The Launceston City Council is looking into ways to increase housing diversity within the municipality, following a motion put forward by Mayor Matthew Garwood.
The motion aims to take advantage of the Federal Government’s Housing Australia Future Fund and encourage collaboration with housing proponents and private developers to promote the development of more high-density, affordable housing.
It will also allow the council to explore the potential use of land in the central business district (CBD) or inner city for the development of community housing through partnerships with proponents, private investors and other stakeholders.
Mayor Garwood said he is “very passionate” about this issue and wants the council to provide more support to people in-need.
“There are some creative ways Launceston can be a leader in this space, including making better use of CBD properties like car parks.”
According to Garwood, increasing affordable housing in the CBD would have several positive effects, such as enhanced housing diversity, greater CBD activation, increased consumer spending and improved resident well-being.
“The market at the moment can’t support density for large-scale private apartments because the sale prices won’t be high enough to cover the development costs.”
He views this as an opportunity for the council to take a proactive approach and explore ways to facilitate the delivery of new housing options that meet the city’s needs.
“I look forward to working with the Federal Government, housing providers, private investors and anyone else with the aim of delivering some desperately needed new housing options for our city.”
