EMPTY blocks in Glenroi were offered as one of the solutions to the lack of affordable housing in Orange, as stakeholders grappled with the challenge at a forum on Monday night.
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Orange City Council hosted the forum featuring a panel of community housing providers, charities, the private building sector and Premise, which is completing a housing strategy for the council.
Those attending the forum heard Orange catered well for those of medium to high incomes but not for people with low incomes.
NSW Department of Communities and Justice director Kim Campbell said the number of people couch surfing could be in the hundreds, while a survey at 5am last winter revealed five people sleeping rough in the CBD with another audit to come in February.
"In Orange, we're really good at building four-bedroom, two bathroom beautiful homes, but if you're an elderly person, if you're a young person just left home, that's not something you want or can access," she said.
She said there were 900 tenancies in Orange, with hundreds more on the waiting list.
Meanwhile, Housing Plus manages 300 social houses and is trying to establish another 60.
There's 50-80 vacant blocks in Glenroi and Bowen, where homes have been burnt down over the years and the department's policy is not to replace those houses.
- Councillor Russell Turner
Premise consultant Dave Walker said 30 per cent of renters were under housing stress, spending more than 30 per cent of their gross income.
"The population is growing, it is ageing and we're seeing an increase in the demand for... lone-person households and couple households," he said.
He said the proportion had grown from 53 per cent in 2011 to up to 58 per cent in 2016 and it was expected those number would grow.
Developer Dave Fenton said developers were pushed out of affordable housing, with a $195,000 starting price for a 700 square metre block in Shiralee.
He said council contributions were $35,000 per lot and the standard required at Shiralee meant engineering costs had risen from $22,000, up to $45,000.
"It's costing us $154,000 to build a 700 square metre block," he said.
Mr Fenton said developers had to build in a 20 per cent profit or they could not access finance due to the level of risk.
He said in 12 months, there had been no uptake on 200-400 square metre blocks in Shiralee.
Builder Mick Banks said although single and two-bedroom homes were smaller, they were expensive to build compared to four-bedroom housing because they still needed the same amenities.
"A one-bedroom house has probably got a $1200 hot water system - a four-bedroom house has the same hot water system," he said.
Mr Walker said the council could require a portion of lots be set aside for affordable housing or take a financial contribution to build housing.
Councillor Russell Turner suggested a partnership with the state government in Glenroi to source lots at low cost and "put some new life and pride back into those areas".
"There's 50-80 vacant blocks in Glenroi and Bowen, where homes have been burnt down over the years and the department's policy is not to replace those houses," he said.
"What do we do with those vacant blocks?"
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