Outdoor scene of a street with a cafe seating area, cars parked along the curb, bicycles locked to a pole, and modern apartment buildings in the background. The sky is partly cloudy.

Balanced Urban Development

Bayside must play its part in addressing the housing crisis. Our younger generations have expressed frustration at being ‘locked out’ of the housing market. Providing affordable housing and increasing housing supply is essential in planning for our future.

Peaceful Bayside supports well-planned increases in density that deliver more homes in the right locations, with the right infrastructure and design.

More housing is necessary, but how and where we build matters. Balanced Urban Development means delivering increased density alongside design excellence, affordability, sustainability and liveability. New homes should be close to public transport, jobs and services, with strong access to active transport corridors like safe walking and cycling routes, while protecting local character and expanding green space.

Bayside Council's LEP (2021)
Nighttime construction site with a building under construction, pedestrian signs, and a fenced-off walkway illuminated by streetlights and construction lights, with a crane in the background and trees in the distance.

Sydney needs more homes, and Bayside has a role to play in meeting that demand.

Peaceful Bayside supports increased density in well-located areas near transport, town centres and services, where new housing can be supported by existing infrastructure.

Through council engagement and planning advocacy, we have worked to ensure that density is directed to appropriate locations, rather than being scattered in areas that lack access to transport, jobs or community facilities.

Increasing housing supply in the right locations

An aerial view of a suburban neighborhood showing houses with various roof styles and colors, surrounded by trees, roads, and parked cars.

Affordable housing that genuinely delivers

Increasing supply must translate into real affordability outcomes, not just more market-rate apartments.

Peaceful Bayside supports stronger affordable housing requirements within developments and has backed initiatives to expand affordable and transitional housing, including for people experiencing housing stress and those escaping domestic violence.

We have seen an increase in Affordable Housing investment by Bayside Council, in part due to our councillors pushing this issue. We continue to advocate for clearer targets, definitions and mechanisms to ensure new development contributes to long-term housing accessibility.

Read Council's "Affordable Rental Housing Strategy"
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New infrastructure paired with active transport

Density works best when it is supported by infrastructure that makes daily life easier.

Peaceful Bayside has consistently advocated for better integration between development and public transport, walking, cycling and active transport corridors. This ensures new housing precincts connect seamlessly to jobs, schools and services. Safe and accessible walking and cycling routes are especially important for apartment dwellers, who do not have gardens and large backyards for outdoor leisure. They also provide low-cost, healthy and sustainable ways to travel locally and connect to transport hubs.

Residents in high density areas also rely on council to provide “third spaces” like libraries, playgrounds, community gardens and sporting facilities, so they can enjoy free and welcoming places to spend time when they are not at home or at work.

A person pointing to a brochure or booklet that shows photographs of houses on Giles Street. The booklet includes the text "Gibbes Street Group - Jackson's Row" and an address "No 21 Gibbes Street." The scene is on a desk with a glass of water, a can, some documents, and a black object that appears to be an electronic device.

Local character and design excellence

Growth should enhance, not erode, the identity of our neighbourhoods.

Peaceful Bayside supports high-quality design standards that respond to local context, including appropriate building heights, setbacks, materials and, importantly, streetscape integration.

We have strongly advocated for comprehensive heritage reviews and local character assessments to ensure that new developments complement the existing fabric of Bayside’s suburbs rather than overwhelming them.

We request that large developments go through a ‘Design Excellence’ competition process to ensure that the best design is selected (each must adhere to the same constraints and budget).

Design Excellence Guidelines
Design Competition Guidelines
St George Historical Society
Council's Heritage webpage
Aerial view of a housing complex with multiple modern houses, some with rooftop pools, surrounded by trees and greenery.

Climate-ready new builds

New housing should lead the way on sustainability and resilience. Apartment-dwellers should not miss out on green energy, EV-charging, or appliance electrification.

Peaceful Bayside advocates for developments that incorporate tree canopy, green spaces and energy efficiency. We also consider and, where appropriate, push for renewable energy generation, including solar, battery storage, and climate-responsive design.

We have supported planning controls that encourage green roofs, reduce urban heat impacts, and build buildings that are energy producers, not just consumers.

Group of six people standing in a forest, smiling at the camera, dressed casually, some holding maps and pamphlets, with trees and greenery in the background.

As density increases, so too should investment in local infrastructure and public space.

Peaceful Bayside has worked to strengthen oversight of Development Contributions Plans, ensuring that developers contribute fairly to parks, community facilities, and infrastructure upgrades, and that money collected in specific precincts is spent in those areas of the LGA.

We support frameworks that deliver tangible benefits for residents, including open space, improved amenities and better public realm outcomes.

Fair contributions and community benefit

Frequently asked questions

  • Not if it is well planned. Density in the right locations, with good design and infrastructure, can improve liveability and reduce pressure on outer suburbs.

