Affordable Housing Strategy

Desal accommodation update

14 January 2010


Bass Coast Shire Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Allan Bawden, said Council had initiated the Accord to ensure the arrival of the desal workforce did not have a negative impact on the local rental market.


Bass Coast Shire Council has adopted an Affordable Housing Strategy for the municipality – one of the first to be prepared within Australia.


The Strategy aims to ensure the municipality’s affordable housing needs are met now and into the future.


Council wants to ensure there will always be accessible, available, appropriate and affordable housing in the Shire, particularly if we are to encourage young families to remain in our communities and enter into home ownership.


The plan was developed with a great deal of consultation with the general community, a community reference group, housing providers, real estate agents and developers.


The demand for more affordable housing has significantly increased over the past five years. This increase is primarily due to the Shire’s rapid population growth and rise in median house prices.




Interesting Facts

 Social housing in Bass Coast is limited and primarily focussed towards the elderly.


 Non-conventional forms of housing for single adults, such as rooming houses, private hotels and special residential services currently do not exist in Bass Coast Shire.





Key Challenges and Issues that have not been met.


The Strategy addresses the following key challenges and issues:


 Ensuring growth in and demand for holiday homes and retirement housing does not decrease access to affordable housing;


 Continuing to provide affordable housing to a diverse range of groups;


 Ensuring the provision of affordable, adequate and appropriate housing;


 Increasing the availability of social houses for low income householders;


 Developing a range of housing types to meet the needs of emerging demographics (i.e. older single people and single-parent families);


 Ensuring the tourist industry does not have a negative impact on permanent residents seeking affordable housing; and


 Promoting housing affordability through Council planning strategies.