Mornington Peninsula Shire council considering fast tracking of secondary dwellings
Mornington Peninsula residents could be given the green light to add tiny rentals to their properties.
South East
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A bid to slash red tape to allow homeowners to build and rent granny flats is being considered for the Mornington Peninsula.
The local council will on Tuesday vote on a request to investigate the introduction of small secondary dwellings including granny flats, container homes and tiny houses on residential blocks.
Currently only dependent persons units are allowed to be build and must be used by a single person such as a grandparent, teenage offspring or relative with a disability who is reliant on the residents in the main house.
Cr Susan Bissinger wants the council to “find a way to cut through the red tape” and allow granny flats, container homes or tiny houses to be added to peninsula properties and offered for rent.
“It could be a real solution to our current housing crisis,” Cr Bissinger said.
“Women over 55 represent the biggest demographic for our homeless and we also have a lot of older women living alone on large blocks.
“”Allowing secondary dwellings would provide housing for people desperate for somewhere to live and company for lonely people currently living alone.
“I really hope there’s an appetite for it.”
According to a council report there are no provisions within the Victorian Planning Scheme for secondary dwellings as the document does not include a land use definition for the category.
The State Government trialled a secondary dwelling code via a pilot program involving four councils in 2020/2021.
The program did not result in changes to the planning scheme.
Mornington Peninsula Shire was not involved in the trial. However, in a March 2021 submission to the state government the council expressed concerns about secondary dwellings being used for short stay accommodation.
“I’m sure we could include provisions that would prevent that happening,” Cr Bissinger said.
Her vision for the plan involved “everyday residents” being able to offer independent accommodation for about $150 a week.
“I’d love to see granny flats or garden studios with their own tiny garden,” she said.
“They’d also need to be independently connected to power, water and sewage.”
In December 2022 Surf Coast Shire resolved to support a two-year trial of tiny houses.
Under the trial, expected to start this year, people will be able to apply for a permit to temporarily live in tiny houses on wheels on private property.
The trial aims to allow further community consultation and provide better understanding of how tiny houses on wheels might help resolve a shortage of affordable housing and key worker accommodation.
Cr Bissinger’s proposal will be considered at a Mornington Peninsula Shire council meeting in Rosebud on Tuesday night.