The City of Sydney has agreed to sell surplus land to St George Community Housing (SGCH) to create more affordable housing units for low-income groups. 

The latest sale is also part of the Green Square Affordable Housing Scheme, which was designed to provide affordable housing within the Green Square locality, one of the largest urban redevelopments in Australia. The program targets police personnel, teachers, cleaners and other essential workers in the city, making it affordable for these segments to live close to the city centre.

Observing that the cost of housing in metropolitan Sydney had reached crisis proportions, lord mayor Clover Moore said they were on track to deliver new affordable housing units following the approval of the sale of land on the southern section in the suburb of Alexandria to the community housing provider, SGCH.

The availability of more affordable rental housing would allow all essential workers to live close to their place of work.

According to the lord mayor, the City was exploring all options under the existing planning laws to take their affordable housing program forward.

The Council had approved the subsidised sale last year to community housing provider, City West Housing, a non-profit organisation set up by the NSW government to provide quality, affordable accommodation for workers in the City of Sydney local government area. This land will be used to build around 200 affordable housing units.

Similarly, the SGCH development at the site will be able to provide more than 80 affordable or social housing units in addition to commercial space on the ground floor.

The affordable housing program is helping different segments of the population including city workers and students. 

 More than 800 affordable rental housing units have been delivered for key workers and low income earners till date.

Financed by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the new development will be built to the energy efficiency standard of 7 Star NatHERS or above, helping reduce the carbon footprint of the building as well as the energy bills of future tenants.