Following the release of the recent report from the NSW Productivity Commissioner, Building More Homes Where People Want to Live, Regional Development Australia Central Coast (RDACC) is calling on all levels of government to get serious about creating more affordable housing for the Central Coast.
Key findings of the report demonstrate that we are not currently making the best use of existing infrastructure or adequately supporting the creation of high-density housing around transport hubs.
RDACC Chair Lawrie McKinna said with close to 30,000 new dwellings needed on the Central Coast within the next two decades, the time for action was now.
“The NSW Department of Planning and Environment estimates that we’ll need approximately 900,000 additional dwellings across the state by 2041, with about 30,000 of those required on the Central Coast,” McKinna said.
“The housing shortage here on the Coast is serious and will only get worse over the next few years if we don’t cut through the bureaucratic red tape and find workable solutions to provide more affordable housing for our growing community.”
RDACC Deputy Chair Anna Cruckshank said the Commission found the greatest effect on reducing house prices could be achieved with a planning process that increased housing density in the areas of highest demand.
“The current demand for housing across NSW is driving rental costs to unprecedented levels and making buying a home completely unaffordable for a large portion of the population,” she said.
“The Commissioner’s findings indicate that to decrease housing demand and increase housing affordability would require changing the current planning regulations in ways that allow more people to build more homes in the right places – a critical finding we urge our local planning authorities to seriously consider.”
Pacific Link Housing CEO Ian Lynch said the Central Coast was well behind meeting even its current housing targets.
“According to the Central Coast Regional Plan, our current working target is 1,625 new homes per year,” he said.
“However the Department of Planning reports that we only delivered 1,169 new homes last year – a shortfall of 28 per cent – and our approvals are tracking below the previous five-year average.”
RDACC CEO and Director Regional Development John Mouland said the Productivity Commissioner’s Report, although primarily focused on Sydney CBD, provided some key recommendations that could be applicable to the Central Coast.
“The Report cites several key recommendations that we should be applying to support the creation of more affordable housing for the Central Coast community,” Mouland said.
“We should be looking at opportunities including raising average apartment heights in and around places like the Gosford CBD and other high-density employment locations and working together to facilitate development near existing transport hubs such as the high volume of undeveloped land around Tuggerah station.
“There currently exists a number of opportunities for us to effectively take action to address this housing shortage crisis – it requires a concerted, collective effort from all levels of government and our regional leaders to make it happen.”
Source:
RDACC