The challenge of finding a place to live, that you can afford to either buy or pay the rent on, has left increasing numbers of people homeless, living in vans, staying with friends or just popping up a tent in their local towns green spaces, train stations and car parks.
The increase in house prices and rents are a function of number of issues from people ‘flocking’ to the Northern Rivers and other regional centres during the covid pandemic, the rising cost of housing and land which is also impacted by the profitability of short term holiday letting, and the inability of councils to get developers to actually build approved housing.
10,000+ approved lots
For Tweed Shire there are over 10,000 approved lots waiting to be developed just between the approved developments of Kings Forest, Cobaki and Gales Holdings approvals in Kingscliff; yet there is no clear way for the council to push the developers into moving forward with these developments and provide the desperately needed housing.
Unanimous support for action
Regional Cities NSW mayors have called on the state government to take action on the worsening housing crisis at their meeting held in Wagga Wagga last week. Tweed Shire Mayor Chris Cherry put forward a motion seeking an urgent audience with both housing leaders to learn more about the NSW government’s investment plans for regional cities and how it will facilitate on-the-ground solutions over the next two years to provide for social and affordable housing. It further calls on them to outline any levers that may be introduced to incentivise approved private residential development being brought to market.
Regional Cities NSW is the peak body formed to lobby the state and federal governments over issues affecting regional communities in NSW. The mayors unanimously supported the motion to outline the worsening housing situation in the regions to NSW Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson and CEO of the newly-formed Homes NSW, Rebecca Pinkstone.
Cr Cherry said the Tweed Shire, like many on the North Coast, was struggling with rising levels of homelessness and disadvantage due to a lack of social and affordable housing options.
‘The urgency of the housing crisis across regional cities is dire, with the lack of housing contributing to a rising inability of businesses to attract workers,’ Cr Cherry said.
‘We are seeing increased levels of homelessness in the Tweed, along with increased anti-social behaviour as people become more desperate. What we need are tangible outcomes on the ground.’
Cr Cherry said the Tweed’s housing affordability had significantly worsened following the COVID-19 epidemic where residents from the capital cities flocked to the Northern Rivers to escape lockdowns. The situation was further exacerbated after thousands of homes were either lost or damaged in the record flood of February-March 2022.
‘It is incredibly frustrating to hear about the worsening housing situation in our Shire when we have significant private residential developments already approved and ready to go but no lever to force developers to forge ahead in a timely manner,’ Cr Cherry said.
Time for action in regions
Chair of Regional Cities NSW Mathew Dickerson, who is also Mayor of Dubbo Regional Council, said the NSW government needs to stand up for the regions.
‘Regional cities have to think outside the square to deliver for their local community and we need to put all options on the table if we are to tackle this generational problem in any meaningful way,’ Cr Dickerson said.
‘In some ways it is a good problem to have: residents want to move to our regional cities. Unfortunately we simply don’t have enough housing for the people who want to make the move to regional locations.’
Housing-related issues Regional Cities NSW will include in its submission to the NSW government’s draft Budget include a call for:
- continued support for regional housing needs
- continue to work with Local Government to increase the supply of social and affordable housing
- continue support for incentive mechanisms to improve land banking and the Build to Rent measure
- annual indexing of developer contributions
- ongoing support for the Local Infrastructure Renewal Scheme (LIRS)
- support the development of regional planners, and
- increase the density of existing affordable and social housing properties in regional NSW.
Regional Cities NSW represents the 15 main regional cities in NSW including Albury, Armidale, Bathurst, Broken Hill, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Goulburn Mulwaree, Griffith, Lismore, Maitland, Orange, Queanbeyan Palerang, Tamworth, Tweed Shire and Wagga Wagga.
Cr Cherry’s motion, unanimously supported, reads as follows:
‘Regional Cities write to the Minister for Housing Rose Jackson outlining the dire need for the uplift of social and affordable housing in our member regions and requesting an urgent audience with her and the CEO (Rebecca Pinkstone) of the newly formed Homes NSW about their investment plans in Regional Cities and how the NSW government will facilitate on the ground solutions within the next two years to provide for social and affordable housing, and levers that may be introduced to incentivise approved private residential development being brought to market.’
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