CCAA urges material supply planning for NSW housing build

New South Wales now has about 150,000 potential homes in its housing delivery pipeline after the Housing Delivery Authority added 94 projects representing more than 22,000 homes.

Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia welcomed the expansion, but CCAA warned that long-term supplies of cement, concrete and aggregates must keep pace with the larger pipeline.

CCAA said the incoming Development Coordination Authority should plan for quarries, concrete batching plants and associated transport infrastructure alongside residential projects.

Michael Kilgariff, CCAA chief executive officer, said the bigger pipeline showed why planning and resource policy must match New South Wales’ housing agenda.

“The Housing Delivery Authority has played an important role in helping accelerate housing supply across New South Wales, and CCAA welcomes the Government’s continued focus on increasing the delivery of new homes,” Kilgariff said.

According to CCAA, every new home relies on heavy construction materials, and the same supply chain also supports roads, schools, hospitals and renewable energy infrastructure in New South Wales.

NSW Heavy Construction Materials Plan

CCAA is calling for a NSW Heavy Construction Materials Plan to identify future supply and demand across the state.

The industry group wants the plan to protect strategic quarry resources, preserve freight corridors and give industry, government and local communities greater certainty.

Kilgariff also tied the policy push to the move from the Housing Delivery Authority to the Development Coordination Authority.

“As the Development Coordination Authority takes shape, it should consider not only the delivery of housing projects, but also the strategic projects that enable housing to be built,” he said.

Following that transition, CCAA wants an integrated approach that covers housing approvals and the materials network needed to build at scale and at the lowest possible cost.

Without coordinated planning for homes and materials, CCAA warned New South Wales will face a tougher task delivering houses, roads, schools, hospitals and renewable energy projects.