Continued population growth and a strong property market is creating pressure on housing affordability and the inclusivity of the Bayside community. The Draft Affordable Housing Strategy 2021 is a document prepared by Bayside City Council to outline Council’s response to an identified need for more affordable housing in Bayside.

The Draft Strategy is focused on four approaches: Advocate, Partner, Direct Intervention and Support, and Plan. Under these themes, we’ve set a variety of actions to deliver over a four-year period to help increase the availability and quality of affordable and social housing in Bayside.

Between 18 March – 25 April 2021, we asked our community to provide feedback on our draft Affordable Housing Strategy via an online survey, written submission, or through stakeholder group meetings.

We heard from 123 participants: 90 online survey submissions, 5 written statements, 25 stakeholder representatives, and 3 direct enquiries. We’ve summarised feedback below, or you can read the complete report.

Participants were fairly evenly divided on affordable housing issues, and while many were very supportive of the Strategy’s intent, a similar number were concerned about possible impacts of affordable housing on the character of their neighbourhood, particularly if it is high-density. Some also believed that affordable housing does not belong in an affluent area, such as Bayside.

Level of support for key actions

Community feedback has been considered to prepare a final Affordable Housing Strategy for Council to adopt and deliver. Actions that received majority support have been included in this Strategy.

For height and car parking planning dispensations where affordable housing is provided – which was generally opposed by participants – we will use community feedback to ensure community concerns are considered when developing criteria for waivers from Council policy.

Through community feedback we’ve also learned that around one quarter of participants would consider making a voluntary tax-deductible donation from the sale of their property to support Homes for Homes, an independent not-for-profit that uses these donations to fund social and affordable housing. Another quarter did not know enough about Homes for Homes to respond, which presents an opportunity for Council to promote Homes for Homes to the wider community.

Council considered the report on community and stakeholder feedback and adopted a Affordable Housing Strategy at its 15 June 2021 meeting. Read the agenda for this meeting. You can view a recording of this meeting.

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