The NSW Government has launched a bold new initiative to tackle the state’s housing crisis by making architecturally designed, pre-approved home plans available for just $1. For the first six months from July 2025, anyone in New South Wales can access one of eight pattern book designs—validated by the Government Architect—, alongside a 10-day fast-track approval pathway set to revolutionise home construction in the state.
What Is the NSW Pattern Book?
The NSW Housing Pattern Book is a curated collection of professional designs for terraces, townhouses, and manor houses. Each pattern has been carefully chosen for affordability, adaptability, and sustainability, and was either selected through a competitive international design contest or directly commissioned to respond to NSW’s unique climate and site diversity.
Key Features:
- Low-rise designs: Terraces, townhouses, manor homes, and dual occupancies.
- Affordable access: $1 per design until 31 January 2026; $1,000 thereafter.
- Sustainable by design: Orientation for light and ventilation, ceiling fans, all-electric layouts, roofs suited to solar, and landscape plans to maximise biodiversity.
- Adaptability: Flexible layouts for changing family sizes and needs.
- Local materials: Designed for easy construction with supplies available in NSW
Fast-Track Planning: Approval in Just 10 Days
Most notably, the NSW Government has paired the pattern book with a new complying development pathway, cutting red tape and allowing eligible designs to be approved within 10 days—a dramatic improvement over traditional planning processes that can take months or longer.
This expedited pathway is designed to:
- Speed up the overall construction process.
- Streamline approvals by reducing council involvement.
- Reduce building costs, with homeowners able to sidestep tens of thousands in design and approval fees.
Why a Pattern Book, and Why Now?
Housing remains the biggest cost-of-living pressure for NSW residents. The NSW Productivity Commission recently warned of an exodus of young people from Sydney due to housing shortages and unaffordable prices. By offering architect-designed homes at an almost symbolic price and fast-tracking their construction, the government aims to increase supply, cut costs, and keep future generations in the state.
Minister for Planning Paul Scully commented, “Much of Sydney was built on pattern books. They look great, they’re simple and cost-effective. These designs offer choice, with less complexity, making it easier to build homes in NSW.”
Making Housing More Inclusive and Accessible
This initiative aims to benefit groups often left behind in the housing market:
- First-home buyers looking for affordable entry points
- Growing families and downsizers, who need more flexibility and medium-density options
- Small-to-mid-size developers, who often don’t have the resources to push through planning bottlenecks and custom architecture
The designs are intentionally focused on the “missing middle”—low-rise, medium-density housing that blends into existing suburbs but offers greater affordability and diversity than detached homes.
Thoughts: Promise and Limitations
The NSW Government’s new Housing Pattern Book is a welcome step—affordable, pre-approved designs by leading architects, aimed at speeding up the delivery of well-designed, low-rise homes. For developers and investors, it offers greater certainty, particularly for medium-density housing like villas and townhouses.
But the bigger affordability issues—land costs, taxes, and construction prices—remain untouched. This isn’t a fix for housing economics. It’s a tool for better delivery, not a solution to cost.
Still, thoughtful design is worth celebrating. And this policy gets that part right.