Land bid to help bolster state’s affordable housing stock

Parcels of Crown land are set to be rezoned for affordable housing as the Government takes its first set of Housing Land Supply Orders to parliament.

Housing Minister Roger Jaensch. Picture: DAVID KILLICK

PARCELS of Crown land in Devonport, West Moonah and Rokeby are set to be rezoned for affordable housing as the Government takes its first set of Housing Land Supply Orders to parliament.

The land involved, a total of 4.31ha, has the potential to deliver between 40 and 50 subdivision lots on which many more dwellings can be built.

The half a hectare parcel in Moonah is in Ashbourne Grove at the northern end of the Springfield Gardens Primary campus.

In Devonport, it is the former Devonport Bowls Club allotment and in Rokeby the 2.8ha plot to be rezoned is in Burtonia St. Both are owned by Housing Tasmania.

In July, the Government’s Housing Land Supply Bill 2018 — a reaction to the Housing Summit called as Hobart and Tasmania’s crisis peaked — was passed in the House of Assembly.

Housing Minister Roger Jaensch said rezoning the land identified in the first orders will be fast-tracked to allow a mix of social and affordable housing options.

“Once rezoning has been completed, Housing Tasmania will get to work on subdividing the land and any necessary development applications to make the land ready for more homes to be built,” Mr Jaensch said.

The orders must sit in parliament for five sitting days then the minister will direct the Tasmanian Planning Commission to amend the respective planning scheme to reflect the order.

The TPC then has 14 days to undertake the amendments and the rezoning is finalised by Gazettal.

“This is significantly faster than the standard rezoning process which can take up to nine months,” Mr Jaensch said.