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Planning Minister Brad Hazzard strolls through the terraced Pitt St, Redfern on Friday, housing he'd like to see right across Sydney's west. Picture: Sam Ruttyn Source: The Sunday Telegraph
FORGET the great Australian dream of having a big backyard with room for a swimming pool, NSW Planning Minister Brad Hazzard says Sydneysiders "want" to live in tiny terraces.
Outlining his vision for the city's future, Mr Hazzard said Sydney had it right 100 years ago when most of the population lived in terrace houses and that today's cash-strapped and time-poor homeowners were driving a modern-day resurgence in their popularity.
He said there was a growing demand for a return to the pint-sized properties with developers finding that lots as small as 150sqm were being snapped up faster than anything else on the market -- even on the city's ever expanding suburban fringe.
The average block size in areas such as Penrith, Leppington and Box Hill is currently about 500sqm, but Mr Hazzard said it would probably fall to about 125sqm within the next decade as terraces and semi-detached homes took root.
"In Sydney the 21st century will see a return to the semi or terrace style of housing," he told The Sunday Telegraph.
"If you have a busy lifestyle and you are close to public transport, who wants to mow the lawn all day?
"You want a bit of sunshine, a bit of a place you can hang with your mates and have a barbecue, but you don't want to be bothered. You also want something you can afford and won't be a financial anchor dragging you to the bottom of the financial depths for the rest of your life."
Mr Hazzard said the move away from big blocks to terraces was because people have "woken up" to the cost and waste associated with them.
Terraces were far more environmentally efficient than quarter-acre lots or apartment blocks and offered cross ventilation for natural cooling, and you could hang the washing in the back yard "rather than sticking it in the machine all the time", he said.
Terrace living also provided "communities with heart" rather than the isolation of not knowing your neighbour if you lived on a big block with a huge fence or in a unit.
"You're more likely to get a sense of community because you are chatting to your neighbour over the fence when you are hanging up your washing," he said.
Mr Hazzard said smaller lot sizes would also see more land released for the community to build football fields and other recreational areas.
Robert Sullivan, from property developer Landcom, confirmed that small blocks within walking distance of the public transport were now most popular option for the homeowners, particularly the young buyers.
Mr Hazzard is due to hand down his review of the state's planning act by the end of June. He said the review would be "very radical" and he expected it to prompt significant debate within the community".
TfNSW proposal to reverse Little Eveleigh Street - until Sept 10th 2023
