Providing a framework to ensure the Tamworth region will have well-designed housing to meet the needs of a diverse and growing community and provide a wide range of lifestyle and affordability options is the aim of the draft Tamworth Regional Housing Strategy.
Councillors will consider the strategy at next Tuesday night's Ordinary Meeting where they are expected to approve its public exhibition to give the local community the chance to have their say.
Tamworth Region Mayor Russell Webb said the local region is not immune to the housing challenges being experienced throughout NSW and across Australia and the draft strategy includes measures designed to ease some of those pain points.
"Availability of a range of different housing types which is also affordable is essential," he said. "Council has been working hard for our community to develop a plan to try and meet the needs of our growing community and especially those crying out for help.
"Affordability pressure is being felt more in large metropolitan centres but residents of our region are also feeling it."
Council's Director Liveable Communities Gina Vereker said the strategy sets a framework for housing to be delivered to meet the needs of the community now and in the future.
"It is not only focused on increasing supply of the types of housing most suited to our community's needs but also supporting diverse and creative housing solutions," she said.
The strategy has five key priorities and 29 proposed actions. The identified priorities are:
Provide for sustainable growth supported by infrastructure;
Increase diversity and choice in housing;
Improve housing affordability and reduce housing costs;
Facilitate liveable communities; and
Promote rural communities.
The strategy has been developed with the benefit of wide-ranging consultation with presentations to the Tamworth Economic Forum Breakfast, a Developers Forum; a briefing to the Tamworth City Centre Working group, workshops with Council staff and Councillors and direct consultation with the local real estate industry and an online community survey which received 351 contributions.
Should Councillors approve placing the draft strategy on exhibition, community feedback will be received from Monday 3 June until Monday 1 July. All feedback will inform a report to Council in early August when Councillors will consider the formal adoption of the strategy.
The full report and the draft strategy are included in the business paper for Tuesday's meeting published on Council's website
