Port Stephens pushes housing diversity as approvals surge but completions lag

newy.com.au – Port Stephens Council has released its first Local Housing Strategy Annual Report, outlining progress on increasing housing diversity and affordability across the local government area.

The Port Stephens Housing Strategy Annual Report 2024/2025 tracks how Council is delivering on its Local Housing Strategy, which was adopted in June 2024, at a time when Mayor Leah Anderson says the lack of affordable and diverse housing options remains one of the biggest challenges for the community.

Since the strategy was adopted, Council has completed or started 50% of the listed actions designed to increase housing supply and choice across Port Stephens. Anderson said the new annual reporting framework was intended to give residents a clearer picture of how those actions are translating into real projects and approvals on the ground.

“I’m proud to share our first Local Housing Strategy Annual Report. It’s a great way to show the community insights on where Council is at in meeting our housing strategy targets,” she said.

Council figures show more than 660 development applications were approved in the past 12 months, compared with a target of 550 houses over the same period. Port Stephens Council says it is the fastest council in the Hunter for turning around applications, with an average assessment time of 49 days.

Anderson said a sharp increase in approvals for higher-density housing suggested the strategy was starting to shift the local housing mix, including more dual-occupancy developments on single lots. “Approvals in the past year for higher-density housing, such as dual-occupancy homes on one lot, have doubled. This shows the vision of our strategy becoming a reality,” she said.

However, while the development application target has been exceeded, the number of homes actually completed is lagging. Council said completions, recorded through occupation certificates, remain below the level required to keep pace with demand.

“The report has also highlighted areas we need to keep working on. It shows a big variance between DA approvals and completed builds,” Anderson said. “We know this trend is occurring nationally, impacted by factors out of Council’s control, such as tighter lending conditions, high interest rates, rising construction materials and labour costs, and industry shortages.”

She said Council was “proactively responding” to these pressures, including the potential risk of a future shortfall in housing completions and other challenges that could affect future targets. “We remain committed to easing the housing challenges our community is facing and delivering options to meet the future needs of our community,” she said.

As part of that response, Council has been advocating to the NSW Government for changes to planning legislation aimed at making it simpler to develop more affordable housing in key centres such as Nelson Bay and Raymond Terrace. It is also undertaking investigations and rezoning of additional residential land and pursuing further measures to facilitate infill housing in existing centres.

Council has encouraged residents to read more about the Port Stephens Local Housing Strategy on its website and to stay updated on its delivery through the YourPort newsletter as the remaining actions in the strategy progress in coming years.