2021-12-13 GC Agenda - Item 8 -Attachment 1 - Housing Needs Assessment

17. Council Involvement in facilitating Housing
    Delivery
There is a range of direct and indirect actions in the housing area, many of which Noosa Council is
already involved in. These include—
•     Landuse planning
•     Advocating to State Governments for more local public housing;
•     Rates discounts to pensioners;
•     Information sharing and social support;
•     Reduction or waiver of development application fees for not for profit housing providers;
•     Providing grants to charities and community support organisations;
•     Establishing or supporting networks that link individuals with under-capacity housing with
      people needing housing;
•     Reviewing Council owned land for suitability;
•     Partnering with State Government and or Community Housing Providers
Other Local Governments across Australia are trying to develop affordable housing strategies before
they lose the lower paid workers in industries that service their local area (such as those in hospitality,
health care, teaching, personal support and retail).


       Redland Council’s Housing Strategy and Action Plan of 2011 articulates that a local
       government’s role in housing is strongly influenced by State legislation: It makes some
       activities mandatory on Council (such as developing and implementing the planning scheme,
       collecting rates), and prevents it from getting involved in others (such as regulating building
       standards). In between these two categories, there are a range of roles which Council may
       choose to undertake at its own discretion, depending on resource availability and the needs
       of the local community.


       Willoughby City Council reviewed the spectrum of unmet housing needs and determined it
       was in the provision of affordable rental housing for key and essential workers that they could
       best assist. Consequentially Willoughby City Council now has 37 affordable housing units
       that are managed by a community housing provider to provide affordable housing to key
       workers.


       Croydon Shire Council taking in the Gulf Savannah Region, has a Council Housing Policy to
       use Council owned housing for employee housing, in order to support the retention of staff
       with required skills and qualifications dictated by service delivery and organisational needs,
       particularly where there is a recognised shortfall of private rental accommodation.


Brisbane Housing Commission has been providing affordable housing since 2002, predominantly in
Brisbane although spreading to other parts of the State. They specialise in developments for specific
target groups such as people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness and those with
mental health issues. However through mixed tenure projects they also provide housing to medium
income key workers, retirees and families. Many of their more recent projects are higher rise unit
blocks however some are more specifically of relevance to the Noosa Shire built form. The following
are examples of recent projects:


       The three-story Spectrum development built above the Northern Busway tunnel at Lutwyche
       features 60 units which accommodate a range of tenants including: people with disabilities,

Noosa Housing Needs Assessment 2021                                                              Page 124