Affordable housing is rental housing for people with very low to moderate incomes. The rent is cheaper than market rates, so people can still pay for other important things like food, clothes, transport, electricity, health care, and education.
Affordable housing is essential to creating a diverse and thriving community.
In July 2025, we adopted the Affordable Housing Contributions Scheme. This scheme explains how Council will collect contributions from certain new developments, which will help fund more affordable housing for the community.
This scheme recognises affordable housing as important infrastructure ensuring that essential workers, families, and individuals with lower incomes can live in the local area.
Only sites that get additional development potential through planning changes will contribute. This way, Council can support affordable housing without making development too difficult or more expensive.
Council will use Place Plans to put this scheme into action. These plans are being prepared for centres like Miranda, Sutherland-Kirrawee, and later for Cronulla, Engadine, Caringbah, and other key centres in the Shire will follow.