Housing Inquiry welcome

Housing inquiry welCoMed by MAster builders ACt

Whether it is public housing in the suburbs, dual occupancies on mr fluffy blocks, mcmansions, or solar access rules, housing is one of the most hotly debated topics in Canberra.

Take any of these issues and when you look behind the headline there are some important issues to be debated.

At the risk of stating the obvious Canberra’s land prices have been skyrocketing; our over-complicated planning regulations have all but eradicated design innovation; and new housing typologies are prevented from responding to the big demographic changes affecting Canberra and Australia alike.

Add to this list the role of housing in meeting the ACT Governments net zero emissions goal, preserving the character and heritage of Canberra’s historic precincts, and meeting community expectations about building quality.

For these reasons, a thorough inquiry into Housing in the ACT is welcomed by Master Builders ACT and the Territory’s building and construction industry.

The Chair of the Standing Committee on Planning and Urban Renewal, Caroline Le Couteur MLA, advised the Legislative Assembly of the Committee’s decision to initiate a new inquiry into housing on 30 March.

In this inquiry, the Committee will inquire into ‘the interaction of population growth, housing affordability, housing diversity and design, consumer behaviour, and suburban and environmental impact of residential development’.

The Committee, in this inquiry, will consider a number of issues, including:

existing housing diversity; demand for different housing types; effects of suburban infill, housing in centres, land release and greenfield development; the effectiveness of existing regulation and zoning; best practice in this area in other jurisdictions; and any other relevant matter.

Through the course of this inquiry the Committee will take into consideration a broad range of views, in depth, and it intends to report to the Assembly by the last sitting day of 2018.

Master Builders are uniquely placed to make observations about housing and to advise the Planning and Urban Renewal Committee about trends, provide market intelligence and make suggestions for meeting future community and industry needs.

Builders are often placed in between meeting client needs, managing community expectations, and complying with government legislation. Submissions to the ACT Inquiry into Housing are open until 31 October 2017. Master Builders ACT would welcome any comment from our members about the range of issues this inquiry will consider.

If you have a comment to make please email Master Builders ACT Deputy Executive Director Michael Hopkins on mhopkins@mba.org.au.

If you would like to make a more substantial contribution to the housing inquiry, we would like to publish contributions from our members in the form of a 500-750 word essay on any of the topics being considered by this inquiry. If you would like to supply a contribution, please email mhopkins@mba.org.au before 30 September and we will publish selected essays on the MBA web site and FaceBook page.