The NSW Liberals and Nationals government has identified the opportunity to deliver around 12,000 homes just 14 km south of Sydney’s CBD, with Long Bay Jail on the chopping block.
The NSW Liberals and Nationals Government has announced plans to deliver more than 12,000 homes in Sydney’s east through housing development plans for the Long Bay Correctional Facility.
If elected, the opposition government said it would establish a Long Bay Delivery Authority (LDA) within 100 days of the March election to oversee master planning and infrastructure and partner with the private sector to deliver new homes and community facilities.
The LDA will also work with Corrective Services to coordinate the relocation of correctional facilities to regional and metropolitan centres, including Goulburn Jail.
Speaking to REB, shadow minister for planning and public spaces Chris Rath said the space could help bolster housing supply in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
“If you were designing Sydney from scratch today, you certainly wouldn’t put a prison right on Malabar Beach 20 minutes from the CBD,” Rath told REB.
“It’s a terrible location for a jail, but it’s a great location for 12,000 homes.”
With the existing prison already dilapidated, Rath said the space would be better used as a housing project than to spend millions on renovations.
He said that the development would comprise 30 per cent social and affordable housing, mixed in throughout a range of properties.
Rath said that with the Labour Government 40 per cent below its housing targets set out in the National Housing Accord and Sydney, the project offered a chance to significantly increase housing supply in a well-situated area near the CBD.
“The vision would be a lot of mid-rise, some high-rise and some low -rise, but definitely a lot of mid-rise, and we think it’s the perfect location to do it in.”
“We’re not building anywhere near enough homes for Sydney’s needs, and we think this is a great site for 12,000 homes that can make a dent in terms of getting closer towards our target.”
NSW Liberal Leader Kellie Sloane said the Long Bay precinct could bring thousands of new homes to a highly sought-after area of Sydney’s east.
"The Long Bay Delivery Authority will coordinate this once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver more than 12,000 homes and build a community for families at a time when they need it the most," Sloane said
"Long Bay is one of the biggest urban renewal opportunities in NSW. Why should prisoners have a coastal home, when this land could be made available for more affordable homes, close to the city?"
Public Service Association assistant secretary Troy Wright opposed the proposal, saying it was “irresponsible, if not reckless.”
He said the Liberal government needed to release a fully costed replacement plan, as rising inmate numbers could put staff in other prisons at risk.
“Overcrowding makes an already difficult and dangerous job harder,” Wright said.
“The Liberals need to explain exactly where these inmates will go and who will safely supervise them.”
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