KDL Property Group managing director Kent Leicester at his Rosebank development in Logan Reserve. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT
The Palaszczuk government is facing pressure to push through emergency powers that would fast track more new homes being built in areas facing chronic housing shortages.
But there are also calls to ensure that the housing stock being created is of desirable quality with residential lots not put in at the expense of open space or parkland.
Brisbane developer Kent Leicester of KDL Property Group – whose current residential projects include the $106m Avaline estate in Burpengary East and the $67m Rosebank estate in Logan Reserve – said the upcoming October 20 housing summit could be used to examine emergency powers around housing.
He said emergency planning measures would help boost housing supply “in a short amount of time” by allowing amendments to development approved projects.
“Having a housing summit is a great initiative and something they could consider is the temporary relaxation of planning laws around densities and product mix to deal with this housing supply emergency,” he said.
“For example, they could look at allowing an existing DA for a 100-lot residential housing development to be amended and expanded to perhaps 120 or 130 lots. The DA could also possibly be amended to allow for more diversification of the building product with the estate to feature villas, terrace homes or townhouses as well as stand-alone housing.”
“This of course would need to remain a high-quality offering and follow proper guidelines to ensure it remains desirable with appropriate amenities and streetscape.”
“A big advantage if this proposal was adopted is it could provide an immediate solution to provide more housing rather than a developer waiting nine to 12 months for a new DA to be approved.”
Real Estate Buyers Agents Association president Cate Bakos called for a long-term strategy to tackle the housing crisis, requiring intervention from both federal and state governments.
“I worry about high density development and developers seeking to increase profits from a site,” she said of the proposal to add more onto already approved sites.
But she added: “Each development needs to be considered on its own merit. There will be some situations where a higher density or higher count could work but if it means decreasing open green space or create a change to floorplans that’s less than desirable, they need to step cautiously.”
Ms Bakos said the “critical element here is recognising that provision of housing is shared by many segments of society and a large segment is regular mum and dad investors”.
“Applying rental reform and things disincentivising private investment is reducing total available stock and I think that’s quite dangerous. The rhetoric around greedy landlords and applying controls to property rented out is not the right way forward and driving property investors to other asset classes.”
“We need to focus on how to retain and attract investors so we have more property on the market and maintain a healthier supply and demand balance. While we have an imbalance that’s what’s causing price rises and ultimately hurting renters.”
She said the federal and state government could improve housing affordability by reforming tax policies which currently “distort demand for housing and act as major barriers to entry”.
“Offering stamp duty concessions, or completely waiving stamp duty on properties up to a certain value for a limited period of time, would be a direct way to increase the supply of rental properties whilst also encouraging more first home buyers to enter the market.”
Mr Leicester said more build-to-rent developments should be allowed in outer suburbs for house and land projects to meet a major shortfall for working families.
“We need to boost the workforce as we continue to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic and that means increasing skilled migration, but these people will need accommodation and that requires not just apartments but houses and townhouses, particularly in the outer suburbs of Brisbane and on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast”.
Ms Bakos said the issues facing Queensland for housing are not unique to the state – “they are happening all across Australia”.
“This is a worsening crisis that is affecting Australians who are already highly vulnerable. At the most basic level it starts with disadvantaged first home buyers pushing up the prices of the private rental market and forcing those on lower incomes into social housing and, in extreme cases, homelessness.” Source: realestate.com.au
