Greens' Ambitious Social Housing Proposal Rejected at Bellambi Site
An attempt by Greens councillors to ensure social housing comprises half of all dwellings in a major Bellambi redevelopment has been decisively rejected by Wollongong City Council. During a meeting on Monday night, councillors debated the rezoning of the Bellambi Point area, which would allow Homes NSW to construct up to 2,500 homes over two decades, with buildings ranging from two to six storeys in height.
Greens Push for Specific Social Housing Target
The council had prepared a draft submission to Homes NSW advocating for "a higher proportion of social housing and to include a clear commitment to affordable housing." However, this document did not specify a numerical target. Greens councillor Deidre Stuart sought to address this by proposing an amendment that would explicitly call for 50% of the dwellings to be allocated as social housing.
"What I'm suggesting is 50 per cent is just trying to be more ambitious, which would mean 776 additional dwellings out of the current waitlist," Cr Stuart explained. "That would be a third of the current waitlist. So, I'm just trying to be more specific in our proposal."
Debate Over Density and Housing Mix
Supporting the amendment, Greens councillor Kit Docker highlighted the benefits of increased density at the site. "Uplift in height and density represents a far more efficient use of land, both for people and the environment," Cr Docker stated. "At a time when we are facing significant housing pressures, increasing density in appropriate locations is an important part of delivering more homes and improving overall supply."
Nevertheless, Cr Docker expressed concerns about the state government's proposal, which would reduce the proportion of public housing at the historically social housing estate from around 95% to 30%. "Under the state government's proposal, the proportion dropped significantly all the way down to 30 per cent, fundamentally shifting the purpose of this community," he argued. "In the middle of a housing and homelessness crisis, that represents a fundamental change in the purpose of land."
Opposition to the Amendment and Support for 'Salt and Pepper' Approach
Councillor Dan Hayes opposed the Greens' amendment, advocating instead for the "salt and pepper" approach to social housing distribution. This strategy involves dispersing social housing throughout developments rather than clustering it in one area. "Everyone has recognised that the previous approach of clustering public housing or social housing has not worked in the long run," Cr Hayes noted. "So by increasing the density, by increasing the raw numbers of social housing, but by also increasing the number of private homes, is that salt and pepper approach. This amendment seems to be leaning back more to that cluster approach."
Councillor Linda Campbell, who grew up in public housing, reinforced this perspective. "We recognised over many years that socially that does not help people growing up in those areas," Cr Campbell said. "And you need to have the salt and pepper approach because socially that's how you allow everyone to live. So we've finally figured that out, and after years of getting it wrong and creating slums, the state government's gone, 'hang on a minute, we can rethink this and do this better'."
Vote Outcome and Council Decision
The amendment proposed by Cr Stuart was put to a vote and defeated by a margin of 9 to 3, with only the three Greens councillors voting in favor. Following this, the original motion to send the council's draft submission to Homes NSW was approved with a vote of 11 to 1, with Cr Docker as the sole dissenter. This decision underscores the council's commitment to a mixed housing strategy while rejecting specific quotas for social housing in the Bellambi redevelopment project.
