Easing the affordable housing crisis Inner West Council is helping to ease the affordable housing crisis. Council has gained ownership of four apartments for affordable housing through a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA). The apartments, on Old Canterbury Road in Lewisham, will be contracted out to a community housing provider to manage. “Council has had to take action on affordable housing, not only because our residents have said they want us to confront the complex problem of housing affordability, but also because skyrocketing property prices are threatening our diversity,” said Administrator of Inner West Council Richard Pearson. “Inner west housing has become so prohibitively expensive that graduate teachers, child carers, nurses, and those in hospitality can struggle to meet rents and mortgages. “Do we really want a community where a teacher, child carer, nurse, or hospitality worker can’t afford to live? “We want people from all walks of life living and working in our suburbs. Having to live further away from family and community support systems, travelling more to get to work or visit loved ones - it’s terrible for personal lives and it’s bad for the environment,” Mr Pearson said. “Council will continue to pursue measures that support existing and new supplies of affordable housing. “We can encourage affordable housing by supporting and advocating for it, and entering into voluntary planning agreements and partnerships, which is what we have done here,” Mr Pearson said. The announcement from Council comes at the same time as reports that the State Government is considering changes to planning laws so as to increase the volume of affordable housing. "Council is determined to be proactive on the issue of affordable housing and we recently briefed Council's Local Representation Advisory Committee on a policy we are developing to try to capture a share of the profits from rezonings for the provision of affordable housing," said Mr Pearson. "This approach would be supported if the State Government proposal for a more structured and proactive approach to the problem proceeds.” Council proposes to formally consider an Affordable Housing Policy later this year. Elizabeth Heath | Communications and Marketing Coordinator, Marrickville Inner West Council P: +61 2 9392 5334 | E: elizabeth.heath@innerwest.nsw.gov.au | M: 0428 115 292
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