While acknowledging a need for a range of housing in Canada Bay, Mayor McCaffrey said the State Environment Planning Policy (Affordable Housing) does not contain provisions that address the potential social and community impacts that concentrating a number of boarding houses in one location results in.
The Mayor is also concerned that boarding house rental rates are in excess of being affordable. “The legislation is completely silent on this issue and contains no controls that place a ceiling on rental rates in these developments. I am worried they are not providing affordable rental housing,” Mayor McCaffrey said. “The policy should be amended to allow Councils to impose rental caps on development consent.”
The Mayor’s comments follow the Council receiving seven development applications in Concord West and North Strathfield since 2014. Last month Council approved a second boarding house application for 22 rooms over two stories on 154 Wellbank Street, North Strathfield, despite a number of objections.
“The current legislation limits Council’s capacity to refuse development applications by providing standards, if complied with, that mean the development cannot be refused,” Mayor McCaffrey said.
Mayor McCaffrey is also calling for the City of Canada Bay Section 94 Contributions Plan to be amended to include self-contained boarding houses.
Currently boarding house applicants are charged a flat rate levy on the cost of works, rather than each individual dwelling, which generally is a higher fee that other development application types are charged.
These contributions are used by Council to provide open space, road networks and community facilities. “I am concerned that boarding houses are not contributing to essential social and community infrastructure,” Mayor McCaffrey said.
She said the legislation, which was developed with great intention to address housing affordabilty in Sydney, needs to be adjusted to reflect these growing concerns,”Mayor McCaffrey said.
City of Canada Bay has requested a meeting between Inner West, Strathfield and Burwood Councils to discuss boarding house developments approved by the Council or through the Land and Environment Court and the ongoing impacts.
The Council is encouraging the other councils to be co-signatories on a submission to the Minister for Planning, Anthony Roberts, seeking a review of the State Environment Planning Policy (Affordable Housing) legislation in an effort to address the impact on multiple boarding house developments within local communities.