Nic Street says he is open to fresh ideas regarding Tasmania’s housing crisis

New housing minister Nic Street says he is open to any idea which will help the state boost the state’s supply of homes.

Housing Minister Nic Street with CEO of Housing Tasmania Eleri Morgan-Thomas at the new parcel of land at Huntingfield which is being developed into housing. Picture: Linda Higginson

New housing minister Nic Street says he is open to any idea which will help the state boost the state’s supply of homes.

On his fourth day on the job, Mr Street visited the site of a massive 470-lot housing development at Huntingfield to inspect the progress of works.

First flagged in 2019 and made available through an Emergency Housing Land Supply order the same year, the development has now been overseen by four ministers.

It is now one of the key developments to help the government deliver 10,000 more homes by 2032.

Housing Minister Nic Street looks at plans with CEO of Housing Tasmania Eleri Morgan-Thomas at the new parcel of land at Huntingfield which is being developed into housing. Picture: Linda Higginson

Mr Street said works were proceeding with a sense of urgency, but were not being rushed.

“We need more homes to hit the market and we needed to happen as quickly as possible, we need to happen in a controlled way as well to make sure that the subdivision is built to the highest standards.

“It’s not just about filling it with as many houses as possible. It’s about amenities for people as they’re getting in as well.

Mr Street said he understood that there was no “silver bullet” to fixing the housing crisis but he was open to blue-sky thinking.

“No idea is going to be dismissed,” he said.

Homes Tasmania CEO Eleri Morgan-Thomas said the Huntingfield site would contain a mix of block sizes and housing types as it grew into a community over the coming years.

Around 15 per cent of lots will be retained for social housing and up to 35 per cent made available for home ownership under Homes Tasmania’s MyHome shared equity program.

The remainder will be offered as open market sales with some lots retained for future MyHome opportunities. The first homes on the site aren’t far away, she said.

“The first ones will be sold at the end of this year,” she said. “So then people have to go pick the house, go through the development application process.

“I think we would say maybe in the next 18 months to two years.”

The delivery of 210 lots for Stage 1 is predicted to inject more than $100 million in economic activity into the local community and create more than 260 full-time jobs.

People interested in lots on the site can register their interest with Homes Tasmania.

Originally published as Nic Street says he is open to fresh ideas regarding Tasmania’s housing crisis