Former mayor Pamela Green made an impassioned plea during the public forum at the Eurobodalla Shire Council meeting, Tuesday, May 21.
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Her presentation called on councillors to extend the public exhibition period of the draft Housing Strategy soon to be available.
Ms Green served with council from 1995-2004, and held the position of mayor from 2002-2004.
The chamber was quiet and the participants and attendees of the council meeting on Tuesday, May 21 were entranced by Ms Green's eloquent and measured presentation.
She began by commending council for addressing the housing issue, acknowledging the draft's statement that there was no lack of land in the Eurobodalla, nor a flawed planning process that prevented development.
Pointing to council's ability to influence a wider variety of housing types, she said this was a key element.
Ms Green then went on to call for an extended period of exhibition time for the draft strategy to allow for "genuine consultation' with the community.
Most poignantly she drew council's attention to "a high level of anxiety" felt by the community about the process.
She said that post bushfire, flood and the pandemic events, there were significant trauma levels in the community.
In reference to the climate crisis, Ms Green quoted someone she had heard describing this phenomenon who said it was like a "tinnitus of the soul - an underlying level of dread and a deep sadness" felt for the environment.
She highlighted that the community, in response to the climate and environmental crisis they find themselves in, were understandably apprehensive to changes to the Local Environmental Plans (LEP) and other allied planning documents, and that council must be "mindful" of this.
Ms Green also highlighted that developments on C4 zoned (Environmental Living) land put the community on high alert and that this should not be dismissed as NIMBYism.
The Draft Eurobodalla Housing Strategy 2024-41 is a 26-page document written in response to the NSW Government's requirements for review of council's planning framework.
The strategy will address four key themes - housing supply and demand, housing diversity, housing affordability and housing location.
A "significant issue" identified in the draft is that the cost of low density residential housing is beyond first-home buyers or low-income families, and the need to thoroughly explore the typology of housing.
"This strategy reinforces the need for diverse housing choices. The primary housing typology in Eurobodalla is single houses on large residential lots," the draft reads.
"The strategy aims to add diversity enabled through precinct-level master planning.
"Alternatives include clustered growth and re-examining height, function and typology issues while respecting heritage and settlement character."
Ms Green later told ACM that council needed to raise the profile of what its intention was with the housing strategy and the town masterplans.
"They need to be hitting social media, media and other forms of communication to the community, in those centres and the whole shire," she said.
"I think workshops are always a good way to get people engaged...a series of workshops would be a good idea and they need to be after business hours.
"I understand that real community consultation is really resource hungry and takes time, but if you don't do the front end with your community they will bite you on the back end."
It appears the councillors paid heed to Ms Green's presentation and unanimously agreed to extend the public exhibition from 28 days to 42 days.
