A $166,000 City of Coffs Harbour Council contribution is helping ensure 12 new homes for veteran families can be delivered as planned in Coffs Harbour.
Council unanimously agreed to waive water and sewer developer charges for Coffs Coast Legacy’s new transitional housing project at 94 Albany Street. The decision, which will help protect the full scope of the development, is a specific example of actions in the Council’s Affordable Housing Strategy to help increase such housing in the area.
The build of the three-storey Bob Denner Legacy Apartment is being funded through a $4.1 million Commonwealth Department of Veterans’ Affairs grant, together with a $2 million contribution from Coffs Coast Legacy, which also owns the site.
The project would have proceeded without the fee waiver, but Legacy said the scope of the development could have been reduced to absorb the additional cost.
Council’s decision means the full 12-apartment project can proceed as planned, with construction already under way and completion expected in late 2027.
The development will provide six one-bedroom, four two-bedroom and two three-bedroom apartments, filling a particular gap in housing for veteran families needing emergency or transitional accommodation.
The Council decision is also significant because its Affordable Housing Strategy specifically identifies investigation of temporary waivers of applicable water and sewer charges as a way of supporting affordable housing delivery.
“The Legacy project is a practical example of the City’s Affordable Housing and Homelessness strategies being put into action,” said City Local Planning Section Leader, Marcy Mills.
The City’s Affordable Housing Strategy has an objective of advocating for an additional 450 places of crisis, short-term and transitional accommodation by 2041, while its Homelessness Strategy identifies the need for more transitional housing.
Ms Mills said the project was a good example of how the Council could use the limited levers it has available to remove barriers, support community-led housing initiatives and help bridge the gap in housing supply.
“While 12 dwellings will not solve the local housing crisis, every additional affordable, crisis or transitional housing dwelling contributes to addressing a recognised shortfall in housing supply for the region,” she said.
The project also addresses a particular local shortage, with dedicated transitional accommodation for veterans and their families currently in very limited supply.
“The initiative will see the delivery of low-cost transitional housing and emergency accommodation for veterans and their families who are experiencing housing insecurity, domestic violence, or other complex issues,” she said.
Coffs Coast Legacy President Jeremy Nash said the organisation was “grateful” for the unanimous support from Councillors.
“As a charity, facing rising costs, we acknowledge this support for a very worthy and very needed development,” he said.
Legacy’s existing Albany Street, Schaeffer Street and Sawtell Road properties were originally built after World War II to house war widows, but its housing mission has since evolved to support veteran families from more recent conflicts.
He said there were currently around 7000 veterans in the Coffs LGA.
“We live in times where gambling and other pressures can put a strain on veteran families,” Mr Nash said.
While there were already families on their waiting list, the true level of demand was difficult to quantify, he said, because people experiencing an immediate housing crisis often did not have the capacity to join a waiting list.
“Having housing they can walk into makes things easier in a time of stress. This is the first opportunity we’ve had to create more housing to meet this new need.”
To operate the housing once completed, Coffs Legacy is now a registered community housing provider. As such, the new apartments will operate as community housing, with a mix of affordable and social housing rents according to residents’ circumstances.
Deputy Mayor George Cecato, who chaired the 20 August Council meeting as Acting Mayor, said that this was a unique project the Council unanimously agreed to support.
Significantly, Council has also resolved to develop a policy that considers future similar exemption applications for exemptions for other affordable housing projects where certain conditions are met.
The project is named in honour of the late Bob Denner, a Vietnam veteran and long‑time local mentor.
By Leigh WATSON
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