Prefabricated modular homes are to be trialled in New South Wales in a bid to boost the social housing stock, amid calls for a new housing tsar and better rights for tenants, and with research showing building targets will not be met.
Sites in Wollongong and Lake Macquarie, south of Sydney, have been selected to trial modular social housing under a New South Wales government trial that hopes to speed up delivery.
But the government is still working to overcome regulatory barriers for modular housing, which has not been implemented on a large scale in the state before.
Housing affordability and availability is putting pressure on New South Wales residents and the state needs to use “non-traditional methods” to deliver more homes sooner, Premier Chris Minns has said.
“We are using all the resources at our disposal to address the housing crisis,” he said.
Housing and Homelessness Minister Rose Jackson said the trial was a step towards revolutionising public housing delivery.
“Leveraging modern construction methods will help us deliver quality, sustainable housing more quickly to the people who need it most,” he said.
New South Wales will trial the effectiveness of modular homes (file image) as a way to rapidly increase the amount of social housing in the state
The government is working with the state building commission on standards for off-site housing manufacturing.
Research by Oxford Economics Australia predicted on Monday that more than one in five of the 1.2 million homes the country is attempting to build over the next five years will not be completed.
Meanwhile, business groups, universities and unions in the Housing Now! alliance are calling for the appointment of a co-ordinator to drive the delivery of new housing in New South Wales.
This role would direct government agencies to resolve planning challenges, re-evaluate major unapproved housing projects in an attempt to resolve problems, and guide the government on infrastructure investment.
“A dedicated housing coordinator would cut through huge amounts of bureaucracy, force government agencies to address issues and report back to Cabinet on how to move forward with major housing projects stuck in the planning system,” said Housing Now! chairman David Borger.
The essay is one of 10 recommendations made to Housing Minister Rose Jackson (pictured) by Housing Now! to improve housing opportunities and tenants’ rights.
The recommendation is one of 10 the alliance has made in its 2024 policy platform, released Monday.
Other policies include a rezoning to allow housing construction at places of worship, alternative planning pathways for university accommodation, and increased security for tenants by ending unjustified evictions.
Mr Borger is also due to appear before a parliamentary inquiry into a proposal to develop Rosehill racecourse in Sydney’s west into a mini-city of up to 25,000 homes.
The inquiry is chaired by Opposition housing spokesman Scott Farlow and will examine the process of the development proposal and the role played by the government, as well as the associated impacts on transport infrastructure and the horse racing industry.
Coach Gai Waterhouse has already voiced her opposition to the proposal and will be the first to appear before the committee’s inquiry on Monday.