  • Proximity to public transport, jobs, schools, services, green space and active transport corridors, allowing residents to move easily without relying on cars.

  • Peaceful Bayside have advocated for better planning oversight, supported affordable housing initiatives, improved sustainability requirements and pushed for stronger design outcomes in major developments. Some recent actions include:

    • Development Contributions Plan: Clr Douglas & Clr Bredehoeft secured session for Councillors to comprehend draft plan before decision-making (September 2025)

    • 204 Rocky Point Road, Kogarah: Clr Douglas voted against rezoning from industrial to residential, motion passed to defer for more comprehensive report on risks and precedents

    • Westfield Eastgardens DCP Amendment: Clr Douglas voted for, with additions for solar energy, battery storage, green roofs, carbon offset, and shopping trolley management

    • Rockdale Cultural Festival and Laneway Activation: Bredehoeft & Douglas motion (March 2025)

    • Heritage Review and Local Character Assessment: Will inform future development character – Bredehoeft & Douglas motion (March 2025)

    • Rockdale Arts & Culture Hub: This motion directly addressing Clr Bredehoeft's specific Ward 3 promise, was successfully integrated into the Rockdale Masterplan.

  • Through ensuring that all properties recommended for protection by heritage consultants/reviews are listed in the LEP, also via the introduction of Heritage Conservation Areas which are more flexible than individual heritage listings but protect heritage facades and streetscapes.

    We also scrutinise and monitor private certifiers (CDCs) and recommend Council undertake ongoing local character assessments and implement design standards that ensure new buildings fit within their surroundings.

  • More affordable housing, better-designed density, stronger sustainability standards and improved access to public transport, green space and active transport networks.

    We want to see heritage facades protected and for developers to work with the surrounding character of the areas and undertake adaptive re-use of older buildings, instead of demolishing and rebuilding as a default. Council must lead the way with strong policy platforms.

    We are continually advocating to create balanced urban development in Bayside; some initiatives we are working on include:

    • New walking and cycling connections - such as the Kamay Greenway active transport and nature corridor linking Cooks River to the Georges River on the F6 reserve

    • Toilet renewal for Brighton, Ramsgate and Kyeemagh

    • Brighton-Le-Sands town centre masterplan with people focus

    • Boulevarde Car Park Renewal including library and community hub at Brighton-Le-Sands

    • First teenage girl co-design park

    • Night time lighting - Gujaga skate park, Rockdale

    • Arts and Culture Centre included in new Rockdale town centre masterplan 

    • Heritage Strategy delivery

  • Yes. Residents can make submissions on larger development applications during public exhibition periods ad comment on council’s planning strategies.

Did you know?

  • Increasing housing supply is essential to improving affordability

  • Well-located density reduces reliance on cars and lowers emissions

  • Active transport corridors provide low-cost mobility for local residents

  • Tree canopy and green spaces improve liveability in higher-density areas

Living room with large window, red armchair, white furniture, artwork on walls, and dining table with decorative items.
A peaceful park scene with a grassy walking path surrounded by tall trees, some with green foliage and others with sparse leaves, under a clear blue sky.
A lush garden with various green plants and shrubs, some in green containers, with a wheelbarrow filled with yellow flowers, and a background of tall trees under a clear blue sky.
A river or lake with a border of rocks and green plants in the foreground, a fence behind the rocks, and a row of mobile homes along the shoreline. There is a bird walking on the rocks near the water.
Modern multi-story apartment building with white and brick facades, balconies with black railings, and large windows. There are small trees and a landscaped area in the foreground.
Three children walking on a paved pathway in a park, with a grassy area and trees on either side, under a partly cloudy sky.
Children playing on swings in a playground with blue and yellow rubber flooring, cloudy sky, and tennis courts in the background.
Group of people gathered outdoors near a wooden pole with a box labeled 'Ausgrid' and 'www.ausgrid.com.au electricity,' some wearing orange safety vests, and a vehicle with part of the word 'Ausgrid' visible.
A grassy field with a large apartment complex in the background under a cloudy sky.

Sydney Housing Supply Gap

Greater Sydney is projected to need around 725,000 new homes by 2041, but current supply trends are falling well short of this target (Source: “NSW Housing Strategy / Greater Cities Commission projections”)

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Issues, questions and ideas for Heidi (Ward 5)?

To send us ideas or report on-the-ground issues across Ward 5 (Kyeemagh, Brighton Le Sands, Monterey, Ramsgate, Sandringham, Dolls Point), please email heidilee.douglas@bayside.nsw.gov.au

Issues, questions and ideas for Janin (Ward 3)?

To send us ideas or report on-the-ground issues across Ward 3 (Rockdale, Arncliffe, Banksia, Bexley), please email janin.bredehoeft@bayside.nsw.gov.au