Byron Shire councillors currently have in their control one of the key pieces of publicly-owned land that is flood-free, within walking distance of the Mullumbimby town centre, and ready to be developed as genuinely affordable housing. The old Mullumbimby Hospital site.
They are in the driver’s seat, with the development control plan (DCP) currently on public exhibition. The question is how dynamic, creative, and truly innovative are they when it comes to housing?
A major new international study led by the University of Manchester’s Dr Tom Gillespie and published in the journal Urban Studies has revealed how policymakers around the world are becoming far more active in constructing affordable housing. The research shows how governments are stepping in where private markets have failed – reshaping housing systems, markets and state institutions in the process.
‘Drawing on research from Shanghai, Salford, Nairobi, Paris, Casablanca and Rome, it shows that governments are increasingly stepping in as private markets struggle to deliver adequate and affordable homes at scale. The research shows that states are adopting a wide range of new approaches to influence housing supply, finance and land development.’
In 2016 Salford Council in the UK began redirecting developer contributions into a council-owned company to build new social housing, which is let below market rate.
Shanghai’s policies include shantytown renewal, shared ownership schemes and subsidised rental housing, aimed at tackling rising property prices while supporting social stability and inclusion.
The study highlights a broader global shift away from reliance on private markets alone.
‘Our research shows that states are once again becoming central players in efforts to tackle the global affordable housing crisis, but this isn’t a simple return to old models of public housing,’ said Dr Tom Gillespie.
‘Instead, we are seeing a wide range of new approaches emerging as governments try to balance social needs with the realities of financialised urban development. By comparing these six cities, we hope to offer a framework that helps researchers and policymakers understand how state action is changing – and how it might better support access to decent, affordable homes.’
The DCP for the old Mullumbimy Hospital site can be used to create an innovative, legally binding document that will guide the development of that site. It can effectively deliver more than the currently-proposed 20 per cent ‘affordable housing’ – which we all know is genuinely unaffordable as it is set at 80 per cent of the market rate – and look at how to ensure it meets a wide range of community housing needs: public and social housing; housing for the aged; for people with disabilities; as well as for First Nations people and essential workers.
Make a submission on the DCP before 6 May on Byron Shire Council’s website https://yoursay.byron.nsw.gov.au/dcp-mullum-hospital.
Aslan Shand, editor
News tips are welcome: [email protected]
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
