12 different council projects to share in $10m for new homes, short-stay accommodation in regional SA

About 400 new homes and short-stay accommodation for regional workers will be built in six key areas under a project to help councils develop land for housing.

More than 400 new homes and short-stay accommodation units would be built across regional SA under a $10m strategic housing project.

The state government will invest in 12 different council-led housing projects to create development-ready land, houses or short-stay accommodation for key workers.

From 30 different submissions by regional councils, developers and housing providers, Housing Minister Nick Champion narrowed it down to a dozen residential projects he said would benefit from targeted government funds to get started.

Five home or accommodation projects are likely to be built on the Eyre Peninsula, with two in the Mid-North and Yorke Peninsula, and two in the Far North.

Two more would be built on the Limestone Coast and one in the Riverland.

All are subject to final sign-off but site details are so far limited.

If all the recommended projects end up being built, the regions would see 229 new residential allotments, 87 new homes and 90 short-stay rooms.

The short-stay rooms would allow workers to come in and out of the regions for employment and alleviate the accommodation shortages often faced in country towns, Mr Champion said

The plan was inspired by Tatiara Council, which had bought land for about 60 homes but needed to sell the first 15 to get the development started, he told the ABC.

“They came to government, and said ‘can you help us out?’ We bought five allotments in order to get the project underway. So, what we wanted local government to do on a broader scale was to replicate that model.

“That’s basically the path we’ve gone down – councils looking for land that they can develop, looking for homes that they can build, looking for short stay accommodation, and the state government acting as a partner with providing a little bit of money to a lot of projects to get them all going.

“We’ve gone out there with $10m and said to local government, we want to partner with you in projects that bring forward housing.

“Obviously, the regions are suffering from a pretty big housing crisis, both land available for people to build houses and own houses and also rental. And so we put $10m on the table and we’re really happy with the outcome.”

Originally published as 12 different council projects to share in $10m for new homes, short-stay accommodation in regional SA