Bundaberg Regional Council has adopted a Housing Action Plan that has 26 recommendations to address homelessness and housing shortages in the region.
The Bundaberg Local Housing Action Plan (BLHAP) was a joint initiative involving the Queensland Government, Council and the Local Government Association of Queensland to respond to a range of immediate, emerging, and longer-term housing challenges in the Bundaberg local government area.
Planning Committee Chair Mayor Helen Blackburn said the adoption of the plan was a major milestone that she hoped would soon result in tangible benefits for the community.
“The Bundaberg Region community – like so many others across the nation – has been impacted by housing shortages and cost of living concerns,” Mayor Blackburn said.
“Housing and homelessness may not be a Local Government issue but, as the closest level of government to residents, we are well placed to identify what it is our community needs.
“This plan will facilitate a coordinated approach where all levels of government, industry and community organisations and members work together which is essential to driving real change and positive outcomes for the Bundaberg Region.”
The Plan aims to:
1. develop agreed priority actions to respond to housing need in the Local Government area
2. establish strong foundations for longer-term housing responses to assist housing and homelessness outcomes in the Local Government Area into the future
3. incorporate existing information and plans that assist with developing responses to housing need and acknowledge work already completed by Council, state agencies, private and not-for-profit organisations
4. facilitate targeted interaction between all parties through agreed actions to ensure a focus on deliverables and projects that can improve housing responses in the short and longer-term.
Mayor Blackburn said there were eight key response opportunities proposed under the housing action plan which included reviewing the planning scheme and considering opportunities to enable new construction.
“The State Government released its Homes for Queenslanders plan earlier this year, which slightly delayed the delivery of the local plan as we worked to ensure they aligned,” Mayor Blackburn said.
“Homes for Queenslanders included funding to incentivise development that supports housing affordability.
“We’ll be advocating for the Bundaberg Region’s fair share of available funding as well as infrastructure reform and changes to Queensland’s infrastructure charging framework to make it more feasible to deliver development.”
The Bundaberg Local Housing Action Plan was delivered with funding support from the Queensland Government.
Read the full plan on Council’s website.
