With the Premier’s Plan B still in limbo after the Rosehill Gardens proposal was blocked, Faith Housing Australia is calling on Chris Minns to consider a bold alternative hiding in plain sight: Plan C – unlocking underused church land to deliver thousands of new homes.
“The answer to Sydney’s housing crisis won’t be found on a raceground—but it can be found on church grounds,” said Rob Stokes, Chair of Faith Housing Australia.
“Instead of chasing a single mega-site, why not activate hundreds of well-located parcels already embedded in our communities?”
An analysis by UrbanBio for Faith Housing Australia identified 747 faith-owned sites within 800 metres of a train station across NSW. In Sydney Metro alone, sites with assigned Floor Space Ratios could yield over 20,000 homes—or more than 40,000 bedrooms.
“Faith-based organisations, local faith communities, and community housing providers are keen and ready to help,” said Stokes. “But zoning rules are holding back opportunities for integrated faith and housing developments—especially for social and affordable housing.”
One key fix? Reforming SP2 ‘Place of Public Worship’ zoning to allow for integrated faith and housing developments. Just one member—Sydney Anglican Property—has identified 11 sites that could conservatively deliver over 1,000 new dwellings. A further 80+ church sites have been identified as potential sites for combined church and affordable housing.
“Zoning reform is the first step. Grants to faith communities and housing providers could then fast-track delivery—transforming these sites into thriving community precincts with homes, services, and shared spaces,” Stokes added.
“The housing crisis has intensified since I was a Minister, but this has also opened up community willingness to be part of the solution. Faith Housing Australia’s members are ideal partners to partner with the Premier to make Plan C a reality,” Stokes highlighted.
And the scale is real. “If the proposed $5 billion Rosehill sale were reinvested directly into social and affordable housing, it would be transformational. That’s the kind of bold action needed to meet Housing Accord targets and house the 65,758 households currently on the waiting list.”
As the housing crisis deepens, Plan C offers a practical, community-powered solution—if the government is ready to act.
“It’s like a gift from heaven – old churches would provide the answer to Chris Minns’ prayers for more homes,” said Stokes.
ENDS
Media Contact: Amanda Bailey 0429484632 or amanda@fha.org.au
What’s needed?
Expanding permissible uses in ‘SP2 – Place of Public Worship (and/or Education and/or Infrastructure)’ zones to unlock the potential for housing supply across NSW.
We recommend pursuing both short-term and long-term approaches to address this issue in a timely way to speed up housing delivery:
Short-term approach
- Amendments to the relevant sections of the Housing SEPP to include SP2 – Place of Public Worship (and/or Education and/or Infrastructure) zones as one of the “relevant zones” to which social and affordable housing policies apply.
- Expansion of the relevant sections of the Housing SEPP to include development on SP2 land for the purposes of a place of public worship, an educational establishment, a hospital, specialist disability accommodation or where seniors housing is permitted on the land.
Long-term approach
- Amend the standard instrument to make housing permissible in SP2 – Place of Public Worship (and/or Education and/or Infrastructure) zones.
- This change could be implemented immediately, but its application would be dependent on the timing of Councils adopting the standard instrument in their LEP reviews.
Grants to help Faith Communities and Community Housing Providers build homes.
Social and affordable housing doesn’t stack up without support. To be financially viable, these developments need a subsidy—either as an upfront capital grant or an ongoing availability payment.
This funding helps cover the gap between what it costs to build, maintain, and manage homes, and what low-income households can afford to pay in rent. In NSW, that gap is significant—between $10,300 and $17,100 per dwelling, per year.
Targeted grants for registered community housing providers to deliver housing in partnership with faith communities can bridge this gap—unlocking well-located land and accelerating the delivery of homes where they’re needed most.
Despite the NSW Government’s record $5.1 billion investment in social housing at the last budget, no grant rounds are currently available for Community Housing Providers for social or affordable housing. The proposed $5 billion sale price for Rosehill, reinvested into social and affordable housing would deliver thousands of new, well-located homes.
What’s possible?
Sydney Anglican Property has revealed plans to deliver nearly 260 social and affordable homes in Sydney’s South West with support from the Federal Government’s Housing Australia Future Fund:
Bankstown, Current site of St Paul’s Anglican – 185 social and affordable housing units for essential workers, seniors and women over 55. Community facilities, including capacity to seat 500, a preschool to support young families and retail and commercial spaces to create a vibrant, local hub.
Regents Park, Edwin St and Kingsland Road: 74 social housing units to be delivered on the site of the former Regents Park Anglican Church, to be run by Anglicare Sydney and focusing on providing accommodation for single women over 55 and families in need of stable and secure housing. The redeveloped site will include more than 500 square metres of communal space for community-building events and activities.
Interactive Map: Places of Public Worship in LGAs across NSW
Map produced by Urban Bio – ‘Join Count’ indicates the number of ‘Places of Public Worship’ in a specific LGA included in the analysis.
About Faith Housing Australia
Faith Housing Australia is the peak body representing faith-based organisations, including Community Housing Providers, Specialist Homelessness Services, faith leaders across diverse religions, and values-aligned professional organisations committed to housing justice. We work across Australia, advocating for a more equitable and just housing system at the federal, state, and local levels. Our membership comprises 74 organisations and individuals, collectively managing over 50,000 dwellings supporting 62,700 people with housing needs and 83,800 clients experiencing homelessness.