General News
15 June, 2023
Hepburn Shire releases draft plan to encourage affordable housing
The Hepburn Shire Council has released its draft Affordable Housing Strategy and Action plan, identifying a raft of actions and measures to encourage more local affordable housing in the district. An Affordable Housing Background Report commissioned...
The Hepburn Shire Council has released its draft Affordable Housing Strategy and Action plan, identifying a raft of actions and measures to encourage more local affordable housing in the district.
An Affordable Housing Background Report commissioned by Hepburn Shire Council said there were three ways the council could encourage more affordable housing in the area.
Advocating for action, using the planning system and utilising partnerships and incentives would all be critical, the report said.
“Affordable housing is a type of housing that is allocated to eligible households with very-low to moderate incomes. It includes social housing, which is either managed by the State Government (known as public housing) or managed by community housing providers (known as community housing),” Hepburn Shire Council’s Background Report explained.
There are 369 households in rental stress in Hepburn Shire, according to its background report. That equates to 36 percent of all renting households across the shire.
Hepburn Shire Council’s housing affordability issues are complicated by its tourism sector.
“Staff need housing close to where they work, but tourists need accommodation too, and that includes short stay accommodation often in houses that might otherwise be used for long-term rentals,” the draft strategy and action plan said.
Hepburn Shire Council’s mayor, Brian Hood, said advocating to state and federal governments would be crucial for improving housing affordability in the shire.
“While most factors that drive housing affordability are outside the direct control of local government, we have identified 25 actions that may help to create the right conditions for more affordable housing in the shire,” he said.
“We will be advocating for more social housing and emergency accommodation, encouraging regulatory changes to promote long-term rentals over short-term accommodation, and also campaigning for updates to the Victorian planning scheme to include mandatory affordable housing contributions.”
Cr Hood said the council would also look at financial incentives such as reduced rates for affordable housing providers.
According to the report, the shire has low levels of social housing.
“There is also a need for more social housing in Hepburn Shire. There is a relatively low provision of social housing in Hepburn Shire — 1.7 percent compared with an average of 2.6 percent for Victoria and 3.6 percent for Australia,” the report said.
In 2020-2021, 228 people in Hepburn Shire received specialist homeless services.
Hepburn Shire incorporates Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford and Trentham.
You can have your say on the draft strategy and action plan here: https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/affordable-housing