Affordability driving Fairy Meadow man's bid to form housing advocacy group

The Fairy Meadow resident wants to establish a local housing advocacy group to support more residential developments and higher density around town centres and train stations in the Illawarra in a bid to improve affordability.

"There's clearly huge opportunity to develop here," Mr Balding said.

But he said proposed developments in the Illawarra were facing the same sort of pushback as Sydney YIMBY, the community group advocating for greater housing density in Sydney (for which he acted as secretary).

Mr Balding said traffic was a major concern for opponents of higher density developments, but apartments located near town centres and public transport encouraged people to walk or use these options instead of drive.

The height of such buildings was another common sore point, he said, mostly for aesthetic reasons.

But Mr Balding said higher density developments and the subsequent provision of more dwellings would improve housing affordability, with a current shortage meaning homes were selling for much more than the cost of building them.

Data from the Real Estate Institute of NSW shows that as of December 2023, 1.3 per cent of Illawarra rentals on the market were untenanted

A vacancy rate below 2 per cent shows high demand for properties and generally pushes rents up.

Rents in the Illawarra have hit a peak, CoreLogic's rental market update shows, with a median weekly price of $668 - 11 per cent higher than the national average.

Mr Balding said there were also environmental factors to consider when it came to density: 20 blocks of land could be cleared to make way for 20 houses, or one house could be knocked down to make way for 20 apartments.

He said cutting back on vehicle use by having people live closer to town centres and transport meant fewer emissions, too.

Mr Balding envisions his group will provide public education around housing, support development applications and planning proposals that bolster housing density, and advocate for the rezoning of land around town centres and train stations that will allow this to happen.

The state government in November revealed a proposal to reform planning controls to allow for mid-rise apartment blocks within 800 metres of transport hubs, town centres and employment areas in medium-density housing zones in the 'Six Cities' region, as well as two homes on a single lot, such as duplexes, in all low-density residential areas across the state.

Mr Balding supported the proposal, but said he would like to see the former measure apply across the state.

While increasing density was a focus in the Illawarra, Mr Balding said further south in the Shoalhaven there was scope to allow for greater sprawl.

Anyone interested in joining the group can contact Mr Balding at phillipbalding@gmail.com.