Kingborough councillors will vote on Monday on a plan by Homes Tasmania to build 26 social and affordable housing townhouses in Kingston, with council officers recommending it be approved.
The state government housing body wants to build the two-storey, two-bedroom townhouses at 47 Summerleas Road, near the Southern Outlet roundabout, south of Hobart.
The development would also include 49 parking spaces, communal landscaped areas and a walking track linking to the existing Whitewater Creek Track.
The proposal drew 14 representations, most of them objections.
Residents raised concerns about the removal of seven trees rated as having high or very high conservation value, along with about 0.1 hectares of native vegetation.
Objectors said the trees provided habitat for the swift parrot and forty-spotted pardalote and could not be adequately replaced through offset plantings.
Others raised concerns about traffic, arguing that 26 homes relying on a single access road and one crossover onto a busy stretch of Summerleas Road could create a safety risk.
Some also pointed to the concentration of social housing, linking it to concerns about community safety and anti-social behaviour in the wider area.
Council officers said those concerns were not relevant planning considerations.
“No evidence has been provided to demonstrate that the development itself would give rise to unacceptable planning impacts in relation to community safety or public order,” the council report said.
“Matters relating to policing levels, law enforcement resources and the provision of social support services are the responsibility of relevant government agencies and fall outside the scope of council’s assessment under the scheme.”
Officers also acknowledged the proposal falls 12 spaces short of the 61 normally required, but said a traffic assessment found the highest observed demand for a development of this size was about 19 spaces.
The application had to be re-advertised in August after a clerical error in the original public notice.
Officers have recommended approval, subject to conditions covering landscaping, tree protection, stormwater and bushfire management.
Councillors will make the final decision at Monday’s meeting.
