Randwick vs Student Housing
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
Student Housing Boom Under Fire as Randwick Pushes for More Homes for Residents and Families
Randwick Council halts new student accommodation developments.
Randwick City councillors have voted to cease new student housing developments in an effort to protect and expand the residential community.
History of Student Housing in Randwick
Over the last 6 years, 5,000 new student living spaces have been approved along the 2.5 kilometre stretch of Anzac Parade between Kingsford and Kensington, easily surpassing the less than 500 approved residential developments during the same period.
Companies like Scape and UniLodge are a saving grace for many students, allowing them to live close to their place of study without the burden of competing for affordable accommodation. However, many other people seeking housing in the area have been finding it increasingly hard.
Student accommodation currently outnumbers standard housing at a ratio of 10:1, an excessive abundance that Randwick mayor, Dylan Parker calls “perverse”. As the new resolution comes into effect, Randwick should see a mass of cranes and scaffolding slowly fade from view, instead welcoming smaller building projects like houses and apartments.
At the conclusion of the first meeting of 2026, council agreed to enforce stricter building scale controls, and called on Minister for Planning Paul Scully to disqualify the area from co-living development incentives endorsed by the State Government.
Without these incentives, which include density bonuses and faster approval rates, councillors and locals hope large scale student accommodation will be discouraged, allowing opportunity for more residential developments. However, Minister Scully recently stated to the ABC that the State Government was "not considering blanket exemptions for any councils" regarding the aforementioned policies.
The matter is highly contentious with both sides of the argument having merit.
Housing approximately 70,000 students, including from the local University of New South Wales and other external Sydney institutions, the Randwick student accommodation network is a vital part of the city’s uni ecosystem. The thriving community of students contributes significantly to the local economy, and building designated flats for this demographic ensures they are able to continue living in the area over the course of their studies.
Student housing is an especially valuable option to interstate and international students, who face added struggles when finding a rental amidst the already chaotic housing crisis. In opposition of the attempted ban, one local commented on social media, “Banning the building of student accommodation forces students to compete with everybody else in the regular housing market. That forces prices up across the board.”
Community concerns
Outside of the university community, many residents are relieved to hear that action is finally being taken against commercial development. With a vast 90% of the area’s housing being catered towards students, families and workers are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to house hunting.
Following the decline of student-based developments, the council expects to see improvements in long term community stability, as well as an increase in diversity. By reducing the overpopulation of the university demographic, the local area will become better balanced and other social and cultural aspects of Randwick will be able to flourish.
Mayor Parker supports these ideas, stating, "Everyone would agree that in the hierarchy of needs, housing should come before an export industry. Clearly, housing and shelter for the individuals who live in this community are the principal concern.”
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