North Sydney Council has partnered with community housing provider Link Wentworth on new affordable housing at 287 Miller Street, Cammeray, which begins development today.
The project will see 12 new studio units added to the North Sydney local government area’s affordable housing stock.
North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker said the project is an important milestone in Council’s ongoing work to provide more affordable housing in the area.
Cr Baker said: “North Sydney Council is proud to be partnering with Link Wentworth on the redevelopment of this site into high-quality affordable accommodation. The cost of housing in the North Sydney local government area is at an all-time high – which is why projects like this are so important.”
Cr Baker attended the sod turning ceremony this morning, alongside Cr Shannon Welch, representing the Minister for Housing and Homelessness The Hon Rose Jackson, and Link Wentworth CEO Andrew McAnulty.
As well as the 12 units, the four-storey boarding house will include a communal living and lounge room, shared laundry facilities, and outdoor open space. It is being built on the site of a former five-room boarding house – more than doubling the capacity of the site. All previous residents have been moved to other suitable accommodation.
In 1984, Council started a program that aimed to protect existing affordable housing and replace stock that had been lost. Yet, as Cr Baker commented at the sod turning, at least 2,000 boarding house rooms have been lost since the program began.
“North Sydney Council was, and continues to be, a pioneer of affordable housing in local government in New South Wales,” Cr Baker said. “However, Council alone does not have the resources to replace the affordable housing we have lost over the years, let alone meet the growing need. A concerted approach involving all levels of government and the private sector is the only way we can address the current housing crisis.”
The North Sydney local government area is socio-economically diverse, with significant numbers of residents in the lowest socio-economic bands in the country, and more and more households putting more than 30% of household income towards rent or mortgage payments. Three quarters of rent-paying households were paying high rents in the 2021 Census, compared with just over half for Greater Sydney.
Cr Baker said that North Sydney Council will continue to work on and advocate for more diverse and affordable homes.
“The partnership with Link Wentworth on this development is an important step in the right direction – ensuring provision for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.”
