TIME FOR COUNCIL TO GET SERIOUS ON INNER CITY HOUSING

The visit from Common Ground’s Rosanne Haggerty, has prompted Alderman Helen Burnet to again call for more action on inner city housing development for Hobart.

This is one of the major focuses of her campaign for Lord Mayor.

She is calling on local developers to step up to deliver a mix of high quality housing options.

“We need a critical mass of inner city residents to provide the next level of vibrancy that would add to the experience of Hobart. I would set a target of 5000 inner city residents for our city. This dovetails with many ideals of sustainability, good urban planning principles, as laid out by the Gehl Report, also from the perspective of a strategic approach to regional planning.

“There are so many advantages to our city to have a greater number of people living centrally.

“There is a current mismatch between Hobart’s population and housing stock. Some single and 2 bedroom options in the inner city may fit the market for those research workers, retirees, scientists, students, health and hospitality workers, all needing accommodation close to their place of work, study or favourite activities and venues.

“This plan would be good for business, and would lead to more people shopping close to where they live – in the centre of the city.”

Alderman Burnet is well aware that some developers are not investing in accommodation projects in the centre of the city. She believes that a number of strategies Hobart City Council is already working on, need to be advanced, in order to ensure that housing projects are prioritised.

“The council I lead will consider initiatives, such as rates relief, for projects that deliver good quality housing accommodation. It is also time for developers to be convinced that the return for them and the city in the long run will be worthwhile.

“There are many schemes used by other cities which set aside land strategically for building low impact energy efficient housing.

“There are some federal assistance schemes available too. The federal government has provided Landlord Assistance grants for a Warwick St developer which provides rental breaks for tenants. This range of affordable dwellings is essential to allow a greater mix of people living centrally and takes pressure off the urban fringe. It is also a cheaper and healthier option, as it reduces car ownership and petrol costs if people are living close to their place of work and activities.

“The Clean Energy Fund and the next round of grants from federal Housing department are just two areas we should pursue.

“I would like to see growth in numbers of residents occurs in the middle of the city. I have advocated in the past for Council’s Melville St car park to be transformed into a mixture of energy-efficient housing, commercial, retail development, with some open space.

Alderman Burnet concluded, “Affordable inner city housing is an issue which has been neglected for too long. It is time that the Council, along with state and federal government partners, and local developers worked together to gain these advantages for the long term future of our city and its people.”

Alderman Helen Burnet wants to see:

• A dedicated Unit set up by the Council for the purposes of promoting and initiating inner city housing projects

• Land banking – where Council buys up then sets aside strategic parcels of land in the inner city to provide for housing developments

• The exploration of energy efficient options

• A review of planning options to allow for flexibility of inner city housing initiatives including community housing

• A roundtable for state, local federal representatives to meet with key stakeholders in order to review

• Developers willing to invest in a range of housing options

• Consideration of rates relief – Greater incentives for developers to invest in quality inner city housing projects
Written and authorized by Helen Burnet Town Hall Hobart