Willoughby City Council has new affordable homes for key workers following completion of a development on the site of the former Channel 9 building in Willoughby.
Working in partnership with Evolve Housing, Willoughby is offering 13 brand new homes to key workers living and/or working in the local government area on low to medium incomes – including retail workers, nurses, school teachers, and emergency services staff – at 20% less than the median monthly rent. An additional 12 units on the same site will be available from August 2024, bringing the Council's total affordable housing portfolio to 62 units.
The new units were transferred to the Council upon completion as part of a planning agreement with Mirvac, the developer of the project. Willoughby's Affordable Housing Strategy underpins the agreement, recognising that affordable housing is an essential part of social infrastructure which increases economic productivity in the community.
The site was previously home to Channel 9, which for over 60 years broadcast some of Australia's best-known television shows including Bandstand, Wide World of Sport, A Current Affair and 60 Minutes from the site in Willoughby.
Willoughby City Council Mayor Tanya Taylor said:
"Essential workers are increasingly finding themselves at the sharp end of Sydney's housing crisis, with rising costs and lack of supply pricing them out of the market. Willoughby, like communities across New South Wales, relies on key workers and the services they provide, so the least we can do is use our available resources to try and make sure they have somewhere to live.
"We are committed to increasing overall housing supply in the area in line with state targets, and will continue seeking creative solutions to make as much of that housing as affordable as possible."
