Provider gets 50-year lease for affordable housing project

THE Surf Coast Shire has entered into a 50-year peppercorn rent arrangement with a national not-for-profit housing provider to build social and affordable homes in Aireys Inlet.

Councillors endorsed the concept design for more social housing at 2 Fraser Drive in May as part of the Aireys Inlet Affordable Housing Project.

At their meeting on Tuesday this week, councillors resolved to enter into a 50-year lease with Housing Choices Australia (HCA) for $1 each year, contingent on HCA attracting funding for the development, which is estimated to take one to two years.

There are four affordable housing units already located at the Fraser Drive site, and the concept design will inform future detailed design and planning phases of the project, including the final amount of new housing.

Further community engagement will be undertaken when and if those project phases are reached.

The proposed lease to HCA will not include the community garden or pathway at the site, with possession of these portions to be retained by the shire for the benefit of the local community and public.

As the shire’s partner in the project, HCA can now use the concept design and lease to apply for funding for the detailed design and construction.

Cr Libby Stapleton said the lease was another milestone towards building more affordable housing.

She said there were no objections to the proposed lease arrangement during the public exhibition process, although one submitter did raise the number of possible homes on the site and the project’s consistency with the Aireys Inlet Structure Plan.

“I’d like to reassure our community that these are all aspects that must be addressed through the detailed design process, which will include further community consultation.”

Cr Stapleton said the $1 annual lease fee made the project viable for HCA and was consistent with the shire’s intent to forgo the value of land – in this case, estimated at $3.5 million in 2023 – in the interests of enabling affordable housing across the municipality.

“Keeping this significant land asset in public ownership long term was considered very important by many in the community.

“I’m excited that council has elected to work with HCA on this project, knowing that their record of providing safe, secure and affordable homes for people on low and middle incomes.

“They have a demonstrated commitment to the region and they develop housing to extensive design guidelines, incorporating environmentally sustainable principles like passive solar, building envelope and materials, energy, waste, water and more.”

She said the four existing residents at the site would be supported throughout the development and would have priority access to one of the new units.