Homes can do without car parks but only if there’s great public transport

August 27, 2026 — 5:27pm

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With Sydney mired in a housing crisis, the push is on to prioritise housing people over housing cars.

Research shows that parking requirements act as a handbrake on new housing and add about $70,000 to the cost of building a typical two-bedroom apartment.

The Inner West Council is the latest municipality to vote to overhaul parking laws for new developments in a bid to cut construction costs, ease traffic congestion and force a shift toward public transport.

Some parts of the inner west require up to one parking space per apartment, but the new rules divide the municipality into three separate parking zones, with the most significant reductions applying around new transport hubs including Ashfield,........

© The Sydney Morning Herald