Brisbane City Council has made suggestions that changes will occur to underused commercial areas to aid the housing affordability crises amid the large migration increase from interstate.
The budget handed down by Council outlined that Suburban Renewal Precincts will be used as initiatives to activate sites to assist in the demand for new dwellings. With no suburbs or zones revealed, Adrian Schrinner, Lord Mayor outlined that car yards will be potential sites, as existing along Ipswich Road in Moorooka.
“The suburban renewal precincts initiative is aimed at meeting the demand for new homes sooner and without major changes to existing low density residential areas”.
“It’s about identifying new areas that can be unlocked to create vibrant and new residential and mixed-use communities”.
“As part of this initiative, we’ll look at expanding the residential footprint of Brisbane into areas that may have previously had a commercial or light industry use”.
“This approach has previously been used in inner-city industrial areas such as South Brisbane, Woolloongabba, Newstead and Teneriffe, and it has transformed those areas into some of the most sought-after places to live in Brisbane”.
“Now we’re going to take this proven model to other parts of Brisbane,” Schrinner said.
The focus will centre around underutilised commercial or light industrial areas with great access to existing public transport infrastructure such as rail/bus. The Suburban Renewal Precincts will focus on adding additional residential buildings with a mix of additional land uses. The mixed use approach will be consulted with residents and the state government before planning begins.
“Our city’s fantastic lifestyle and diverse economy have placed us at the top of tree when it comes to domestic population growth,” he said.
“We’ll look at expanding the residential footprint of Brisbane.”
“What this is about is ensuring that our existing low-density areas stay low density, but we’re adding further residential footprints into the city of Brisbane,” Schrinner said.
“We don’t want to see low-density areas changed fundamentally, we want them to stay low density,” alluding to the two year ban on townhouses in 2020 in low density areas that has yet to be reconsidered. The “perfect storm” is a result of the Queensland migration shift that saw immense population growth and limited ability to release new land, which is the responsibility of the state government.
“The issue of housing affordability is being talked about at weekend barbecues right across Australia”.
“The recent rise in official interest rates has slowed the extraordinary price growth in other capital cities but in Brisbane, the market continues to rise and increase.”
Pointing the finger at some of his fellow councillors, Schrinner added: “Here in Brisbane we have the perverse situation where Labor, Green and Independent councillors continue to actively oppose the construction of new homes in their area … this type of approach is not helping affordability,” Schrinner said.
Steve Griffiths, opposition councillor erupted “No I’m not taking my seat, the Lord Mayor should withdraw this statement”. “It’s misleading and not true and not appropriate for a council budget document. We do not oppose development in our areas. We oppose bad development.”
Adrian Schrinner, Lord Mayor outlined that the second assistance the council can provide is the introduction of a new “transitory accommodation” rating category to increase properties for longer-term rental housing in Brisbane. The adjustment will affect the cost to property owners who use AirBNB, StayZ or similar websites to lease property for short-term accommodation use. These owners will be required to pay 50% higher rates.
“The short-term rental trend, which is facilitated by well-known booking apps, removes homes from the long-term rental market and this contributes to supply shortages and increasing housing costs”.
“It creates an uneven playing field and jeopardises investment in purpose-built short-term accommodation like hotels, and this is not a good scenario for a city that is a decade away from hosting the world’s biggest sporting event,” Schrinner said.
Article source: www.yourneighbourhood.com.au
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