Whether we like it or not, we need to keep building new houses.
A lot of new houses.
So before we start lecturing anyone about the downside of urban sprawl let’s remember that we or our families were once newcomers to this land and needed a roof over their head.
Let’s face it: The Lucky Country is still a very desirable destination for people all over the world looking to make a new start in a new land.
Human beings have always moved around the planet, looking to provide a better life for their families.
Unless we want to deny others the opportunity we were once given, we will continue to grow and need new homes by the thousands.
However, we can control where we put those houses to ensure that population increases occur in a manner that does not put pressure on the environment, infrastructure such as schools, roads and hospitals, and social cohesion.
Let us now turn to yesterday’s announcement from the state government that it was taking over the planning approval process for three proposals that together would produce almost 20,000 homes – maybe more.
Much of it will be along Appin Road between Campbelltown and the township of Appin.
Experience has taught us that these things take years, if not decades, to come to fruition.
Maybe that was one of the reasons for the government’s decision to sideline local councils, but in my opinion this was a mistake.
If the government is fair dinkum about building the infrastructure before people move into these new homes, it needs the local knowledge councils have at their disposal.
Bureaucrats sitting in an office on the 40th floor of a building near Sydney Harbour making decisions about infrastructure in Appin just doesn’t cut it.
Remember the Outer Sydney Orbital and how its disastrous route – later changed – was selected by said bureaucrats looking at Google maps.
What we really need when it comes to housing and population increases is a coordinated approach between all levels of government.
We also need a strategy about where we build new houses and how many.
Some of these things are there but not as part of a defined plan.
The truth is housing policy is a bit of a muddle.
There is an election coming in NSW next March, and maybe the next few months will be a good opportunity to try to come up with a better housing approach than the current one.
I agree. We need big changes to make housing more human, flora , fauna and last but not least climate friendly.
Our laws are so weak and so pro-development with any checks and balances literally bulldozed by the State Government who just treats our area as its dumping ground.
Climate change is rubbish. If we were to keep incorporating climate action into our houses the costs will make it unaffordable for home buyers.