Tweed Shire Council offers state $800,000 in land for Wardrop Village affordable housing project

The state would be offered land worth $800,000 if the affordable housing project was found to have no ongoing costs.

A view of the Wardrop Community Village site, looking south.

A project to create a village of tiny houses in the Wardrop Valley has been passed onto the state to create a business plan to decide its viability.

A report for the affordable eco-housing project was tabled at Thursday night’s Tweed Shire Council meeting, which indicated a number of government departments and affordable housing providers were interested in being involved with the project.

The concept was to develop an affordable rental living village on council-owned land on Wardrop Valley Rd, adjoining the Murwillumbah Industry Central Estate, about 5km to the southeast of the Murwillumbah town centre – at no expense to rate payers.

Councillor Ron Cooper, who has been the main driver of the project, asked other councillors to support asking the state to create a business case for the village.

“If the state refuses to fund the business case, I don’t think this goes ahead,” Mr Cooper said.

“I think we can quite safely say the coalition has not allowed this to go ahead.”

He said it was important to make the project as sustainable as possible, using things such as composting toilets and avoiding use of concrete.

“I want to make sure these things are fully explored, to make sure we finally can say this can’t be done,” he said.

“The bottom line has always been it must have no ongoing cost to rate payers.”

Councillor Pryce Allsop moved an amendment that the project be suspended until the council’s affordable housing strategy was finalised.

“We have a strategy as opposed to a utopian dream,” Mr Allsop said.

Concept design for Wardrop Village affordable living project.

Councillor Warren Polglase supported Mr Allsop’s amendment.

“I don’t think council wants to hang something around the State Government’s neck,” Mr Polglase said.

“We need to be smart on how we do business with any proponent.”

Councillor Katie Milne spoke against the amendment and said previous affordable housing strategies hadn’t amounted to anything.

“(The tiny house village is) one part of a bigger solution,” Ms Milne said.

“What we’re trying to seek is a business case, that will give you the cost-benefit analysis of the project.

“If it comes out 1:1 that’s the requirement from the State Government.

“I hope they can be a bit open minded and see this has got some really wonderful merits.”

The amendment was lost with councillors Allsop, Polglase and Owen voting in favour.

The motion was moved that the mayor write to the Minister for Housing, the Minister for Planning and the Minister for Energy and Environment, to request that the NSW Government fund the business case scope and estimated cost for the Wardrop village proposal … noting the council was willing to contribute $800,000 in land to the project.

The motion was won with Mayor Chris Cherry and councillors Milne, Byrne, Owen and Cooper in support.