FIVE KEY recommendations are hoped to drag the region out of housing crisis as a taskforce tries to tackle poor supply and skyrocketing prices.
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The Regional Housing Taskforce has released a report with recommendations and tangible actions the state government can take to address housing pressure in the bush.
Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) liveable communities director Gina Vereker said there has to be incentives for developers to build homes on smaller blocks.
"I hate to use the word crisis, but we have a significant housing shortage. We have a lot of vacant, serviced blocks so it's not the issue in other regions or Sydney where the government thought we were holding the land and not releasing the lots," she said.
"We have 3000 lots serviced, ready to go and approved - there are other things playing into it.
"It [the state government] needs to step up in some respects to make it easier for developers to have a go at that different housing market."
The taskforce has urged the state government to support measures to bring forward more 'development-ready' land; increase affordable and diverse housing stock and provide more certainty about where and what types of homes will be built.
It also recommended investigating planning levers to help deliver housing that meets short-term needs and improve monitoring of outcomes to better meet demand.
When it comes to making decisions about housing, the taskforce said there needs to be a change in mindset and approach.
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It argued social and affordable housing needs to be seen as essential social and economic infrastructure and ensure new homes are well-designed and meet a range of housing needs.
Homes North chief executive Maree McKenzie knows it more than most, with homelessness and couch-surfing a very real possibility for low-income households in the region.
"People will move into any kind of transient housing that they can find, into caravans, tents, that's what happens when people get pushed out of the housing market," she said.
"When we don't see social housing as essential infrastructure in economic development, we find ourselves in these situations.
"We have seen this coming for 20 years ... planning is just one piece of the puzzle, you need a sustained, coordinated effort across governments to realise planning is not the panacea to housing supply."
An Equity Economics report released by the Community Housing Industry Association this year outlined the huge benefits of building an extra 5000 social housing units every year across the state.
It argued about 750 people would be saved from homelessness each year, which in turn would save the state government $13 million in health and social services costs, and create 16,200 jobs.
There's not a one-size-fits-all solution, Tamworth council's Ms Vereker said, with shortages in building materials locally also contributing to the problem.
"We also need people to get used to the potential that living in a smaller house, apartment, unit or dual occupancy can provide," she said.
"We're used to having a lot of land so automatically our builders build those big houses, we haven't seen successful models of alternatives but if we can encourage developers to build more diverse housing, that will assist with the affordability issue."
Regional Housing Taskforce chair Garry Fielding said throughout the investigation, the taskforce heard the many challenges that regional NSW is facing when it comes to supply and affordability.
He heard from people who had to leave their local communities to find affordable housing, communities struggling to attract workers or rebuild after bushfires, of homelessness and a decline in overall quality of life.
"As the barriers to traditional housing pathways rise, these experiences are understood to be increasingly common across regional NSW," he said.
The state government will now consider the recommendations, look at how the planning system can be changed to fast-track development and provide a response later this year.
Housing Minister Melinda Pavey said the recommendations reflected the unique housing needs in regional NSW.
"The pandemic has put new pressure on regional housing markets over the last year and I welcome the Taskforce's recommendations for how we can alleviate that pressure with innovative, driven solutions," she said.
"The need for more temporary accommodation for seasonal workers is of particular concern in many communities and we will consider the Taskforce's advice on how we can work with councils to deliver this."
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson was contacted for comment.
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