The former Forest High School site in Frenchs Forest is at the centre of a push for affordable housing aimed at essential workers across the Northern Beaches. Trade unions representing nurses, doctors, police, and bus drivers have joined the campaign, calling for as many of the affordable homes as possible to be dedicated to essential workers.
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The 6.3ha site is planned as a new mixed-use town centre with at least 1,000 dwellings. Its location next to Northern Beaches Hospital is a key part of the case for using the site to provide affordable homes for essential workers.
The campaign brings together the Police Association of NSW, NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation and Rail, Tram and Bus Union. A petition calling for more affordable homes for essential workers outlines the housing pressures cited by the campaign.
“Northern Beaches Hospital has transferred to public hands but attracting and retaining essential staff remains a major challenge. Chronic bus driver shortages continue to undermine the reliability of the public transport our community depends on. Increasingly, the essential workers who keep the Northern Beaches running simply cannot afford to live here, with housing costs the biggest barrier,” the petition reads.
The petition was lodged by Sheridan Brady and sponsored by Wakehurst MP Michael Regan. It calls for the number of affordable homes dedicated to essential workers at the former school site to be maximised.
Mr Regan has also been advocating for the site to deliver more key worker housing, describing it as an opportunity to increase affordable and key worker accommodation on the Northern Beaches. The unions have argued that shortages across nursing, allied health, policing and bus services are being compounded by housing costs, making it harder to attract and retain workers in the area.
NSW Plans For The Former Forest High School Site
The administration has already included affordable housing in the redevelopment plans, with at least 150 dwellings identified for affordable housing. In May, NSW authorities said the former school site would become a mixed-use town centre with more than 1,000 homes, including at least 150 affordable dwellings for key workers such as frontline health staff at the neighbouring hospital.
Property and Development NSW then sought private sector interest in developing the site. The Registration of Interest documents set a minimum target of 1,000 dwellings, at least 15 per cent affordable housing and 1.5ha of open space. The documents also state that higher levels of affordable housing, potentially up to 100 per cent, would be considered.
The registration process closed on June 30, with an estimated decision date of September 30. The NSW announcement said submissions would be assessed against factors including affordable housing and value for taxpayers.
The wider Frenchs Forest 2041 Place Strategy envisages a new town centre with shops, restaurants, cafes, offices, homes and public open space. Across the broader Frenchs Forest area, the strategy provides for 2,000 new homes, with 1,000 in the town centre and another 1,000 in adjacent residential areas.
Read: Frenchs Forest Hospital Car Park Generating $3.55m-a-year Goes on the Market
The unions are seeking to maximise the number of affordable homes dedicated to essential workers at the former school site. The union campaign is seeking a larger affordable housing component for essential workers as the former school site moves through the redevelopment process.
Published 20-September-2026
