The NSW government released the final Sydney Plan, aiming to accommodate about 1.3 million more people by 2046 by concentrating housing in the east and jobs in the west to curb urban sprawl.

Planning bodies welcomed the long-term 30-year vision but called for clear guidance, funding, skilled planners, and robust capacity modelling tools to support implementation.

The plan envisions 30 interconnected centres and multiple local centres to distribute housing, jobs, and services near transport nodes, anchored by Sydney’s CBD, Parramatta, and Bradfield near Western Sydney Airport.

Feasibility challenges remain, including construction costs and labour shortages that could affect density ambitions.

Context shows NSW is behind housing targets, with roughly 40% of the required 377,000 homes by mid-2029 already unmet according to government commitments.

The plan aims to create capacity for 800,000 new dwellings and 950,000 additional jobs by 2046, with the region’s population rising to about 6.6 million and 23% growth by then.

Planning rules would require councils to maintain at least 30 years of feasible housing capacity and implement an affordable housing contribution scheme by 2027.

Eastern Sydney council areas along public transport routes would absorb about half of the new homes, while western Sydney would see the largest jobs growth backed by the new airport, industrial lands, and the Mamre Road intermodal terminal.

Key figures project a 59% jump in western Sydney jobs by 2046 (from 475,000 in 2026 to 755,000), with density-driven growth near transit hubs.

The revised plan replaces the 2018 Greater Sydney Commission framework, moving to a unified metropolis with regional linkages, including Illawarra and the Central Coast.