Griffith City Council held a community consultation session earlier this year to help identify priorities for future housing in Griffith. Photo: Griffith City Council.
Griffith’s housing profile of mostly large, detached dwellings and few apartments is out of step with what the population needs, according to a Griffith Council strategy paper that has been put out for public exhibition.
The draft Griffith Housing Strategy canvasses ideas to tackle what’s been the town’s biggest problem for the past decade.
“[There is] a growing mismatch between the homes available and the needs of the changing population. Many smaller households, older residents, and younger people looking to buy their first home are struggling to find options beyond large, detached houses,” the paper states.
“This lack of housing diversity is reducing affordability, leading to underused homes, and limiting opportunities for people to downsize or age in place.
“A broader mix of housing types, including accessible homes for older residents and compact dwellings for small households, is essential to ensure people can remain in the community as their needs change.”
The average house price in Griffith (May) is $580,000, a 55 per cent increase over the past five years. This means that an increasing proportion of the population is forced to rent and will never be able to afford to buy.
However, the average rental price has also skyrocketed to $485 a week and vacancies are at less than 1 per cent, creating growing homelessness, a problem unlikely to ease soon.
The strategy paper says that Griffith’s population of 27,000 is expected to rise by 34,500 residents by 2046, by which time the town will need 2725 more homes (or 118 extra dwellings per year).
“Griffith, like much of regional NSW, is currently facing a housing crisis. The demand for affordable housing, diverse housing options, and more accessible rental opportunities within the local government area (LGA) is at an all-time high,” the strategy paper states.
“This constrained housing supply is creating widespread ripple effects, affecting key economic factors such as workforce recruitment and retention while intensifying mortgage and rental stress for already struggling households.”
At its most recent ordinary meeting all councillors agreed that the draft Griffith Housing Strategy 2025 be placed on public exhibition for 28 days.
It was agreed that should no submissions be received, the draft Griffith Housing Strategy 2025 would be adopted. If submissions are received, the draft is to be reported back to council detailing the submissions.
“When this document is adopted by the council after the public consultation process, we can then go and further lobby with the NSW and Federal government to support us in getting extra houses on the ground,” Griffith council general manager Brett Stonestreet told the meeting.
To address these challenges, the Griffith Housing Strategy 2025 outlines four priorities: increasing housing supply and affordability; expanding housing choices to meet diverse needs; supporting housing for workers and economic growth; and encouraging well-located, well-designed locally appropriate housing.
A copy of the draft housing strategy can be found on the Griffith Council website.
