What You Need to Know About Inner West Council’s Housing Reform Plan

Inner West Council has released a significant draft strategy to shape the future of housing in the area — and it’s currently on public exhibition until Saturday, 6 July 2025.

Titled Our Fairer Future: Housing for All, but widely known as “the Blue Book,” this plan outlines how the Council intends to meet State Government housing targets while protecting neighbourhood character, improving liveability, and supporting diverse housing needs.

Whether you’re a property owner, long-time resident, or potential investor, this document is crucial to understand.

I was recently invited to a council face-to-face workshop feedback session, and here are some of the take outs below if you want to know what is happening in your neighbourhood in the Innerwest

The Blue Book is the Council’s strategic response to the State-imposed housing target of 26,850 new homes across the Inner West by 2036. It outlines a framework for where and how new housing will be delivered, aiming to balance growth with heritage, environment, and liveability.

Key directions include:

• Concentrating higher-density housing near public transport (Transport Oriented Development precincts)
• Encouraging low and mid-rise housing in strategic corridors and centres
• Increasing housing diversity, including co-living, seniors housing, and multigenerational homes
• Protecting heritage and neighbourhood character, while introducing flexibility for well-managed growth
• Precinct-specific plans for Ashfield, Dulwich Hill, Leichhardt, and Marrickville

This strategy will directly influence:

• Where new housing types (like terraces, townhouses, and apartments) can be built
• How local heritage conservation areas are managed alongside growth
• What planning controls, such as zoning, building height and floor space, may change in the near future

If you live, rent, build, design, or invest in the Inner West, it’s important to be informed about what’s proposed in your area.

Council is inviting the community to have their say during the formal public exhibition period, which closes at 11:59pm on Saturday, 6 July 2025

1. Visit the official exhibition page.
2. Submit your feedback using the Council’s online form — this is the only accepted method.
3. Attend a Council drop-in session or pop-up event to speak directly with Council staff, view plans, and ask questions about your suburb. Dates and locations are listed on the exhibition page

Once the exhibition period ends:

• Council will review all community feedback
• A revised version of the strategy will be prepared
• The final plan will guide future changes to statutory planning controls, including Local Environmental Plans (LEPs) and Development Control Plans (DCPs)

These changes will ultimately affect what types of development are permitted where, so early engagement is critical.

This is your opportunity to help shape how the Inner West responds to the challenges of population growth, housing need, and heritage conservation.

If you live, work or build in the Inner West:

• Explore the exhibition materials
• Review your local precinct section
• Submit your feedback before 6 July

Start here: https://yoursay.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/our-fairer-future-plan