Housing Strategy - Financial Incentives For Social And Affordable Housing

Amelia Lorentson0:00

Everyone to the planning and environment meeting. I declare the meeting now open at 9:30. I'd like to begin firstly with an Acknowledgement to Country. I respectfully acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people as the Traditional Custodians of the waters that formed the region that we call Noosa. Council pays its respect to elders, past, present and emerging and welcomes the ongoing role that Indigenous people play within the Noosa community. Attendance and Apologies. Welcome Mayor Wilkie, Councillor Stockwell, Councillor Tom Wegener. I've got to remember your surname. Welcome. I note there are no apologies. And we have. Councillor Finzel online. She's joining us as an observer. My first request before the meeting starts is that everyone have their phones on silent or turned off and I also would like to remind Councillors obligations of their under the Local Government Act. She talked respectfully to staff and each other. We'll start with a confirmation of minutes. Can I have a mover and a seconder, please? Thank you, Councillor Stockwell, seconder, Councillor Wegener. No discussion. Will win over, thank you. Presentations and deputations. There are none, so we'll go straight to item seven, reports for consideration of the meeting, and we'll start with item 7.1, Housing Strategy. Financial Incentives for Social and Affordable Housing. Welcome Anita and Rowena Skinner. To the desk. It's a long weekend. Can I ask if you can just give us a summation of the report? Before we- do, I've go got a conflict.

Three years ago, this Council channelled the significant unanimous concern about the housing crisis into the preparation and adoption of the Housing Strategy, stating Council's commitment to ensuring there is the right amount of housing of the right type and size in the right place and with the right tenure for our community. Since 2022 the housing crisis has only worsened both locally and nationwide. Noosa Shire has a limited amount of developable land unlike local governments with significant expansion areas. Noosa must achieve optimum outcomes from properties already within the urban boundaries, close to existing services, employment and transport. Amendments to the Planning Scheme to a greater number of smaller dwellings while protecting the environment and residential amenity the community values have been proposed and modified following community consultation. They await ministerial approval. Local development local developers and builders are encouraged to partner with the not-for-profit sector and develop and deliver a portion of affordable rental housing. They will not do this if it does not stack up financially and land costs and building costs are already very high. Exclusive of Fees and Charges. It is preferable to see applicants follow the normal local development assessment process and abide by the Planning Scheme rather than bypass local government in favour of a cheaper state facilitated assessment with reduced community input small secondary dwellings small provide permanent rental accommodation or the means for extended families to stay together they are probably the most sustainable form of development and removing the infrastructure charge will increase their popularity and improve transparency this report may makes recommendations around Council development application fees, infrastructure charges and rates for social and affordable housing as well as secondary dwellings in line with the Housing Strategy.

Amelia Lorentson17:01

I have a few more questions if that's okay. My next question is have we done enough to address financial barriers for affordable and social housing and are we looking at perhaps streamlining processes to make package more, encouraging for, any developers?