Mosman LMR Alternate Plan

The NSW State Government’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy, introduced under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021, set a housing target for Mosman and applied a proximity-led boundary methodology based on distance from train stations. The Mosman community engaged McGregor Coxall to develop a credible, evidence-based planning alternative. Our brief was clear: demonstrate that the State’s housing target could be met while ensuring growth was directed to locations genuinely supported by infrastructure, open space, heritage constraints, and existing urban character. The result is the Alternate LMR Plan, a place-led response that positions the community as an active participant in shaping Mosman’s housing future.

The State Government’s indicative LMR boundary projected a substantial dwelling yield without accounting for Mosman’s documented infrastructure constraints. Open space provision sits at or near its functional threshold, with a meaningful deficit identified across the study area. School catchments face capacity pressure, with enrolments already exceeding targets in some locations. Heritage Conservation Areas and heritage items required careful transition controls to avoid massing impacts on protected streetscapes. Affordable and key worker housing outcomes remained unresolved under the State framework. Each constraint is interconnected: density cannot increase without a parallel commitment to infrastructure, open space, and design quality.

McGregor Coxall developed the Alternate LMR Plan using a place-led methodology that assessed liveability infrastructure across open space, transport, schools, health, utilities, and heritage before defining any housing boundary. We applied a lot-specific boundary in place of the State’s indicative area, tested multiple density scenarios against infrastructure capacity, and drafted LEP and DCP controls addressing heritage interface setbacks, built form, townscape improvements along Military and Spit Roads, and affordable housing outcomes. Throughout, we maintained close consultation with Mosman Council, aligning recommendations directly with the Mosman DCP 2012, and engaged constructively with NSW State Government planning policy to ensure the Alternate Plan is positioned as a submittable planning alternative, not simply a community objection.

The Alternate LMR Plan demonstrates that the State’s housing target can be met through a more considered, infrastructure-led boundary, directing growth to locations that can genuinely support it. With Military and Spit Road townscape improvements included, the plan delivers an equivalent dwelling yield to the State’s indicative figure, at the right locations and scale. The report produces thirteen recommendations spanning planning framework reform, infrastructure delivery, open space acquisition, and further technical studies. Market uptake analysis confirms Mosman has already exceeded its current housing target, with affordable dwellings included in approved applications. The Alternate Plan demonstrates that community-led planning, grounded in evidence and conducted in genuine consultation with Council and State Government, can meet housing targets without compromising liveability or place quality.