “ease” congestion. The reality is that congestion cannot be eased or addressed by increasing capacity. Every car parking space provided in a private development generates multiple corresponding trips on our local roads. This adds to congestion and the demands on our already stretched car-based infrastructure. It also contributes to negative urban and environmental impacts.

As our population grows and more people choose to live in these well-connected suburbs, now is the right time for Council to encourage reduced car use and dependence, which incorporates our sustainability goals.

Council seeks the community’s feedback on draft amendments to the North Sydney Development Control Plan 2013 (NSDCP 2013). The amendments seek to reduce the rate of off-street parking for new high density residential developments in areas that have been identified as having high public transport accessibility (parts of Crows Nest, St Leonards, North Sydney, Wollstonecraft, Lavender Bay and Milsons Point).

Consistent with the North Sydney Transport Strategy (2018), Council considers it a sensible policy move to manage off-street parking spaces through the adoption of updated maximum parking rates for future residential developments in areas of high public transport accessibility.

Specifically, Council is proposing to reduce the rate of permitted off street parking spaces in these new residential apartment buildings as follows:

*Kinesis developed an accessibility-based Residential Parking App to provide location-specific and up-to-date recommended residential parking rates for anywhere in Australia based on historical data. The app predicts car ownership and the associated demand for parking supply based on accessibility to public transport and historical car ownership.

And for non-residential off street parking in the B4 Mixed Use zone:

The proposed amendment also means the off-street parking allowed in R4 high density residential zone are bought in line with a B4 mixed use zones which already have a reduced ratio of off-street parking per apartment.

To ensure this new proposal encourages people to reduce car use and dependence and lessen the impact on our local roads, resident parking permits will not be issued to occupants of these new high-density developments. Note: this will not impact existing entitlements for these permits. Purchasers of new residential apartments in the North Sydney LGA will not eligible for Council’s Resident Parking Scheme.

The benefits of limiting off-street car parking for new developments in these areas include:

• encouraging the more sustainable use of public transport, walking and cycling as well as other modes of transport such as car-share and ride-share
• increasing the capacity to create more people focused and engaging environments
• providing potential purchasers of new apartments with the option of purchasing an apartment without a parking space. This can improve housing affordability
• managing traffic generation and congestion on local roads

More information

The Council report of 25 July 2022 provides more detail and background to the proposal. We’ve also developed a fact sheet to help explain the proposal.

View the information video which explains the purpose and detail of the draft DCP amendment.

View the interactive map detailing the areas that would be affected by the proposed amendment.

Public Exhibition

The draft amendment to NSDCP 2013 will be on public exhibition from Tuesday 13 September 2022 until Tuesday 13 December 2022. View the draft NSDCP 2013 amendment and associated background reports in the Document Library. Hard copies may be viewed at Council’s Customer Service Centre and Stanton Library during opening hours.

Have Your Say

Use the online submission form (below) or alternatively, send submissions to:

• Email - yoursay@northsydney.nsw.gov.au
• Mail - North Sydney Council, PO Box 12, NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2059

Note: Submissions are considered open access information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. In the interests of public transparency, submission in its entirety may be made available via Council’s website. Submitters are encouraged to read Council’s Information Sheet: Making a Submission to Council prior to making a submission. All feedback received will be considered, however it is not intended to reply to individual respondents.

Do you have a question about the amendment?

Use the online Question and Answer forum to post a question online (see below) and have it answered by Council staff. Note: You will be prompted to provide a screen name to post a question, please include your relationship with the area when creating your screen name e.g. resident, business owner, developer. Questions will be available for other registered users to view.

To discuss the draft amendments to NSDCP 2013 contact Tom Mojsiejuk or Neal McCarry of Council’s Strategic Planning Department on 9936 8100.