Whitsunday Regional Council has adopted the Local Housing Action Plan (LHAP) in a bid to proactively address the current housing pressures in the region.
Mayor, Ry Collins said the Plan was developed by Council in partnership with the Local Government Association of Queensland with funding from the Queensland Government.
“The LHAP outlines 28 practical and tangible actions that will assist Council to address housing barriers and shortfalls,” he said.
“The plan is not intended to be a static document but will remain live and be monitored and reviewed as we develop our actions.
“We want to work with the State and Federal Governments, the housing sector, and local residents to increase the number of homes available and make sure that we are getting our fair share of the investments being made in this space,” Mayor Collins said.
“This is not something that is going to be solved overnight, but there are real commitments from the State and Federal Governments to invest in housing and I want to make sure that the Whitsunday region is part of that conversation.
“The Key to the delivery of housing supply is ensuring we can get ahead of the important service infrastructure that is required to support our demand.”
Director Regional Strategy and Planning, Neil McGaffin said the next step was developing the Housing Strategy, which will consider the pressures of affordability and the challenges Council faces in accommodating future growth in the Whitsunday region beyond 2046.
“Council will need to develop our Planning Scheme strategies to encourage more supply of housing across the region,” he said.
“This requires a comprehensive approach of planning and consultation with the community to ensure we encourage the right density in proximity to highly accessible areas, near jobs, transport, community services and facilities.
“Investigation actions are included in the plan where council could consider incentives to encourage and promote the development of the diversity in housing types we need,” Mr McGaffin said.
Also adopted at Council’s August meeting in Proserpine was an amendment to the Planning Scheme in relation to the appropriateness of short-term accommodation in our dormitory suburbs, specifically within the Low-Density Zoned localities.
Mayor Collins said this amendment supports councils’ commitment in ensuring housing stays available for residents, especially in areas where strong local neighbourhoods have developed.
“The purpose of the amendment is to prioritise the housing needs of local residents by ensuring dwellings in the Low-density residential zone are available for local residents and residential amenity is maintained,” he said.
“We have also identified specific exceptions for traditional tourist beach areas recognising their unique role in attracting visitors and supporting our local economy.
“The aim is to protect the residential amenity of our local residents and to provide investors with a clear indication of where short-term accommodations dwellings are accepted uses,” Mayor Collins said.
