Charity, ALP and Greens Call For ‘Inclusionary Zoning’ to Solve Housing Crisis
31 July 2017 at 9:37 am
One of the nation’s leading charities is lobbying Parliament to introduce a mandatory affordable housing target.
On Thursday St Vincent de Paul Society NSW will table a petition in the state’s parliament to demand “inclusionary zoning” whereby one in every six new homes are set aside for affording housing.
Backed by more than 16,300 supporters the petition also called for the NSW government to “lead by example” and set a target of 30 per cent of residential development to be set aside for affordable housing or three in 10 new homes.
St Vincent de Paul Society NSW CEO Jack de Groot said there had been a “ groundswell” in the community for an inclusionary zoning scheme to be mandated by the Planning Minister Anthony Roberts.
“The response was outstanding – we needed 10,000 handwritten signatures in order for the petition to be discussed in Parliament but our members, volunteers and employees worked tirelessly across the length and breadth of the state and in the end we received over 16,300 signatures of support,” de Groot said.
“The Society has received endorsements from independents and minor parties, and in May the NSW Labor Party announced their inclusionary zoning policy. So we anticipate a productive multi-partisan approach to developing an affordable housing solution on the day.”
Under the ALP’s inclusionary zoning policy at least 25 per cent of new properties constructed on government-owned land would be set aside as affordable housing as well as 15 per cent of privately owned land rezoned for housing would be designated for affordable housing.
NSW Greens and Alex Greenwich, Member for Sydney, have also committed to inclusionary zoning.
PwC Infrastructure and Urban Renewal partner and author of A Place for Everyone, Tackling Sydney’s Affordable Housing Crisis Amy Brown also supported the housing affordability policy.
“The NSW rental system is one of the world’s most unstable and unaffordable making it very difficult for low to moderate income earners to live in high amenity locations and close to jobs and services,” Brown said.
“Providing more housing at affordable rental rates, closer to the jobs of key workers will also have significant benefit to our economy. With every 30 minutes that key workers commute in traffic amounts to $815,000 in lost economic benefit.
“There are currently few policies to incentivise the supply of affordable rental housing to meet the vast need a number of levers must be pulled, including the opportunity for the government to set inclusionary zoning.”
De Groot said affordable housing was the foundation of an inclusive society.
“We all have the right to a home. Every single community member should have a home where they can thrive, close to transport, work, family and friends and their community networks, ” said de Groot.
