MAJOR FUNDING INJECTION TO EASE HOUSING SHORTAGE IN DUBBO REGION
A $1.26 million grant from the Australian Government’s Housing Support Program – Stream 1 will assist Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) to deliver more housing in the Local Government Area.
The funding will enable the creation of Regional and Affordable Housing Strategies and further develop the North-West Urban Release Area Master Plan. The Program has been designed to provide resources to support master planning and planning reform.
DRC Mayor Mathew Dickerson said he welcomed the support of the Australian Government in assisting with Council’s strategic focus on planning for housing.
“The funding received will enable Council to develop these key strategies to help drive increased delivery of new housing in the region and, in turn, get more people into homes.”
“The program has been created to help achieve the National Housing Accord’s target of building 1.2 million new homes over the next five years. Council remains committed to being on the front foot in tackling the housing shortage crisis, and this funding will allow us to ensure we can identify locations, types and styles of housing or development needed to help ease the pressure being experienced by many in our community,” Clr Dickerson said.
The Regional and Affordable Housing Strategies will provide a clear framework that considers demographic and supply and demand factors for housing as well as different typologies, land use opportunities and potential barriers to meet those needs.
“These strategies will assist Council in setting a clear plan for housing over the next 10 to 20 years and include an affordable housing policy, large lot residential strategy, and strategic transportation model,” Clr Dickerson said.
The North-West Urban Release Area consists of 375 hectares of vacant land on the north-western fringe of Dubbo, approximately two kilometres from the Central Business District. Under the design controls being developed medium and higher density living will be encouraged in the area.
The funding will help expedite strategic planning work and allow development to be approved faster than originally anticipated.
Community consultation will be undertaken for both projects in the future via the YourSay platform.
Last Edited: 12 Jul 2024