High density housing a reality of city's population boost

Daily Advertiser 20th September 2019

FORWARD PLANNING: Housing Industry Association Wagga chairman Tony Balding says the city needs both medium and high density living.

CATERING for a variety of housing needs will be at the centre of Wagga's push towards 100,000 residents. Tony Balding, of the Housing Industry Association, said the city will need to expand its housing options to include medium and high density living. Mr Balding said a "firm and direct" plan that maps out what a city of 100,000 people looks like will be essential before any movement can be made.

In preparation of the population surge, Committee 4 Wagga has organised a seminar to address the critical growth factors to meet the 2038 target. The outcome has been endorsed by the state government's 20-year economic vision for regional NSW, which was released in July last year. Among the key issues to presented at the September 27 seminar include business, health, education and government investments in industrial and community infrastructure. In the led up to next week The Daily Advertiser has been exploring these areas in detail. Mr Balding said available land for residential developments will be a core requirement in the city's bid to accelerate growth.  

The 2018 Fitzpatricks property report highlighted an imbalance between the supply and demand of available land, which Mr Balding said could be fixed by pre-zoning areas. Detached housing varying from 500 to 900 square metres makes up 75 per cent of homes, said Mr Balding. He said this needs to continue as Wagga grows. "It is a large take up and that's by choice. I think Wagga needs to continue to do that because it is affordable and we need to be a place that offers a range of housing. There still needs to be medium density housing, as well as high density," he said. "More land is a part of the 20-year plan and it will pre-zone areas to accommodate growth and lift zoning restrictions in the city to increase high densities. But it is critical the turnaround time from pre-zoning to putting a building on the ground is shortened." Fitzpatricks Real Estate's managing director Richard Fitzpatrick said the rental market will require more stock to keep up with demand. As more workers move to the city for the development of the special activation and health precincts, as well as the $1 billion TransGrid project linking Wagga to South Australia with transmission lines, the rental market will experience added strain. The Riverina had a 1.8 per cent vacancy rate in August, according to the Real Estate Institute of NSW. "This is a good for landlords because they are encouraged by that low vacancy factor and will continue to invest," Mr Fitzpatrick said. He said the CBD is a popular area for renters, therefore more medium density housing could be required. "Renters are generally younger and attracted to the centre," Mr Fitzpatrick said. "The density could be reduced to allow more units per square metre on each house. So, the land component is cheaper for the developer who are encouraged to build more rental stock." But future housing developments should not compromise the city's best features, he said. "As we get to 100,000 residents, we need to retain what is good about the place. Our road network is important ... we might have a few bottlenecks around town, but we don't want that multiplied by five," he said.

Argyle Housing chief executive Wendy Middleton said the plan to boost Wagga's population to 100,000 residents must factor in social housing or risk the wait list blowing out. More than 300 people are on the wait list for social housing in Wagga. These people can wait for as long as five years for a home depending on the property type requested. Ms Middleton said the city needs to plan to build new stock, especially with its current properties nearing, or passed, its expiration date. As Wagga takes advantage of economic opportunities, Ms Middleton said it needs to strengthen its housing sector in order to be successful. "These projects [like the special activation precinct at Bomen] are fantastic, but only if you have the houses. If we don't put housing in the middle of any economic development and population projections then what we get is homelessness or drive-in-drive out workers," she said. Ms Middleton said future plans need to look beyond home ownership and identify the opportunities within the inner suburbs. "We can put all our energy into home ownership and making sure we have beautiful suburbs out there for people to buy into, but we aren't looking at the total package," she said. "There is much opportunity in redefining Wagga's inner rings. I would like to see different social housing styles instead of the three to four-bedroom brick veneers."

Housing Industry Association Wagga chairman Tony Balding.

Ms Middleton said two-bedroom homes are in high demand with the wait time spanning up to 10 years.\ However there is also a need for large families, as well as singles, therefore social housing should be built to be flexible. "We could build a block of four modular units so that at any stage we could convert that into a four-bedroom home," she said. "It is looking at how we predict the housing needs of 2038 and build for that now." To ensure there will be enough social housing for future needs, Ms Middleton said there will be several key players responsible for its success, including the private, not-for-profit and financial sectors, and philanthropic investors. Without equal support, she said the city's housing stress and homelessness rate will grow.

BUILD FOR THE FUTURE: Argyle Housing chief executive Wendy Middleton said more social housing needs to be built as the city plans for rapid growth by 2038.