Northern Grampians Shire Council has signed a contract with property developer, PassivePlace Holdings Pty Ltd (PassivePlace), to embark upon a staged housing development that will deliver various types of social housing.
Council says the development will be constructed over the next five years at an allotment on the corner of Sloane Street and Cahill Road in Stawell.
Councillors resolved to sell the land to PassivePlace for nominal consideration at its August meeting.
Known as ‘the Sloane Street Development’, PassivePlace is proposing to deliver affordable housing such as specialist disability accommodation, retirement living, and long-term rental accommodation for the community. The housing will be built to 6.5-star energy standards, Council said.
“As a Council we have been working for some years to encourage much needed housing development in our shire. A lot of work has happened behind the scenes; we rezoned the land in 2013 to help realise this vision,” said Mayor, Murray Emerson.
“This is a landmark for housing developments in regional Victoria. Council’s decision to sell this land will ultimately deliver a project that consolidates ideals identified in our council’s vision and economic and development strategies.
“We are putting our community’s needs at the forefront and providing accommodation for socially and economically disadvantaged residents that is socially conscious, sustainably modelled and environmentally considerate.”
The Victorian Government has contributed $500,000 from its Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund to Council to prepare the land for development.
The Minister for Regional Development, Mary-Anne Thomas said the Sloane Street Development would help deliver affordable and diverse housing options in regional Victoria.
“We understand housing is a real issue for many regional and rural communities – that’s why we are investing in initiatives like this one, alongside the Regional Workforce Pilots – working with local government and businesses, to boost employment across the state,” she said.
Work on the development is expected to commence in 2022.
“We hope this project will become an exemplar for other regional communities around Australia and change the way we think about how we plan, build, and live in the future,” said PassivePlace Managing Director, Nicholas Lane.
“This project illustrates a flexible housing delivery model that identifies a community’s unique housing and accommodation need and seeks to fulfil that need.”
Further information on is available at www.ngshire.vic.gov.au/SloaneSt
