Housing News Digest
Housing News Digest
The Tenants' Union Housing News Digest compiles our pick of items from all the latest tenancy and housing media, sent once per week, on Thursdays.
Below is the Digest archive from November 2020 onwards. From time to time you will find additional items in the archive that did not make it into the weekly Digest email. Earlier archives are here, where you can also find additional digests by other organisations.
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Archive
Genuine affordable pledge made by Council
Paul Bibby Echo (No paywall)Byron Shire Council has publicly pledged that the first block of land it is acquiring under its Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme (AHCS) will be used for genuinely affordable housing, and remain so in perpetuity rather than adhering to the state government’s much-maligned affordability criteria. The promise came during last week’s Council meeting, as councillors discussed a planning proposal for a low and medium-density housing development in Rankin Drive, Bangalow.
https://www.echo.net.au/2024/03/genuine-affordable-pledge-made-b…
# NSW, Rent.Michael Pascoe: Wanted – a government game to try this housing fix
Michael Pascoe The New Daily (No paywall)Another day (or week or month or whatever), another series of disheartening and depressing housing stories and statistics, all pointing to there being absolutely no end in sight to the crisis and no solution contemplated by any government. Oh, there are Band-Aids of one sort or another, some of them helpful for some people, but no government can even pretend their policy bibs and bobs will make a significant difference.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2024/03/06/michael-pascoe…
# Hot topic NSW, .Airbnb launches crackdown on low-quality listings
David Swan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Global holiday rental giant Airbnb has launched a crackdown on low-quality listings by removing more than 100,000 properties worldwide in a bid to clean up its platform and address what it says can sometimes be a below-par experience for guests. The company announced the measures on Tuesday alongside a new tool for Australian councils to track the number of Airbnb properties in local areas as state governments, including NSW, mull new levies on short-term stays to address an ongoing housing crisis.
https://www.smh.com.au/technology/airbnb-launches-crackdown-on-l…
# Hot topic NSW, .Entire inner west mapped for six-storey apartments
Max Maddison and Michael McGowan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A sensitive NSW government analysis of its signature housing reform proposals says the entire inner west local government area would be zoned to allow six-storey apartments, in a dramatic reshaping of some of Sydney’s most affluent neighbourhoods. But the same 12-page briefing document also reveals there is little chance the government’s push for increased density will help it reach the ambitious 378,000 National Housing Accord targets agreed to by Premier Chris Minns last year.
https://amp-smh-com-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.smh.com.au/pol…
# Hot topic NSW, .Warby St, Campbelltown: ‘Serious defects’ had to be addressed in new public housing complex
Inasha Iftekhar Daily Telegraph (Paywall)‘Serious defects’ were identified in a newly completed $22 million social housing apartment complex in Sydney’s southwest just months before residents were meant to move in.
The six-storey apartment complex located at 44 Warby St in Campbelltown contains 41 apartment units and 57 underground carparking spaces. Providing much needed housing for close to 100 residents, ranging from young families to people at risk of homelessness.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/macarthur/warby-st-c…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Security and safety.Understanding the layout of apartments in Sydney: are we meeting the needs of developers rather than residents?
Hazel Easthope & Philip Oldfield Taylor & Francis (Paywall)In Australia’s major cities the new apartment approvals and number of apartment residents has increased over recent years. However, there remain concerns regarding the poor design quality of apartments and the living experiences of families with children. This paper examines the floor plan of 368 apartments in Sydney, including floor areas and number of bedrooms.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00049182.2024.23216…
# Hot topic NSW, .Taking on LA's Housing Crisis, Corporate Landlords & Homelessness With Nithya Raman
Lovett or Leave It (No paywall)VIDEO: Nithya Raman joins Lovett or Leave It to chat with Jon about Los Angeles' housing crisis, homelessness in her district and dealing with corporate landlords spending millions to unseat her.
# Video International, .How the housing crisis is impacting culture in Manchester
Hugh Morris Dazed (No paywall)In January 2024, the University of Manchester opened a light installation on its campus. “I’m meant to be here,” a line from a poem commissioned by the university in its bicentennial year, was placed in purple neon letters on a bridge linking two campus buildings. To students traipsing along the Oxford Road corridor, it’s a small act of positive reinforcement for one of the biggest, most international university communities in the country. But to others, it might seem vaguely threatening. “I’m meant to be here,” the neon sign implies, as it looks towards the increasingly studentified neighbourhood of Hulme. “And you’re not.”
https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/62029/1/manche…
# Hot topic International, .