Leaders push for housing fix

DEMAND for housing in the Northern Rivers is rising as supply falls, putting pressure on younger workers and key industries, regional leaders have warned.

More than 100 business, government and community representatives met in Lennox Head last week for the 2025 Regional Leaders Forum: Housing on the Ground, presented by Business NSW Northern Rivers.

Key themes at the forum included the region’s strong lifestyle appeal drawing retirees, remote workers and sea changers, while development constraints and a mismatch in housing types continued to limit supply.

Par8o director Peter Bell told the event the region needed more of the right homes delivered quickly.

“We need to take action about getting the right supply on the ground so the younger generation can stay in the region for longer because they are critical for key working jobs.”

“Demand will remain strong with the lifestyle factor in the Northern Rivers, so it’s about supply, but enabling the right supply that can be delivered.”

Forum recommendations included applying the NSW Low and Mid Rise Housing Code in a regional context and making targeted National Construction Code class changes to reduce costs and regulatory barriers.

Delegates backed pre approved housing designs to fast track compliant, high quality homes and reduce costs across councils.

Unlocking ready to build housing sites by forward funding water, sewer, drainage and road infrastructure was also identified as a priority.

A proposed Regional Housing Innovation Program would support modern construction methods by partnering business groups, TAFE and industry to lift builder productivity, reduce waste and trial modular and prefabricated models.

Minister for Recovery, Small Business and the North Coast Janelle Saffin opened the forum.

“We have to be creative, we have to collaborate and think outside of the box, and that’s what we have started doing here,” she said.

Clarence Property CEO Simon Kennedy said simplifying processes would be essential if more housing was to reach the market.

“We have to simplify the process.”

“There are three core components to tackling the housing issue.

We must have land supply, a planning system that gives certainty to councils and industry, and a building that is feasible and affordable to bring to market, and all of that must be facilitated quickly to address the massive undersupply we currently face.”

Clarence Property’s $250 million Epiq development in Lennox Head, delivering more than 450 residential lots with community facilities and the Epiq Marketplace, was highlighted as one example of new supply. Construction has also started on a series of live work terraces showcased at the forum.