CHAIR – Minister, in 2022, the 30‑year Greater Hobart Plan released in collaboration between Hobart, Clarence, Glenorchy, and Kingborough councils asserted that there was enough urban land available to house 60,000 more people in those municipalities and that there was no need to extend the urban growth boundary to do so. What are you doing to try to get that housing? Mainly, I’m looking at residential solutions. What are you doing to enable that?
Mr VINCENT – For the short time I’ve been in the role, I can say that it hasn’t been on the radar. Now we have the TPPs coming in and the land use strategy, the conversations will change to be able to maximise the available land for development as quickly as possible.
CHAIR – We see an example recently, the K&D block in Hobart has been sold by the university for the same amount they bought it for to an anonymous developer, and there are feelings that that may not be for housing, it might be for a commercial use that may not really be acceptable. What do you – how do you facilitate more social – or, housing in inner‑city Hobart?
Mr VINCENT – I’ll hand to the secretary, but there is a fair bit of conversation going on behind the scenes about the commercial viability of a site such as that to have the commercial and residential blend to make it commercially viable for a developer. Secretary, do you have some more information on that?
Mr LIMKIN – Thank you, minister and through you, and I will throw to Mr Reid in a second as well. In relation to the K&D site specifically, I have had conversations with the university about how we work together with that developer. Every indication that I have received is from the university, I have not yet had a conversation with the developer, that opportunity will come shortly, but every indication I’ve had from the university is that the developer is open to working with the state and local governments, and looking at including social affordability housing on the site. It is something that I intend to pick up with them directly. In addition, we are having conversations with council about what we can do to support infill growth. So, what mechanisms could council do, could state government do, to support the private sector to develop it – to remove barriers, remove red tapes.
Also, as you would appreciate, there’s been an increase in cost of supply. Escalation has gone up quite significantly over the last four years, so what are the levers that we all have to do that? I have not had the chance yet to meet with the new Director‑General in Treasury, Ben Miller, is accountable for, you know, housing at the Commonwealth level. We’re arranging that conversation in early next year but he’s also keen to have a face‑to‑face conversation about what leverage federal government can use, particularly in relation to the apartments and medium‑density housing inbuild and that’s a planning conversation as well. Anthony, is there anything you want to add?
Mr REID – Through you, minister. Probably just that note you mentioned on the residential standards review work. That’s a really good focal point for how we can update the planning system and the SPPs in particular to facilitate development. I think it’s important to also note that – and, certainly the conversations I’ve been having at a national level with colleagues in the state is that Planning has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting over the last period in terms of residential housing supply and it by itself is not going to be the silver bullet that will solve all the housing shortage issues we’re seeing not only here, but also nationally. Planning reform needs to be well thought out with other initiatives to facilitate that type of development.
