THE Hobart City Council has refused a St Vincent de Paul social housing project that would have provided 38 much needed accommodation for women over the age of 50 at risk of homelessness.
The Council voted five to four against the five-storey building at 210-218 Argyle Street in North Hobart, which would have the studio apartments spread across four levels, and feature shared indoor and outdoor spaces and a vegetable garden.
The $16.7 million development was borne from a partnership between St Vincent de Paul Tasmania and Amelie Housing and would have been built above the current Vinnies op shop. The federal government supported the project with $13 million in funds.
Lord Mayor of Hobart Anna Reynolds, who voted in favour of the proposal, slammed the Council on ABC radio.
“I think it’s one of the poorest decisions from Council in the time I’ve been on it,” she said.
She said she hoped St Vincent de Paul would appeal the decision.
The development breached the Council’s height limits for the area by 3.87 metres.
There were 43 objections to the project submitted to the Council. Two submissions supported it.
However, the Council’s own planning officers recommended it for approval, with conditions.
“Hobart City Council’s decision makes clear the need for the Tasmanian Government’s independent, expert Development Assessment Panels, with legislation to be progressed this year,” said Tasmanian Minister for Housing and Planning, Felix Ellis.
The Tasmanian government proposed legislation last year that would see some planning decisions bypass local council and instead be made by an independent panel.
“We are planning for Tasmania’s future, and we are planning for growth, this legislation will be the next step in our long-term plan to achieve this.
“The new legislation will give the community and developers the confidence that they need in our planning system, so they can invest with certainty, and we can continue to meet the needs of our growing population.”
Ellis said the refusal “also jeopardises crucial Housing Affordability Future Fund investment from Canberra”. The $10 billion government fund will seek to deliver 20,000 social homes and 10,000 affordable homes nationally over the five years from this coming July.
The Albanese government has already delivered $50 million to Tasmania through the Social Housing Accelerator program, which will help build more than 110 new social homes across the state. Last month, Glenorchy City Council approved a new development to deliver 15 homes in the northern Hobart suburb of Berriedale. The $9.2 million project includes more than $7 million in funding from Social Housing Accelerator.
Partnerships between the federal and Tasmania governments will in all see a minimum of 1,200 homes delivered in the state through Housing Australia.
