Victorian Government Affordable Homes Initiative Positive

The announcement by the Victorian Government that they have allocated $500,000 to give councils funds to work with developers on the provision of affordable housing is a positive move, says the Urban Taskforce.

“The Victorian Government approach to delivering affordable housing seems to be based on councils and developers working together to achieve outcomes,” says Urban Taskforce CEO, Chris Johnson.

“The government has allocated half a million dollars to help councils improve skills in negotiating a pathway for councils and developers to lock in affordable housing delivery as part of a project.”

“This approach seems to open the door for individual project based agreements where a developer can get some uplift to provide affordable housing. A case by case approach is much better than a top down mandatory levy that can undermine the economic feasibility of a development project.”

“The Urban Taskforce believes that the NSW Government should also support an approach to the provision of affordable housing that allows a case-by-case approach where a reasonable uplift in floor space could be provided to support the provision of affordable housing. This could be managed through the Affordable Rental Housing State Environmental Planning Policy that gives a floor space bonus if the developer includes a component of affordable housing that can be rented for a 10 year period. The NSW Government’s Landcom agency is using this approach for the provision of affordable housing at Tallawong Station Precinct.”

“The Urban Taskforce is keen to work with the NSW Government and the Greater Sydney Commission to develop feasible policies that can provide affordable housing in Sydney and throughout NSW.”