Transport Oriented Development Plan

Today the Government announced Cockle Creek and Cardiff train stations will join Morisset, Teralba and Booragul as stations included in proposed planning changes under the Transport Oriented Development (TOD) Program.

The tier 2 TOD changes will increase density around identified train stations allowing for apartment buildings of up to 21m (6 storeys), with no minimum lot size or width, on all residential and some commercial land.

We desperately need more housing in NSW and building homes close to transport and jobs makes sense, but Lake Macquarie has already seen huge growth in recent years without adequate investment in infrastructure. The addition of five TOD precincts in the area will see our community grow further.

While I support the Government's commitment to increasing housing supply, we can't continue to expand our local community without the infrastructure and services needed to support this growth. We need commitments to road and train station upgrades (including multi-story carparks) and improvements to services including health services in southern Lake Macquarie to support our growing community.

Projects with existing funding commitments, like Mandalong and Five Islands Roads, must also be fast tracked.

Finally, we don't just need more housing, we need housing people can afford. The Government must ensure TOD planning changes deliver more desperately needed affordable housing in Lake Macquarie by requiring minimum commitments to affordable housing in TOD precincts.