Brisbane Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner, has called for the Queensland Government to commit 30 per cent of an inner-city Olympics precinct development to be affordable housing.
Mayor Schrinner has urged the State Government to set aside 600 housing units, from the 2000 apartments to be built over the Cross River Rail station at Woolloongabba, to provide affordable housing for essential workers.
The Brisbane Times reported that Mayor Schrinner said, with property prices increasing and rental properties hard to find, it was clear that the government needed to find ways to provide more social and affordable housing.
“My proposal will deliver about 600 social and affordable apartments just 2km from the Brisbane CBD, on a site that will have both a train and bus station as well as a dedicated Brisbane Metro station just a short distance away,” Mayor Schrinner said.
“Currently, the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority is proposing to allow only 15 per cent of the the estimated 2,000 apartments to be built on this site to be social and affordable – and even that’s not guaranteed.
“Given the average house in the Gabba is now more than $1 million, reserving affordable housing for essential workers like nurses and teachers who may work nearby should be considered.”
The Woolloongabba priority development area was expanded in late 2021 from 10ha hectares to 21ha, encompassing the Gabba and an area east of Main Street as part of the 2032 Olympic Games redevelopment.
The ABC reported that Gabba ward and Greens Councillor, Jonathan Sri, said while he commended the Mayor’s stance on increasing social or affordable housing, 30 per cent did not go far enough.
“Remember, currently, the social housing waiting list in Queensland is 50,000 people, so when we’ve got inner-city, publicly owned land that’s ready to be redeveloped, we shouldn’t be selling off 70 per cent of that to the private sector,” Cr Sri said.
“What the Mayor is calling for certainly seems better than what the State Government has initially put on the table … but what the Mayor is calling for doesn’t go anywhere near far enough.”
The Urban Developer reported a Queensland Government spokesperson had confirmed that the government had committed to turning 50 per cent of the new Gabba precinct into open space.
“We’ve also made it a requirement that a minimum of 15 per cent of residences be high quality social or affordable housing,” the spokesperson said.
“Investigations into the appropriate supply of social or affordable housing will be undertaken over the next ten months as part of the detailed planning for the precinct;including consideration of public realm, stadium redevelopment and transport connections.”
