Eurobodalla Local Housing Strategy

Project: Council is developing a Local Housing Strategy to meet demand for new homes. It will encourage greater housing diversity and affordability over the next 20 years.

Timeframe: October 2022 to April 2023

Cost and funding: $55,000

Last updated: December 2022

Latest news

December 2022: We asked community members to complete a short survey to tell us what they'd like to see in a local housing strategy. The survey is now closed and we will use the responses to help guide this project forward.

Project details

We are working to:

  • deliver a draft Local Housing Strategy for public exhibition in 2023
  • identify the demand for new and different housing types over the next 20 years
  • identify actions to provide the right housing to meet this demand by analysing:
    • the capacity of existing residential land to provide homes
    • the types and sizes of homes needed
    • the best location for new homes.

Benefits to the community:

A Local Housing Strategy would help Council undertake actions that would lead to:

  • people aging within their community by having options to move into a smaller home. This also makes larger homes available for larger households
  • more smaller homes closer to existing services and shops - this makes our towns more walkable
  • working-aged people staying in or moving to Eurobodalla
  • more affordable rent and house prices by providing greater housing diversity
  • more social and affordable housing options
  • building new homes that meet the future demand for smaller houses
  • less homelessness
  • a more diverse, vibrant and resilient community and a stronger local economy.

Background and purpose

Council has committed to improving housing in Eurobodalla.

  • A Local Housing Strategy will help Council meet the action in the Local Strategic Planning Statement to encourage greater housing diversity and affordability.
  • Council’s Community Strategic Plan includes working in partnership to encourage and facilitate greater housing diversity and affordability.
  • Council’s Delivery Program and Operational Plan includes an action to develop a housing strategy with a focus on addressing affordability.
  • Council is advocating for the NSW government to improve housing supply, diversity and affordability.

Complexity and contributing factors

Providing enough homes of the right size and style in the right location is complex.

  • The Eurobodalla Shire needs more homes to house the growing population and improve the supply of homes in the market.
  • Most existing homes here are 3-or-more bedroom houses with 1 or 2 people living in them.
  • We need more homes with 1 or 2 bedrooms to cater for the growth in smaller households.
  • The cost of homes to buy or rent in Eurobodalla has increased significantly in recent years.
  • There are not enough homes to rent or buy, and even fewer that are affordable for existing residents.

Lack of supply and affordability puts pressure on the most vulnerable members of our community. Eurobodalla's homelessness services provide local support, but all levels of government need to work together to address the housing crisis.

Other factors that add to the complexity of housing include:

  • large infrastructure projects requiring housing for workers
  • constraints such as flooding, vegetation and bushfire prone land
  • linking with services like transport, sewer and water
  • employment opportunities.

The Local Housing Strategy will identify actions Council can take to improve housing. This includes key advocacy issues the NSW and Australian governments should address.

Advocacy

Council is advocating for the NSW government to improve housing supply, diversity and affordability.

In mid-2021, Council made a submission to the NSW Government’s Regional Housing Taskforce consultation.

Project updates

November 2022

  • We have begun investigating housing supply and needs using census data and talking to housing and service providers and NSW Government agencies.
  • We asked community members to tell us what they would like us to consider in the housing strategy. The survey closed on Tuesday 20 December 2022, 5pm.

More information

You can sign up to receive updates throughout the project:

For more information please contact Council's Coordinator Strategy and Place, Angie Radford: