Developer lobby groups have reacted to a poll in which two-thirds of NSW residents declared Sydney was "full" by seeking to refocus the debate on housing affordability and the need to provide homes for future generations.

Fairfax Media reported on Monday that a ReachTel poll found that 66.4 per cent of NSW respondents oppose more development in existing areas to accommodate a bigger population.

Property Council of Australia NSW executive director Jane Fitzgerald.

The findings come amid rising tensions over plans by the Greater Sydney Commission for hundreds of thousands of new apartments in "priority precincts" in the next 20 years to accommodate population forecasts.

But Property Council of Australia NSW executive director Jane Fitzgerald said the "well overdue discussions" about Sydney's sustainable growth should focus on "what we want from our future, not what we don't".