Comments by Damian Kassabgi need to be applauded regarding better land use in our region.
As an architect I am often confronted with the impossibility of building adequate accommodation for those who live in granny flats, with the currently imposed 60m2.
Adding another 30m2 (or even as little as 15m2) as suggested in the article would provide far better accommodation for those now required to live in these buildings, whether they be a solo granny or a family.
We seem to be creating the equivalent of the old upstairs and downstairs accommodation where the affluent live in the big house and the servants in the granny flat.
An extra bedroom is the cheapest part of a house with no additional plumbing or kitchen required.
Creating more density in our region without overdevelopment would use existing infrastructure like roads, sewers, water pipes, and parks without the need for extensive augmentation of these networks.
As we sprawl across our beautiful, productive, and often bio-sensitive natural environment we destroy not only our fragile ecosystems and food production infrastructure but also the very reason many came here.
Currently in Ballina Shire and Kingscliff, among other places, houses and buildings are incessantly marching across gorgeous land with buildings which often have lots of style but little practical substance.
One of the main obstacles to overcome is proper block shaping with a change in emphasis from a broad east-west axis to a longer north-south block axis. Two and one storey houses with the main rooms facing north in north-south axis block permits blocks to be as small as 250m2 and still permits the design of correct orientation and solar aspects, together with adequate private spaces and good access. R2 zones in Ballina Shire could easily be cut up to provide more density without destroying privacy and good design.
Also, in our communities we have lots of leftover space including huge roadway verges, space between/behind/in front of houses, and height for an additional one storey, which could be cleverly repurposed.
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