Leader of the Opposition Kellie Sloane said the Liberals and Nationals support increasing housing supply, but the current one-size-fits-all approach has failed to deliver the homes NSW needs.
"We need to build more homes, but we also need to recognise that good planning isn't about applying the same template to every community," Ms Sloane said.
"The Minns Government has created an adversarial planning system where councils are effectively told to accept a rigid planning template or resist the State Government. This is in addition to new taxes and charges that are crippling the construction sector and contributing to our state’s lagging housing completions.”
"Our policy changes that. If a council can demonstrate it can deliver the same number of homes, or more, through a plan that is best for a community, it should have the opportunity to do so."
The coalition stated that under their proposal, councils would be able to submit an alternate housing delivery plan that meets or exceeds their existing LMR housing allocation. Any proposal would be independently assessed and certified by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
If no alternate plan is approved, the existing LMR settings would continue to apply.
Under the NSW Government's housing reforms, the Northern Beaches Local Government Area has a target to deliver 5,900 new completed homes by June 2029 as part of the National Housing Accord. The Low and Mid-Rise Housing (LMR) policy aims to facilitate this capacity near key transport and town centres.
This is comprised of 2,110 traditionally planned/pipeline homes and 3,790 projected homes 'unlocked' via the state governments changes.
Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Chris Rath said the proposal would protect housing supply while encouraging better planning outcomes.
"This is not about reducing housing. The target number of homes stays exactly the same. What changes is how those homes are delivered,” Mr Rath said.
"Councils understand their communities better than anyone. They know where infrastructure has capacity, where heritage constraints exist and where growth can occur most effectively.”
"By giving councils a formal pathway to put forward better solutions, we can reduce unnecessary conflict, improve local infrastructure planning and ultimately deliver more homes."
Mr Rath also said that the policy builds on planning approaches the Minns Government has already accepted in practice.
“In Bondi Junction, Waverley Council was permitted to pursue its own place-based masterplan rather than relying on blanket controls, while Burwood successfully worked with the Government to reshape where higher-density housing would be delivered to better align with local planning priorities.”
“What we are announcing today is simply a formal, transparent mechanism so every council has the same opportunity to put forward a better, locally-tailored, way of delivering the same, or a greater, number of homes.”
Mr Rath, when voting for the changes in November 2025, stated during the debate, ‘’ We are now a pro-supply, yimby-based party'' [and] ‘’getting government out of the way and letting developers build houses’’.
Worth noting is the exhibition period for the SSD approved via the government's changes at 35 – 39 Darley Street East, Mona Vale, for an eight-storey building with a height of 28.6 metres over three basement levels among two-storey homes, comprising 53 apartments (including nine affordable housing apartments) three basement levels with parking for 124 cars and vehicular access from Darley Street East closed on Monday August 3 2026, after two weeks for responses to the 39 documents tabled for reading.
There were 196 responses with just 17 of these in 'support' and the 'support' comments came from outside Mona Vale; from Real Estate agents who would profit from selling the luxury units, or developers supporting the proponents - even one from a Byron Bay supporter of the Byron Bay based Development Manager for the SSD who claimed they lived in the neighbourhood.
The proponents have until October 4 2026 to respond to issues raised by state agencies and those raised by residents, which form the bulk of the 170+ objections.
Councils can already develop alternative plans: the NBC does not want to save Pittwater - Ark of Sydney
The MP for Pittwater, Jacqui Scruby, has pointed out that councils can already follow this pathway.
The Liberal Party’s announcement that councils could develop alternative plans to meet housing targets instead of being forced to accept the bipartisan Low and Mid Rise (LMR) planning controls is a non-announcement, given this is already being undertaken by other councils and is an option open to Northern Beaches Council already, the MP for Pittwater stated on Friday.
Ms Scruby said; “Whilst the announcement is a ‘nothing burger’, the fact one was made at all shows that the community pressure is working and I encourage everyone to continue to rally against the reforms.”
"We do not need the Liberals to announce options that exist already – we need them to withdraw support for Labor and backflip on their bipartisan support for developer led reforms.”
Unless the Liberal Party can explain how this announcement is any different to what councils like Inner West and Mosman are doing - it is simply misleading our community.”
Ms Scruby noted that SOS Mona Vale has recently been told directly by the government that councils can develop alternative plans and that other councils are already successfully doing just that. The Liberal announcement merely mirrors that position.
"Mosman Council has invested $500k developing an alternative planning approach to concentrate housing growth in appropriate locations rather than applying a blunt, one-size-fits-all model across its community. Inner West Council has their 'Fairer Future Plan' as an alternative to the LMR and Ku-ring-gai Council also has an alternative housing solution”, said Ms Scruby.
"The reality is a few months ago the Liberal Party voted in Labor’s developer-led reforms with gusto referring to themselves as the “party of YIMBYs” and reaffirmed their support for their plans a few weeks ago when voting against legislation to stop projects like Lizard Rock going ahead in bushfire prone areas.”
“It’s not good enough – we need a stance that will actually protect Mona Vale from State Significant Development housing pathways and the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) mechanism, or at the very least exclude it from low to mid rise completely.
"This announcement ignores the biggest risk we have which is state significant developments. This announcement does nothing to stop the current situation where a developer can effectively acquire a small number of properties, assemble a site and seek to use the HDA pathway for a development for 8 storeys or more.”
"My position is clear I voted against these reforms and maintain that Mona Vale should be exempt from both the Low and Mid Rise reforms and State Significant Development housing pathways. Only last week I gave notice of a motion in parliament to have the matter debated.”
5062 - BIPARTISAN DEVELOPER-LED HOUSING REFORMS – 4 August 2026
Notice text:
That this House:
(1) Notes growing community protests against bipartisan developer-led housing reforms.
(2) Notes the perverse outcomes of these reforms, where the demolition of existing apartments for luxury redevelopments risks a net loss of overall dwellings and will fail to deliver actual affordable housing.
(3) Recognises that some Low and Mid-Rise town centres like Mona Vale face acute geographical constrains, bushfire risks and infrastructure limitations.
(4) Calls on the Government to review and implement place-based exemptions.
"Mona Vale is not a blank canvas. It has particular infrastructure, environmental, traffic, transport and community constraints that need to be properly considered before additional density is imposed. The answer is not to simply move the same state-imposed targets around on a map." the MP for Pittwater said
Ms Scruby confirmed she has called on Council, as has SOS Mona Vale, to develop alternative plans, which has so far been resisted.
“Northern Beaches Council should provide an alternative planning framework for Mona Vale's LMR and this community is calling on Councillors to move a motion at the next council meeting.”
If other councils have developed alternatives, then Northern Beaches Council should be under pressure to produce one for Mona Vale.” Ms Scruby said
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the MP for Pittwater speaking at the recent SOS Mona Vale Rally
More in:
Mona Vale Rally Issues an Invitation + Opportunity to Correct a Planning Mistake
Affordable Housing In Mona Vale More an Uplift in Grift than a Home Solution
NBC's Draft Local Environmental Plan (LEP) - Draft Development Control Plan (DCP) Now on Exhibition - Feedback open until August 30
Residents can join or get updates from SOS Mona Vale by signing up for them at: www.sosmonavale.com.au
A few more words from a community member at the SOS Mona Vale Rally: