The NSW Government today announced a plan to transform a former TAFE site in the south coast town of Bega into a new 97-dwelling diverse housing project – with 30% of the build assigned to social and affordable housing.
A new Bega TAFE facility was opened in late 2021, meaning there will be no impact on tertiary education in the area as a consequence of this acquisition, NSW Premier, Chris Minns said today.
“We have a housing crisis in NSW and it is on all of us to work together to address the challenges,” the Premier said.
“Part of that challenge is the lack of supply. Today’s announcement is an important step towards unlocking supply to deliver housing relief in regional NSW.”
He said the move was part of the State Government’s plan to help ease the ongoing housing crisis by unlocking surplus government land that can be repurposed to create more housing supply across the state.
Subject to planning approval, almost 8ha of NSW Government-owned land at Barrack Street in Bega, already zoned for residential use will be redeveloped by NSW Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) to provide about 97 new social, affordable, and private homes.
The mixed tenure development proposes to deliver approximately eight affordable homes, 65 private homes and 24 social homes, including a 20-unit complex specifically designed for senior social housing residents.
Bega is currently experiencing a housing shortage, with the social housing priority waitlist increasing 56% in the 12 months to June 2023. The town also has one of the lowest rental vacancy rates in all of NSW at just 0.24%.
“The scale of the challenge to resolve the housing crisis across the state is massive so if there’s an opportunity to deliver more housing, especially social and affordable homes – we will take it,” said Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Rose Jackson.
“There are simply not enough houses for the people who live and work here. We welcome innovative solutions to deliver more housing and will continue to work across the board to find more opportunities just like this one.
“This development will also create a senior’s living complex, which will provide fit-for-purpose social housing for our ageing community. These modern homes will include well-located 1- and 2-bedroom units, will be easier to maintain and more economical to run,” Ms Jackson said.
