Issue 163 1 May 2019
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Council adopts Affordable Housing Strategy C
entral Coast Council is to dedicate at least three Council-owned sites for affordable housing partnerships in an effort to relieve housing stress being felt by an estimated 24,000 Coast families. At Council’s Ordinary Meeting on April 29, councillors authorised CEO, Gary Murphy, to finalise an Affordable Housing Strategy in a bid to provide more housing choice for households earning less than $100,000 per year. Drawing heavily on a draft strategy prepared by housing expert, Judith Stubbs, which was on exhibition for 103 days last year, the new strategy outlines a variety of measures to help households which pay more than 30% of their gross income on housing costs. The matter was previously deferred twice, as councillors worked together to develop a united approach to housing affordability. Councillors agreed there was a need for 8,000 more dwellings for very low income households, 2,100 more for low income households and 500 for moderate income households, by 2036. They voted to develop one Council owned site for an affordable housing partnership in the short term, with at least two more to follow as the strategy rolls out. Sites chosen will be well located with regard
to transport/services and not environmentally sensitive. Council will also facilitate a multi-tenure development which will seek to include a new generation boarding house for very low income singles or couples, one and two bedroom apartments for very low and low income singles, couples and small families, and space for an on-site outreach service and manager’s dwelling. It will look at a site for the short-term development of temporary dwellings such as caravans, cabins and tiny homes in partnership with a registered community housing provider. Other measures to be considered include: rezoning developable land within 400m of town
Opening of the Tiny Homes project in Gosford centres and 800m of and homelessness transport nodes to allow services, develop a pilot multi dwelling housing; home share scheme and zoning precincts within incorporate transitional Greenfield urban accommodation options expansion areas to in multi-tenure projects allow for multi-dwelling to help the homeless into housing; and permitting housing. multi-dwelling housing in Cr Chris Holstein said R2 zoned areas. the strategy would not Council will also be a “magic panacea for consider amending homelessness” but rather parking standards an attempt to keep people for residential flat out of homelessness. buildings and amending “Many people need its forthcoming more affordable housing Development Control options, including Plan to include a range trainees, apprentices and of lot sizes to allow newlyweds,” he said. for different housing Cr Jillian Hogan said typologies. the strategy “provides a Council will advocate diverse range of initiatives to State and Federal – it is about our people, governments for more our residents, from all resources to meet different circumstances, growing homelessness ages and workplaces. on the Coast. “We have an It will facilitate opportunity to make a relationships between difference and change local real estate agents the course of people’s
lives in a way we, as a Council, have never before,” she said. “We could fob off housing issues and say this is a state issue, or a federal issue, but affordable and alternate housing is everyone’s issue.” Cr Bruce McLachlan said he supported the strategy, following amendments made to the original draft which put more focus on placement in appropriate areas. “This is the first time the councillors sat down as a group and worked through the issues and it was quite rewarding in that regard,” he said. “I do have some reservations but am realistic and understand council cannot override state policy and the fact is people can build boarding houses in
current zonings.” He said talk of changes to negative gearing had already seen a drop in housing investors. “If negative gearing is to be replaced, it has to be replaced by something else, and affordable housing may have to be the replacement,” he said. Cr Troy Marquart said he was concerned about one of the strategies, which involves Council advocating for increased resources for “one stop shops to provide information and referral as well as services for chronically homeless people such as outreach medical counselling services, low cost meals, laundry, shower and internet access and storage facilities. He was the only councillor to vote against adoption of the strategy. Mayor, Jane Smith, said although she realised some people had been frustrated by the lengthy process involved in coming up with a strategy, the outcome was positive. “Councillors worked hard to come up with a document most councillors support and that’s a great outcome,” Smith said. Source: Agenda item 3.1 Central Coast Council Ordinary Meeting, April 29 Interview, Apr 30 Central Coast Councillor, Bruce McLachlan Interview, Apr 30 Central Coast Mayor, Jane Smith Media statement Apr 30 Central Coast Councillor, Jillian Hogan Reporters: Terry Collins and Merilyn Vale
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