On May 20, 2025, the Inner West Council met and discussed the exhibition of the Fairer Future plan prepared for the Council. The plan is highly consequential for the future of housing in the Inner West!
Sydney Cohousing members Daniel and David attended the meeting, and provided Council with the following feedback.
Good evening. Thank you for all the work that has been put into this process, and for the chance to speak tonight in favour of exhibiting this Fairer Future plan.
I’m speaking tonight on behalf of Sydney Cohousing. We are an incorporated association representing Sydney locals who want to live more collaboratively, sustainably, and affordably in urban Sydney. We have members from all walks of life whose experiences range from that of young professionals being gradually priced out of the city, to those who have or are currently experiencing homelessness, and suffering from extended social housing wait lists.
Many of our members live in the Inner West. We love this place – we love its welcomingness, its diversity and culture, its natural beauty and the things people have added to that. We want the Inner West to keep being all of these things and more.
We support the exhibition of this plan. We look forward to submitting feedback, along with I’m sure many others. We wholeheartedly echo the mayor’s support for not-for-profit housing solutions for essential workers and lower income residents, and the involvement of community housing providers to supply much more than the 2% minimum requirements.
However, we urge council to consider that alongside the essential role of social housing, and encouraging more market delivery of housing, there is a missing middle that are being gradually priced out of inner city councils like ours. We are concerned that this plan lacks three important ways to address long term affordability.
1.
We believe that there is not only a housing affordability crisis, but a loneliness epidemic, including among our ageing neighbours. We urge council to consider ways to incentivise cohousing approaches that support community connection, ageing in place, and cost of living benefits by more sharing of resources.
2.
Council should consider alternative ownership models such as community land trusts and co-operatives as part of encouraging a non-market private housing sector. This approach has been endorsed by the City of Sydney council, and overseas experience, from North America to England and Europe, shows that it is a way to promote long-term affordability and security, with comparatively less government funding.
3.
Council should encourage community-led housing development and not rely only on developer led or CHP led projects. This will involve ongoing engagement and support for community groups (like ours), but again, we know that people want the kind of sustainably constructed, mixed use, long term affordable developments that council wants. The community can help you deliver it.
Once again thank you for the opportunity to endorse this plan.
More information:
A Fairer Future for the Inner West
Agenda of Council – Tuesday, 20 May 2025 (also Minutes of Council)