As many of our supporters may know, Shelter NSW has increased its regional housing advocacy in recent years, guided by our Regional Housing Need Report and our awareness of the challenges being faced by households. Continuing our engagement with local Councils and general proposals for the Illawarra region has prompted two key submissions in the last month– one to Wollongong City Council on the proposed redevelopment of Gwynneville Public Housing estate and one to Kiama Municipal Council on its Growth and Housing Strategy.  

Gwynneville, Wollongong – Public Housing estate redevelopment
Wollongong is shaping up to be a key locality targeted for new social housing across various sites, by Homes NSW. Wollongong is an LGA of high housing concern per our Regional Housing Need Report and we have previously commissioned research into Public Housing Renewal in the Illawarra (Wynne & Sisson, 2021). A preliminary consultation round was offered by Wollongong City Council on the Planning Proposal to redevelop Gwynneville Public Housing estate (proponent being Homes NSW) in North Wollongong, home to more than 100 Public Housing residents.  

 

Extract from the Planning Proposal of the Gwynneville site 

This early phase of engagement is a great time to stake our claim that Public Housing redevelopment must generally and demonstrably move away from the previous Government’s ‘Communities Plus’ model, where less than a third of all homes are set aside as social housing in redeveloped precincts. 

In addition to sending our submission to Wollongong City Council, we have sent a copy to Homes NSW and are pleased with the prompt response our advocacy asks have generated. Shelter NSW is grateful for the open dialogue offered by Homes NSW CEO, Rebecca Pinkstone, on estate renewal processes and we hope to report some wins in the near future. 

Kiama’s Growth and Housing Strategy
Kiama Municipal Council recently exhibited its Growth and Housing Strategy for public comment. Kiama, like many regional LGAs, is facing significant housing pressures from an ultra-ageing population, growing wealth inequality, its tourist destination status, and a lack of diverse and affordable homes. 

Aerial view of Kiama showing a distinct lack of housing diversity. 

In our submission to Kiama, we highlighted the need for a Housing Strategy to fully account for existing and projected unmet housing need of low-income residents. We support actions in the Strategy to investigate the creation of an Affordable Housing Contributions Scheme, especially for greenfield areas prior to rezoning. The impact of “short-term rental accommodation” conversions must also be acknowledged in the Strategy and we recommended some actions to better regulate and monitor these conversions.