New housing approvals up
Council already ticked off 112 homes
HOBART City Council has almost ticked off as many new homes in the first 50 days of 2019 as it did for the whole of last year.
Following Monday night’s council meeting at least 112 new dwellings had been approved this year, not far behind the 136 given the go-ahead for all of 2018.
The approval of two multistorey developments on February 4, on Bathurst and Burnett streets, added 100 apartments to the city, and was a significant boost for this year’s tally.
If the University of Tasmania’s temporary student accommodation is also included, it takes the figure past 250.
“The recently approved UTAS temporary accommodation application, along with the other two large developments approved the same night, are definitely a step in the right di- rection,” Alderman Simon Behrakis said. But he said the council should be doing more to fix the problem.
“Unfortunately, at the moment the debate seems to be stuck on whether we should allow investment or not, regardless of the fact that we desperately need to increase housing supply in Hobart,” Ald Behrakis said.
In 2016-17 the council approved 184 new dwellings. Last financial year it was 188.
Councillor Holly Ewin said she was excited by the start to the year as there was such a severe lack of medium density housing in Hobart.
“All developments should be assessed on a case-by-case basis, but we don’t want to be pushing people out of the CBD,” Cr Ewin said.
Real Estate Institute of Tasmania president Tony Collidge said the approval figures were “sensational”.
“It’s something we’ve been crying out for for the last three years,” he said. “Inner city apartment living and accommodation are absolutely paramount for meeting the current shortage. This is the first step in climbing the ladder to alleviate the pressure of high rents and housing prices.”
Master Builders Tasmania executive director Matthew Pollock said last year’s figure was very low and the recent approvals couldn’t have come at a more important time.
“There is a growing demand for inner city living and the only way we are going to meet this new demand is to build more high and medium density housing,” he said.
Property Council Tasmania executive director Brian Wightman said the numbers were encouraging but a long way from “mission accomplished”.
THERE is a long way to go, but it is a good thing the Hobart City Council has approved almost as many homes in the first 50 days of this year as it did for the entire 2018 calendar year.
While 100 of the 112 new dwellings approved so far this year are accounted for in two new apartment blocks (on Bathurst and Burnett streets), they are still desperately needed homes as our capital city endures what has become our worst housing crisis.
In this column a fortnight ago we opined that despite new Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds being in favour of medium-density “infill” housing developments in the city, the unfortunate message from her council is that Hobart is — generally — not too welcoming for property developers.
The fact is the two new apartment blocks that are going to add 100 new units were the result of just two votes in council. The sad truth is that we have seen, time and time again, developers who have tried to fill the need for new housing here be tied up in knots by the aldermen and councillors on the council.
The good news is that Lord Mayor Reynolds remains committed to her infill plan, and has promised to progress the idea in coming months. This is a good thing, and an initiative the Mercury would wholeheartedly endorse. Again, as we have noted before here, these are the sort of developments that can be the perfect fit for Hobart: they don’t need to be more than a few storeys high and there are more than enough under-utilised blocks in the inner-city for which medium-scale unit developments would be perfect. The residents would also be able to easily walk to work, meaning we would be housing more people
The good news is the Lord Mayor is committed to her infill plan, and has promised to progress it in coming months.
without contributing to our traffic problems. And if we plan it right, the council could lay the groundwork for new urban villages that themselves would breathe new and vibrant life into our inner-city — leading to all the associated social benefits, and deliver more commercial ratepayers for the council. So that’s good news.
Another good thing is that we now have on council people like Alderman Simon Behrakis, who is determined to use his influence in the chamber to send the message that the new council means business. That is not to say there is no room on council for those who share the view of those Hobartians who passionately believe we should be taking things slower. Our council should reflect our community — and that every decision is the result of a solid debate is welcome.
Meanwhile, Property Council boss Brian Wightman makes a lot of sense when he says that while the 2019 approval numbers are encouraging it is still a long way from mission accomplished for the council.
It’s not too late. Property prices here might now slow, but they are unlikely to fall anytime soon. That alone gives us a commercial advantage over the mainland capitals, where the property markets are anything but secure at the moment. Our recent good fortune in terms of an increase in property values also means developments here are more economic than before. And while one of the very real challenges is the lack of a large enough building labour force, there really is no reason why if the council is leading the way the market won’t move quickly on the housing crisis.
Responsibility for all editorial comment is taken by the Editor, Chris Jones, Level 1, 2 Salamanca Square, Hobart, TAS, 7000