Strathfield Council has moved to rewire its low-density housing controls, lodging a planning proposal to amend Strathfield LEP to permit terraces, manor houses and multi-dwelling housing across the R2 and R3 zones.  

The change applies LGA-wide and follows a gateway determination issued in September 2025. It implements Council’s Medium Density Housing Strategy and responds directly to the NSW Low and Mid-Rise Housing Reforms.  

In the R2 zone, duplexes, manor houses, town houses and terraces will become permitted. In the R3 zone, manor houses and terraces are added to the land use table. 

The proposal also introduces new minimum lot sizes.  

In R2:  

• Duplex minimum lot size: 560 sqm across most areas, rising to 800 sqm in mapped ‘Large Lot Areas’. 
• Multi-dwelling housing & terraces: Minimum 1,500 sqm. 
• Subdivision lot size for terraces: 280 sqm per dwelling.  

A new fixed floor space ratio of 0.65:1 is proposed for dual occupancies, manor houses and multi-dwelling housing in R2, replacing the existing sliding scale for those typologies.  

Duplexes will be prohibited on battle-axe lots in R2, and all dwellings must have road frontage.  

This reform sits outside the Homebush Transit Oriented Development precinct, which is expected to accommodate up to 18,000 dwellings. Council’s approach here is incremental – embedding medium density into established suburbs over a 5-10 year horizon rather than driving high-rise outcomes.