FAQs

Council is committed to providing its share of 377,000 homes by 2029 under the National Housing Accord and delivering well-planned, sustainable housing outcomes. The NSW Government’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy (LMR), one of several tools introduced that aim to speed up housing delivery, has sparked a rush of developer interest in Mosman, but this one-size-fits-all approach has created community concern about pressures on infrastructure, local character, heritage and the environment.  

In response to community concerns regarding the LMR, Council has liaised with the State Government in the preparation of a Masterplan, a place-based 30-year planning framework that provides a clear and feasible pathway for accommodating growth. Consistent with the agreed framework, the Masterplan redistributes the additional housing generated by the LMR reforms while ensuring the overall dwelling yield is equivalent to that enabled under the LMR. The Mosman Masterplan establishes a coordinated approach to housing delivery that balances State housing objectives with local character, infrastructure capacity and community expectations.

Council has made every effort to secure an exclusion from the LMR while we develop the Mosman Masterplan. This included obtaining legal advice on Council's ability to challenge the state's policy, meetings with the Minister for Planning, submissions from Mosman Mayor Ann Marie Kimber to the Minister, as well as multiple requests in meetings and in writing from Council staff to the Department of Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure.

To date, Council's requests have been denied. Therefore, our focus has remained on delivering the Mosman Masterplan as quickly as possible to try to reduce impacts from the LMR in Mosman. 

The number of dwellings in any new masterplan must be equivalent to or greater than the capacity under the LMR. Council and the Department have agreed that the housing capacity under the LMR is 950,000 square metres, which translates to around 4,700 new dwellings. 

This growth is expected to occur over future decades.

Council engaged Atlas Economics to develop an Affordable Housing Policy and Contributions Scheme for Mosman. Councillors voted unanimously at an Extraordinary Council Meeting on 26 August to endorse lodgement of the draft Affordable Housing Contributions Scheme Planning Proposal to the State Government for assessment and review. Subject to the State Government’s approval, the draft Affordable Housing Contributions Scheme will proceed to formal public exhibition, providing the community with an opportunity to provide feedback before any final amendments are considered. It is expected public exhibition will occur in late 2026.

A key part of the masterplan is assessing local infrastructure capacity to identify where improvements may be needed to support any future growth and ensure that liveability remains high. 

Council has engaged SGS Economics to report on the impacts of the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy on Mosman’s infrastructure and provide an infrastructure needs analysis. The Infrastructure Summary Report forms Attachment E to the Mosman Masterplan Planning Proposal. The findings of the Infrastructure Summary Report have been used as an input to the Mosman Masterplan and a new higher-percentage 7.12 Local Contributions Plan that is being developed in consultation with the Department.

To ensure the masterplan remains grounded in Mosman’s specific context while still providing a clear and defensible basis for change, eight design principles have been established as guiding lenses for decision making. These principles were informed by the early consultation to ensure the principles reflected community priorities:

• Protect and enhance the established character
• Celebrate heritage
• Protect local amenity and liveability
• Bring the community on the journey
• Protect the environment
• Plan and advocate for community needs and infrastructure
• Leverage value to deliver opportunities for all
• Plan for diverse and affordable housing

The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has indicated that the in-fill affordable housing bonus provisions under the Housing State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) will continue to apply in Mosman Local Government Area and would be, subject to merits assessment, in addition to the heights specified for each option. These provisions allow for a 20–30% increase in floor space ratio and building height for developments that provide at least 10–15% of gross floor area as affordable housing for 15 years.

State Significant Development (SSD) applications may currently be lodged anywhere within the Mosman Local Government Area, and this will continue following the adoption of the Mosman Masterplan. It should be noted that SSD applications rely on a separate planning pathway, with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure acting as the consent authority, rather than Council.

Following Council's unanimous endorsement of the Mosman Masterplan on 26 August, the planning proposal was lodged with the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure for assessment and review. Subject to the Department's approval, the proposal will proceed to formal public exhibition, providing the community with an opportunity provide feedback before any final amendments are considered. It is anticipated that public exhibition will occur late 2026.

Council is providing updates through its dedicated Mosman Masterplan project page newsletters, social media, local notices, and engagement events. You can also sign up for project alerts on the Masterplan page.