By Sandy Zubrinich, Sunshine Coast Business Council Chair
Housing shortages and the resulting social issues have become a national crisis, with all levels of government needing to take urgent action to address this dire current situation.
All levels of government have responded in some way to the escalating housing shortages with initiatives such as funding assistance, shared ownership of homes with government investment, and proposals to increase land supply all being considered. However, despite the responses to date, many of these government programs have already fallen behind new housing targets for a variety of reasons, leading to calls for local councils and state governments to expedite the release of land supply and cut red tape to fast-track housing.
A recent announcement of 40 new social houses for the Sunshine Coast LGA is welcomed, but more needs to be done to meet the volume of housing needed and the ambitious, yet necessary, targets set by both state and federal governments to tackle the ongoing housing crisis and escalating homelessness.
We don’t take the word crisis lightly, but there isn’t a person on the Sunshine Coast that hasn’t seen the impact – people couch surfing, sleeping in cars, on the beach, in tents under bridges and in commercial doorways. As well as the impact on all size businesses in trying to attract talent to the region when they are unable to find housing or rental accommodation.
The Sunshine Coast community needs to be assured that all levels of government are working effectively to deliver housing solutions and that every option available is being considered.
We have concerns that the Sunshine Coast Council is asking the State Government to remove a significant and meaningful Potential Future Growth Area (PFGA), Halls Creek, out of the Shaping SEQ 2023 Plan, while this is undergoing assessment by the federal government for its suitability for development.
The Shaping SEQ 2023 Plan looks to the future requirements for a growing population and the Halls Creek opportunity needs to be remain in the Plan, as this site could be brought on for development faster than some other opportunities due to the current land ownership (i.e. not fragmented), the site is fully cleared (being a former pine plantation), has minimal impact on the environment, and is being proposed by one of Australia’s leading developer of master-planned communities with an established track record in the region.
The campaign to remove Halls Creek as a PFGA was initiated by the previous Sunshine Coast Council and then further complicated by linking the site to the inter urban break and claiming it posed a risk to the Pumicestone Passage. A proposal that was not accepted by State Government which explicitly retained Halls Creek in the ShapingSEQ Regional Plan and confirmed the intent to complete a federal environmental approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act (EPBC).
Currently, Council’s focus is on infill development and the development of Beerwah East, one of the state’s major commercial forests which provides much needed timber to support the construction industry. While this may be a viable option as part of the future growth of the region, there are numerous constraints and challenges associated with major housing development in Beerwah East, including native title, extinguishment of the forestry licence, environmental challenges and funding to upgrade infrastructure to support its development. Although constrained, Sunshine Coast Business Council supports the continued investigation of Beerwah East as the Sunshine Coast is growing quickly and multiple development areas will be needed for consideration to accommodate this growth.
The Business Council acknowledges there is no quick and easy solution to the growth and housing problem, however limiting potential development options currently is short sighted and we strongly urge Council to reconsider its position and await the outcome of the EPBC process which is currently underway. Once the EPBC process is resolved, if viable, the project will still need to go through a rigorous planning process with local and state government prior to proceeding.
We urge the state and local government to work together within the guidance of the ShapingSEQ 2023 Plan to plan sensibly to accommodate population growth and ensure there continues to be a diverse range of housing available to meet the needs of the current Sunshine Coast community and those who will come in the future.
Ends.
Media contact: Maya Gurry, Fresh PR & Marketing P: 0410 109 102 E: maya@freshprm.com.au
About the Sunshine Coast Business Council
The Sunshine Coast Business Council is the leading regional business advocacy group on the Sunshine Coast representing approximately 4,000 businesses through its membership, which includes key national and regional industry groups and their members as well as national and regional businesses. Its membership base represents a range of sectors including tourism, property, construction, retail, education and training, agribusiness, manufacturing, ICT and professional services. To find out more, please visit www.scbusinesscouncil.com.au.
