Council justifies non-compliant unit approval because of housing supply shortage in Toowoomba

Despite extensive conflict with the planning scheme, including its location, design, and layout, Toowoomba Regional Council decided to approve this set of units because of a ‘housing supply shortage’.

Toowoomba City Hall. TRC. Picture: Bev Lacey

Toowoomba Regional Council has used effects of the coronavirus pandemic as justification to clear the way for a suburban unit development despite its extensive planning scheme conflicts.

The council’s head of planning, Stewart Somers, wrote “the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a housing supply shortage causing mortgage and rental stress for residents of the local government area” in granting a two-year extension to a development approval for a set of three units at 61 Sardon Street in Centenary Heights.

“Extending the currency period of the development approval will assist in alleviating the housing supply shortage,” Mr Somers wrote.

While the development was originally approved in 2017, planning requirements for medium density developments changed in 2019 after a four-year review process.

The development’s conflicts with the planning scheme include its location, design, layout and provision of on-site parking.

It is also inconsistent with other homes in the street.

“Considering the above, it has been determined that the request to extend the currency period can be supported despite the conflict with the current provisions,” Mr Somers wrote.

A week after approving the development, Mr Somers was in a council committee meeting responding to a question about land supply from Mayor Paul Antonio.

“Certainly there is high demand for housing in the existing built area of Toowoomba,” he said. “There are ways and means of increasing the amount of housing within our existing urban areas through increased density (and) done carefully, it can be quite a good way of increasing housing in that area.”

The Chronicle asked the council if the 61 Sardon Street approval was a good example of increased density “done carefully” but did not receive an answer.

The council was also asked what kind of precedent the decision set and how many other development applications it had approved in the current financial year that conflicted extensively with the planning scheme but would “assist in alleviating the housing supply shortage”.

The council provided no answers to those questions.

Councillor Megan O’Hara Sullivan said the current demand for housing in Toowoomba could be met in part by medium density development in “appropriate areas in the city”.

“A recent extension to the proposed development at 61 Sardon Street … was allowed on the basis that it was an existing approval that had not been constructed in the four-year window allowed for in the previous planning legislation,” Ms O’Hara Sullivan said.

“A further two-year approval was provided, which, if built, will add to the rental stock available in the Toowoomba market.”

Community concerns in 2013 and 2014 about the delivery of medium density developments such as units, duplexes and hatchet lots led to the start of a review of the council’s planning scheme in 2015.

It found changes to the planning scheme were required to better represent the community’s wishes.