By Charlene Gatt
MARIBYRNONG City Council will call on the State Government to de-concentrate public housing across the municipality, with one in four Braybrook homes State Government owned and run.
Approximately seven per cent of Maribyrnong residents live in public housing, with the bulk of public housing in Braybrook and Maidstone.
The figures come from the draft Maribyrnong Housing Strategy, which will guide future housing development over the next two decades.
The council report notes that housing affordability was an increasingly important issue for both tenants and aspiring home owners in the municipality.
Population projections forecast an extra 30,783 residents in Maribyrnong in the next 20 years, with nearly 16,000 new homes needed to meet the demand.
From this, it has been predicted that apartments will account for almost half of the housing demand.
Council officers will:
– Identify good examples of affordable housing in the municipality and publicise as case studies to the private, public and not-for-profit sector;
– Liaise with VicUrban and local housing providers to highlight substantial change activity centres and opportunity sites as appropriate locations for future affordable housing projects;
– Advocate the State Government to develop enforceable powers and controls for the council to set targets for affordable housing in key locations; and
– Advocate to the Office of Housing for the continued renewal of public housing in the municipality, including strategies to reduce concentration and incorporate public housing in other areas, particularly near activity centres.
“The City of Maribyrnong has one of the highest concentrations of social housing in Braybrook and Maidstone,” Mayor Sarah Carter said.
“The council will seek to advocate for a more even distribution of housing across the city. The strategy sets out the council’s role in social housing as an advocate with State Government and other housing providers.”
The draft Maribyrnong Housing Strategy is currently out for public consultation.
