Planning controls, partnerships and advocacy are the key strategies of two new policies that have been adopted by Coffs Harbour City Council to help tackle the local housing crisis.
"A lack of affordable housing and growing homelessness are major issues facing our community," said Coffs Harbour Mayor Councillor Paul Amos. "The recent major flooding that has hit our northern neighbours has highlighted this critical problem on a national stage. But it's a problem that's been faced by many people in regional NSW for some time now and we have been working on ways we can help. Our new Affordable Housing and Homelessness Policies set out Council's direction, responsibilities and will help start to identify the opportunities open to us to influence the supply of more affordable homes and the social housing that local families need."
Council's Acting Director Sustainable Communities Nikki Greenwood acknowledged that housing is a complex issue. "Climate change, the pandemic, property economics, tax policies, market conditions, scarce economic incentives for developers to build more affordable homes all play a part," she said.
"At the local government level, we can encourage developers to consider affordable and diverse housing solutions through our planning controls. We can also work in partnership with housing providers to assist them in providing more social housing – as we're currently doing with the NSW Government in regards to the Argyll Estate. Plus, we can take the community's concerns to the State and Federal Governments and request changes to their current housing policies and strategies."
The Affordable Housing Policy states that:
- Council will look for opportunities to partner with and/or support Government and the affordable housing sector to assist them to deliver affordable housing.
- Council will advocate State and Federal Governments to develop and implement policy positions that improve the availability of affordable housing.
- Council will encourage and facilitate the provision of affordable and diverse housing through Council's local planning controls alongside adopted place, environmental and transport objectives.
- Council will encourage and promote development opportunities provided by State and local planning instruments.
- Council will consider the impact its decisions will have on the supply of affordable housing in the local government area.
The next stage in this initiative is for Council to undertake a detailed examination of other more pro-active opportunities that may be available to help deliver affordable housing locally.
The Homelessness Policy establishes Council's role and informs actions aimed at:
- Preventing, reducing and managing homelessness.
- Supporting and building capacity within the community to address homelessness.
- Developing the equity and prosperity of the city.
- Designing, developing and managing public space.
- Encouraging collaboration, community partnerships and evidence-based practices to prevent, reduce and manage homelessness.
