Glenorchy City Council granted planning permits for more than 60 multiple dwelling developments and 108 permits for single dwellings last financial year as council continues to work to increase housing stock in the municipality.
Glenorchy Mayor Bec Thomas said the council’s annual report on housing showed between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022, the council granted 61 planning permits providing for 253 homes through multiple dwelling developments.
These permits included a 55-dwelling social housing development in Allunga Rd, Chigwell, a 37-dwelling development at Branscombe Rd, Claremont, a 21-dwelling social housing development at Hopkins St, Moonah and 20 and 10-dwelling developments at Nagle Place, Glenorchy and Coleman St, Moonah.
Mayor Thomas said the council was doing all it could to help boost housing stock, including identifying and selling off surplus land in a bid to boost residential housing supply in the municipality.
“Several lots of council land have already been identified as surplus to requirements and will be sold to be developed as housing,” Mayor Thomas said.
Mayor Thomas said the council was doing what it could to address the current housing shortage.
“As a planning authority, council is best placed to identify land that can be used to increase housing stock. The more houses there are, the more chance people have of being able to secure a home for themselves and their families,” she said.
“Council is actively assessing its land for what may be suitable to be on-sold to increase housing supply.
“In many cases these are vacant lots which are now no longer needed and may be suitable to be developed into residential housing.”
Mayor Thomas said housing and homelessness was a complex issue, but local government played an important role as a planning authority.
“Land may need to be rezoned or go through the necessary planning approvals to be developed for housing,” she said.
“I’ve been able to have productive conversations with the State Government to quicken these processes in some cases using state planning legislation to ensure approvals happen as fast as possible to get housing construction underway.
“It is critical that all levels of government work together to help people get a roof over their heads, and I’m pleased that, as a council, Glenorchy is working hard to identify land that can be used to increase housing supply.”
Mayor Thomas said council had identified surplus land in Glenorchy, Berriedale, Lutana, Rosetta and West Moonah, with investigations continuing into other sites.
“Council has recently advertised residential land for sale at 5A Taree Street, Chigwell and 3 Edgar Steet, Claremont. Council properties at 119 Pitcairn Steet and 11-13 Nielson Drive, Montrose are also expected to be listed for sale in the next two months,” she said.