Increase In New Secondary Dwelling Approvals Seen In Griffith

Griffith City Council’s efforts to provide affordable and diverse housing options for the community have been reflected in a 30 per cent increase in the number of approvals for secondary dwellings since 2020-2021.

Griffith Mayor, Doug Curran said it was good to see the increase and encouraged more residents to consider the option.

“Housing has not dropped off our radar,” Mayor Curran said.

“In fact, it is one of our major focus areas.

“We are working on it daily.

“We are still keen to find ways we can expand housing options in Griffith and our villages.”

The increase in approvals has been recorded since 2020-2021 when Council implemented Affordable Housing Initiatives aimed at reducing the barriers to affordable housing.

These initiatives included the removal of S64 contributions for secondary dwellings, making it easier and more affordable for homeowners to consider building a secondary dwelling on their property.

Council encouraged homeowners with the space to spare to consider building a secondary dwelling.

By doing so, they can increase the availability of affordable housing options in the community while also providing an additional income stream.

Under the Griffith Housing Strategy, Council determined that the city needed a larger supply of one and two-bedroom dwellings.

The projected number of increased dwellings required by 2036 is 1,744. To enable suitable development, Council amended its Development Control Plan (DCP) to facilitate the development of diverse, affordable, and lower-cost housing.

These included amendments to floor spacing ratios, providing for reduced parking requirements for residential apartment buildings and multi-dwelling housing.

The removal of height restrictions and the reduction of private open space per ground floor have also been applied to dwelling requirements in the CBD.

Council has also made re-zoning amendments to the Local Environment Plan (LEP) to encourage increased development of residential apartment buildings.

These measures have allowed for greater flexibility in housing design and enabled more affordable housing options to be developed.

In January 2020, Council resolved to donate approximately 739 sqm of land at the corner of Wakaden and Crossing Streets to construct additional affordable housing.

Argyle has appointed a construction contractor to build four two-bedroom affordable housing units.

Construction is due to commence in June.

Griffith City Council and Argyle Housing’s Griffin Green Project is another way Council has been working to address the housing shortage.

The 20 townhouses and more than 42 housing lots currently being built around Dave Taylor Park are progressing well.

• Topics:

• My House My Home