Lord mayoral hopeful Anthony Koutoufides pledges rate relief incentive to boost housing

Anthony Koutoufides has unveiled the housing policy he will roll out if elected lord mayor, committing to offering rate relief as part of a plan to unlock affordable housing.

Lord mayoral candidate Anthony Koutoufides has unveiled his housing policy. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Lord mayoral hopeful Anthony Koutoufides has vowed to deliver rate and planning fee relief for any office building conversion that unlocks affordable housing for “key workers”, if elected later this month.

The Carlton great, who will on Friday unveil his housing policy, said he did not support the council’s sale of a car park on Little Collins St, pledging to move to take it off the market if he becomes lord mayor.

He said he would look at other uses for the site, including the building of housing on top while retaining the car park below.

But Koutoufides has thrown his support behind the City of Melbourne’s plan to convert car parks in North Melbourne and West Melbourne into social and affordable housing.

Lord mayoral candidate Anthony Koutoufides and Major Brendan Nottle at the Little Collins St car park. Picture: Wayne Taylor

He said his team was committed to providing rate and planning fee relief alongside planning scheme reform and a streamlined planning approval process.

“There are over 80 vacant or semi-vacant office buildings which may be suitable for conversion to key worker and general affordable housing and if only half these buildings can be converted, we can unlock up to 10,000 dwellings,” he said.

Koutoufides said conversion was a more sustainable and faster housing solution than demolishing existing buildings and rebuilding.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece last month announced a similar policy, promising to slash rates for successful office-to-apartment conversions, while also refunding any planning permit and building permit application fees.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece and his running mate Roshena Campbell last month promised to slash rates for successful office-to-apartment conversions. Picture: Supplied

Koutoufides has also pledged to partner with community housing providers, health service providers, government and the private sector to develop “crisis housing” for rough sleepers.

The City of Melbourne is about to launch its Make Room project, under which a council-owned building on Bourke St was converted into specialist supportive housing for up to 50 rough sleepers.

Koutoufides’s team said its plan was similar, but more comprehensive.

“Melbourne still has nearly 150 people rough sleeping on our streets and these people deserve a dignified, safe, supported and secure crisis housing solution,” he said.

“Sleeping and living under bridges, in shopfronts and on the footpath is none of the above.”

Major Brendan Nottle from the Salvation Army, who has met with Koutoufides, encouraged other candidates running for lord mayor to speak with his organisation, saying that he “invites policies that will help benefit the most vulnerable in the community”.

“We often see people affected by multiple issues such as homelessness, mental health issues and social isolation, so if we are genuinely serious about helping it is time to invite new thinking instead of applying old thinking to an age old issue,” he said.

Arron Wood and his running mate Erin Deering. Picture: Kit Edwards

The City of Melbourne will soon start its search for a community housing provider to build affordable housing at the site of a car park on Victoria St, West Melbourne, before considering a similar development on Curzon St, North Melbourne.

Fellow lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood last week announced his $3m plan to take rough sleepers off the streets and put them up in hotel rooms as a circuit-breaker.

There is no set limit on how long a rough sleeper would have a room secured, but Mr Wood’s team said there would be a strong focus on securing appropriate housing as fast as possible.

Koutoufides’s team said it was not interested in putting rough sleepers in hotel rooms, saying it was “not the answer”.

Ballot packs have now been mailed to voters, with the polls to close on October 25.

Originally published as Lord mayoral hopeful Anthony Koutoufides pledges rate relief incentive to boost housing