‘Let Me Be Clear’: Scully Rejects Mosman Council Call to Pause LMR

A council in one of Sydney’s leafy North Shore suburbs has been handed an emphatic “no” to its request NSW pause its Low and Mid-Rise policy in the area. The Mosman Council last week endorsed the next stage of its alternative LMR masterplan as it works towards winning state government approval. It voted to back a hybrid version of the two alternative masterplans it had proposed earlier this year to replace the NSW Government’s LMR policy, which was introduced in 2024. Those earlier versions provided overviews of the areas and direction of the Mosman’s alternative LMR plan. The newly endorsed plan is a combination of the two, with building heights in certain identified areas rising to 25 storeys—option 2 had initially suggested “high and narrow” densification, with buildings up to 28 storeys. The council has also identified areas where it wants to add further detail before taking the plans to the state by the end of this year. The council asked that the NSW Government immediately pause the operation of the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy at Mosman given that it has presented initial endorsed plans. But that request was rejected categorically by the state, with the NSW government emphasising its LMR policy was here to stay. “Let me be clear... we are not considering switching the policy off,” Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully told The Urban Developer . “The Minns Labor Government’s Low and Mid-Rise housing reforms have restored housing choice close to shops, transport and jobs so downsizers, families, and young people can choose the communities they want to live in—whether that be Mosman, the Inner West, Wollongong or Newcastle. “The government will consider the council’s masterplan if submitted, but will not remove the Low and Mid-Rise controls.” ▲ Mosman, where the median house price is approximately $5.3 million to $5.6 million and for units and apartments between $1.2 million and $1.35 million. Minutes from the extraordinary meeting show the council was also seeking to have the state reduce the target of 4700 homes for Mosman “given the lack of any fundamental investment in state-led infrastructure”. Additionally, it seeks an exemption from the application of the State Environment Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 In-fill affordable housing provisions within the masterplan area, arguing that the council will have its own extensive and comprehensive Affordable Housing Policy and Contributions Scheme to replace it. It is also considering whether proposed building heights can be further reduced or capped before any amended height controls are advanced through the planning proposal process. Winners and losers at Mosman Specific areas of Mosman are being more closely considered in the coming months and the council is requiring bulk and scale modelling for key sites, such as the Cowles Road and Military Road intersection and the Boronia House heritage setting, to “minimise impacts” on the heritage-listed Boronia property. However, it is not all NIMBYISM from the council, as it is also seeking to further review the Lang Street Heritage Conservation area with the objective of identifying opportunities for increased housing density. ▲ The council’s preferred option was endorsed last week, cutting more than half the area of change. Cove Architects founder Alistair Wood said that the big winners in uplift would be properties along Military and Spit Road, which would benefit from a proposed uplift of 12 to 25 storeys. “Having said that, the majority of these sites are heavily constrained by either fragmented ownership or existing large strata apartment blocks, which are therefore hard to amalgamate or the feasibility to amalgamate, [so] knockdown and rebuild isn’t viable,” Wood told The Urban Developer. “No doubt the Mosman Council is fully aware of this—it’s a very similar playbook to the one used by Ku-ring-gai last year to override the TOD reforms with their alternative plan,” he said. “Other implementable winners would be the properties that currently find themselves in the outer ring of the LMR (400m to 800m) where you can develop up to 3 to 4 storeys under the LMR. Under the council’s masterplan that could be increased to 6 to 8 storeys in some areas.” Developers await next steps For developers and property owners, uncertainty remains. “There’s unlikely to be any resolution to these questions prior to at least council’s finalisation of the masterplan with the NSW government unlikely to address it prior to then,” Wood said. “For some, there will be pressure to lodge an application ASAP to lock in the LMR uplift, for others, they will be hoping the masterplan is adopted, as they benefit. “There are definitely opportunities in these changes, so it may be a case of fortune favours the brave.” Mosman mayor Ann Marie Kimber said in a statement that the endorsement was the next step in the masterplan process. “The council is refining the masterplan to ensure that we’re still meeting the state mandated targets, but so that we can deliver significant public benefit, including open space and affordable housing,” Kimber said. “Our preferred masterplan identifies key sites to identify building height, a consistent corridor along this military and spit road, and low heights around the edges as transition zones between high density and areas of no change, but this is not the end of the process. “Further stages of assessment, consultation, and public input are still to come as part of the formal state government planning process that we must follow.” A more detailed report due in August will seek approval to submit the planning proposal to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure for a Gateway determination.

Apartments
Clare Burnett
Mon 06 Jul 26

‘Let Me Be Clear’: Scully Rejects Mosman Council Call to Pause LMR

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