Ready-built modular homes are being trialled in New South Wales to boost social housing stock, with calls for a new housing boss and better rights for tenants. Research shows building targets will not be met.
Sites in Wollongong and Lake Macquarie, south of Sydney, have been selected for modular social housing pilot projects as part of a New South Wales government trial in the hope of accelerating delivery.
However, the government is still working to remove regulatory barriers to modular housing, which has not yet been rolled out on a large scale in the state.
Housing affordability and availability are putting pressure on people in New South Wales and the state must use “non-traditional methods” to deliver more homes faster, Premier Chris Minns has said.
“We are doing everything we can to address the housing crisis,” he said.
Housing and Homelessness Minister Rose Jackson said the trial was a step towards revolutionising the delivery of social housing.
“By using modern construction methods, we can deliver sustainable, high-quality housing more quickly to the people who need it most,” she said.
New South Wales is set to test the effectiveness of modular housing (stock image) as a way to rapidly increase the state’s social housing stock
The government is working with the state building commission to develop standards for offsite housing production.
Research from Oxford Economics Australia on Monday found that more than one in five of the 1.2 million homes the country plans to build over the next five years will not be completed.
Meanwhile, business groups, universities and unions making up the Housing Now! alliance are calling for the appointment of a coordinator-general to oversee the delivery of new homes in NSW.
This role would direct government agencies to resolve planning issues, reassess large, unapproved housing projects to fix problems, and guide government on infrastructure investments.
“A dedicated housing coordinator would cut through bureaucracy, force government agencies to address problems and inform the cabinet about the progress of major housing projects stuck in the planning system,” said David Borger, chairman of Housing Now!
The trial is one of ten recommendations Housing Now! has made to Housing Minister Rose Jackson (pictured) to improve housing options and tenant rights.
The recommendation is one of 10 recommendations the alliance made in its policy platform for 2024, which was launched on Monday.
Other policies include amending zoning laws to allow housing to be built on places of worship, alternative planning methods for university housing, and improved security for tenants by ending no-fault evictions.
Mr Borger will also appear before a parliamentary inquiry into a proposal to develop Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney’s west into a mini-city with up to 25,000 homes.
The inquiry, led by Opposition housing spokesman Scott Farlow, will examine the process of the development proposal and the role played by the government in it, as well as the associated impact on transport infrastructure and the horse racing industry.
Coach Gai Waterhouse has previously voiced her opposition to the proposal and will be the first to appear before the committee’s inquiry on Monday.