North Burnett Regional Council to tackle region’s housing struggles with action plan

A Queensland council has partnered with government bodies to create a housing action plan in the hopes of easing the impact of the state’s housing crisis.

The Action Plan hopes to identify ways to provide affordable and accessible construction and development opportunities to the North Burnett.

A Queensland council has voted to endorse a Local Housing Action Plan in the hopes of bringing sustainable housing to the community.

While regional Queensland may remain one of the more affordable real estate markets in the state, it’s no secret even the North Burnett continues to struggle through finding and affording housing.

This week North Burnett Regional Council voted to endorse a Local Housing Action Plan in the hopes of bringing sustainable housing to the community.

The plan, which was endorsed in a general meeting on Wednesday, November 22, will be a “living document” ready to change and shift with the needs of residents while informing state government policies down the line.

At this stage the action plan has been endorsed for community consultation only.

The plan will centre around land availability for home construction, encouraging local investment, considering options to increase rental supply and minimising barriers to future development.

Speaking on the consultation process behind the action plan the general meeting agenda said: “the draft plan has undergone considerable internal consultation to date”, with feedback sought from councillors, senior leaderships and development teams and the Local Government Association of Queensland.

A draft of the action plan also identifies the need to provide short term accommodation in areas dependent on temporary agricultural workforces and the need to house workers for perspective projects including renewable energy initiatives.

“Ensuring the region can adequately accommodate the housing needs of its industries is a top priority,” the document said.

The council hopes to provide short term accommodation and cheaper rental opportunities to the community.
Picture: NCA NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

Through providing accessible housing opportunities, the NBRC is also hoping to stile or even reverse the steady decline in population the region has experienced in recent years.

According to the action plan, a key contribution to the lack of rentals in the region is the fact “the North Burnett Region had a significantly higher proportion of residents who occupied and owned their dwellings outright (45.6 per cent) compared to Queensland (29.1 per cent).

While renting in the region remains more affordable (median weekly rent for a four-bedroom house is $300) than the state average ($595), the typical sale price for homes has risen by $100,000 between 2020 and 2022.

Coupled with the lack of a population centre within the region, this has resulted in just 10 new dwellings being built in the North Burnett between 2011 and 2021.

“This is likely due to the limited availability of local builders and trade providers, with landowners that do chose to build often looking to engage builders outside of the region,” the Action Plan said.

“This often comes at a considerable premium.”

By improving short term accommodation, seeking funds to reigniting access to historical lots, encouraging medium density development such as duplexes, supporting state social housing projects, investigating initiatives to increase rental availability and improving infrastructure opportunities the council hopes to make the region a more attractive and accessible place to live.