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The City of Whittlesea has a strong commitment to supporting delivery of new social and affordable dwellings to meet a significant need for affordable housing in the local community. This is reflected in Council’s strategic plans, local planning policy and actions to actively facilitate affordable housing outcomes in new developments.
As part of significant urban renewal development in Epping, Council negotiated the provision of 15 per cent of all housing as social and affordable dwellings. This outcome was formalised through a voluntary agreement between the landowner and Council.
The City of Whittlesea, in its role as the planning authority, has been working collaboratively with landowner and developer Riverlee Caruso Epping Pty Ltd and other stakeholders since 2016 to rehabilitate and transform a 51-hectare former quarry and landfill site into a modern and sustainable new neighbourhood. The neighbourhood will include residential and commercial opportunities, a health, wellness and knowledge precinct, and community facilities all connected by a linear conservation area running through the centre of the site.
Stage 1 of the New Epping development delivered 151 new high quality social and affordable homes in partnership between the landowner and Haven Home Safe, part-funded through the Victorian Government’s Social Housing Growth Fund.
The project incorporates 15 per cent of all dwellings across the site for social and affordable housing through a voluntary agreement approved as part of the initial stage of development.
The Planning and Environment Act 1987 and State Planning Policy include objectives seeking to deliver more affordable homes close to jobs, services and transport. However, the planning controls are largely limited to negotiating voluntary agreements for the provision of social and affordable housing as part of the planning scheme amendment process for rezoning of land or planning permit applications for large residential developments.
The negotiation process is often lengthy and complex, with limited examples of developments actually delivering affordable dwellings and generally for significantly fewer numbers.
In this circumstance, Council not only negotiated the delivery of 15 per cent affordable homes, it was also able to facilitate the delivery of 151 social and affordable dwellings as part of the Stage 1 development. Planning approval of the Stage 1 works, incorporating the social and affordable housing development and new Northern Private Hospital, were fast-tracked via a Planning Scheme Amendment supported by Council and approved by the Minister for Planning.
Funding for the housing included a contribution through the Victorian Government’s Social Housing Growth Fund, which supports partnerships between the government, community housing groups, private, not-for-profit and local government sectors.
The development is an exemplar of a high-quality urban renewal project in an outer suburban/growth area context that delivers a significant amount of social and affordable housing early in the development’s staging.
It is estimated that there is an unmet need for affordable housing in the City of Whittlesea of around 4,409 households. These are very low, low- and moderate-income households that are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on rent.
As such the City of Whittlesea is committed to facilitating new affordable housing in appropriate locations in both established and growth areas.
The New Epping development has been planned as a ‘20-minute neighbourhood’, where daily needs are intended to be within a 20-minute return walk from home for each resident, with access to safe and efficient transport options. The scale and density of development is significantly higher than typical growth area developments to provide for a more sustainable and vibrant urban environment for residents to enjoy.
The 151 homes are delivered in three buildings up to seven storeys in height. The design of the housing facilitates community connections through the provision of shared spaces for residents to come together. Modern architectural form combined with high quality built form outcomes, and an activated streetscape achieved through the provision of a café at street level supports key urban design and planning principals aimed at enhancing the liveability of local communities. This will ensure seamless integration into the future neighbourhood.
Ensuring that future communities are planned and designed as ‘20-minute neighbourhoods’ and incorporating more opportunities for social and affordable housing in proximity to services and facilities will contribute to a broad range of social, economic and environmental benefits.
The dwellings are contained within three multi-storey apartment buildings and deliver a diverse and inclusive housing mix. They comprise 78 one-bedroom apartments and 73 two-bedroom apartments, with four of the apartments Gold Plus-rated for people with mobility impairment.
The homes are spacious and low maintenance. Design features achieve an average eight-star NATHERS energy rating through use of electric-only appliances, double glazing and rainwater collection and reuse. Rooftop solar panels also lower residents’ ongoing energy costs, which can be a significant burden for people on low incomes.
With Haven Home Safe engaged early in the project, the building design has focused on creating connections between residents and empowering them to thrive in their new neighbourhood. The development features a shared podium level with outdoor recreation spaces, including a barbecue area, edible garden and shaded outdoor areas to encourage residents to gather and build community.
Residents were welcomed to the new social and affordable homes in early 2023, with the dwellings being the first buildings to be fully constructed on the site. Many of the residents in the Stage 1 dwellings have ties to the area, such as families with children in local schools and key workers who have struggled to afford private rental accommodation. The Stage 1 homes are close to services, hospitals, shops, green spaces and jobs, supporting residents to live and work in the local area consistent with the principles of a 20-minute neighbourhood.
It is clear there is an unmet demand for affordable housing for people on very low, low and moderate incomes. This project demonstrates the importance of planning for the inclusion of affordable housing for targeted groups early in the project’s delivery to ensure that such housing is located close to services and facilities to support people who otherwise may not be able to afford to live in these areas. It also recognises the need to design local neighbourhoods to ensure that all residents have the capacity to access their daily needs, including employment options close to where they live.
The project also serves as example of Council’s capacity and capability to work in collaboration with other government agencies, landowners, developers and other key stakeholders to deliver significant social benefits early in the delivery of new communities.
The development demonstrates how the design of buildings and good neighbourhood planning can support social inclusion and cohesion. Building high-quality homes and public places that deliver shared spaces for people to meet provides residents with a greater sense of security and instils a sense of pride in where they live. It fosters relationships and connections and helps to deliver a thriving local community.
The development also provides a rare example of delivering a high density, sustainable, mixed-use urban renewal development within a growth area context that provides a case study and benchmark for other precincts.
