The New South Wales government has announced a AU$12.3 million funding boost to accelerate housing delivery in regional communities.
The funding will help unlock more than 9,800 new homes under the latest round of the Low Cost Loans Initiative (LCLI).
The program is designed to help local governments shoulder the financial burden of enabling infrastructure, the essential roads, water systems, and community facilities required before new housing developments can begin.
Under the LCLI, the NSW government offsets 50 per cent of the interest costs on eligible loans, allowing councils to bring forward projects that might otherwise be delayed by decades.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully, said the initiative is about more than just bricks and mortar.
“We’re helping councils deliver the infrastructure that supports more new homes by cutting borrowing costs and accelerating the delivery of roads, water and sewer infrastructure that communities rely on,” the minister said.
“By supporting infrastructure that growing communities need, we’re creating more opportunities for people to live and work in regional NSW.”
Six major projects have been greenlit in this round, ranging from massive water treatment plants to critical road intersections:
- Port Macquarie-Hastings: Receives AU$7 million toward the AU$152 million Cowarra Water Treatment Plant, a project that will eventually support 5,300 new homes.
- Wollongong: AU$3.2 million for the West Dapto Road upgrade, unlocking 1,500 dwellings.
- Orange City: Over AU$800,000 for two major road intersection upgrades to enable 2,500 new residential lots.
- Cowra Shire: Close to AU$1 million for an aquatic centre upgrade to meet rising demand.
- Greater Hume: Roughly AU$350,000 for sewer treatment works to support 260 dwellings.
Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty highlighted that many regional families are currently struggling to find affordable housing.
She noted that by supporting councils to bring forward these projects, the government is ensuring regional areas remain viable places to live and work.
To date, the NSW government has invested AU$31.3 million into the LCLI, facilitating nearly AU$800 million worth of essential infrastructure across the state.