NIMBYS ON NOTICE
Queenslanders“often agree there needs to be more housing supply but then adopt a NIMBY mentality, given they are concerned about the impact of units and apartments in their neighbourhood
North Queensland residents are facing a lack of affordable housing for years to come as the pipeline of new dwellings plunges to critical lows, with anti-development NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) views identified as a factor hindering the supply of much-needed homes.
Across the state, the pipeline all but dried up in parts of Townsville and Central Queensland, where less than 10 houses were approved since 2018.
Cranbrook in Townsville recorded no approvals, Kin Kora/sun Valley in Gladstone just one, and five in Heatley.
The situation was equally bleak in Manunda in south Cairns, where only nine new dwellings were on the horizon.
In the southesast, suburbs in Brisbane’s west and innercity areas were most at risk.
Restrictive zoning and planning regulations, land shortages, and the unstable construction climate exacerbated the issue.
Exclusive analysis of dwelling approvals shows just 11 new homes were given the green light over the past five years in the Centenary region suburbs of Middle Park/jamboree Heights and Westlake, and 12 in Riverhills.
The Suburbtrends analysis, based on Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, shows inner-west Auchenflower fared only slightly better, with 21 new dwellings approved, and 38 in inner-city Spring Hill.
Suburbtrends founder Kent Lardner said “a massive increase in new supply” was needed to keep pace with Queensland’s projected annual population growth of around 2 per cent.
Mr Lardner said the low proportion of new public housing stock reflected resistance from homeowners about the potential impact on their communities.
“In order to meet the growing demand for affordable housing, we need to not only design cost-effective solutions but also cultivate understanding and acceptance within our communities,” Mr Lardner said.
“The lower cost of medium and high-density housing has become more and more important in recent years, with freestanding homes becoming increasingly expensive and out of reach of many.”
The state’s population is increasing by more than 2000 per week, and set to swell further in coming years, government data shows, with southeast Queensland forecast to grow by 25 per cent ahead of the 2032 Olympics.
Real Estate Institute of Queensland chief operating officer Dean Milton said the pandemic property boom, and surge in interstate migration, had highlighted longstanding shortcomings in government housing policy.
“Heightened demand is placing upward pressure on rents and prices, our growing population is struggling to put a roof over their heads, and people are joining slowing social housing waitlists – these are the sad realities of a housing market that is grossly undersupplied,” Mr Milton said.
“Community aversion to suburban development has played a role in bringing us to where we are today. However we also face the challenge of getting local governments to think outside of the box and getting planners to be more flexible in their approach.”
Providing affordable housing by streamlining the development approval process, should be prioritised over considerations including character housing, setbacks, green space and even energy efficient building, Mr Milton said.
“Queenslanders often agree there needs to be more housing supply but then adopt a NIMBY mentality, given they are concerned about the impact of units and apartments in their neighbourhood and want to protect their own property’s value.
“We know land is in short supply, we all want to live close to services and amenities, and apartments are more affordable than freestanding homes.
“Apartments could be the solution and building up is something we need to start embracing. It means that as a society, we need to start rethinking neighbourhoods and what we’re prepared to accept,” he said.
A total of 42,617 new dwellings were approved across Greater Brisbane between 2018 and 2021, with the combined suburbs of Pallara and Willawong in the city’s south recording the highest number of approvals of 2585, followed by inner-city West End with 1728, and Newstead/bowen Hills, 1628.
Statewide, 81,619 new homes were approved, or about 9 per cent of Queensland’s 1.86m dwellings, with the highest numbers to be built in Ipswich, Logan and Beaudesert, and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.
Natalie Rayment, co-founder of YIMBY Qld, said NIMByism was typically driven by older established homeowners in wealthy neighbourhoods. It could be fuelled by a distrust of developers, or a sense of nostalgia.
“Often NIMBY views are really about protecting property values or resisting population growth,” Ms Rayment said.
While community participation in planning was important, a fallback on ‘no’ had resulted in “missing middle housing” — options between a house and a high-rise in established suburbs. This pushed new development to the city fringe and cut residents off from established community ties and access to infrastructure.
“While housing can be less expensive to deliver on the urban fringe, that doesn’t help key workers with their commute, increases car-reliance, and puts further cost burden on local authorities and service providers to keep up with the necessary infrastructure and services,” Ms Rayment said.
“And mostly new housing at the fringe is four-bedroom, two-bathrooms and double garage. Not everyone wants that, or can afford that.”