Tweed Shire

Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) sought to realign their strategic directions in response to the changing social housing needs of the Aboriginal community in NSW. HillPDA was engaged by the Aboriginal Housing Office to identify development opportunity in locations that were close to services and employment, that meet the needs of a diverse and changing tenant base, and reflect the cultural requirements of Aboriginal Housing.

Outcome 

To identify appropriate opportunities for redevelopment within Tweed Heads township, HillPDA undertook a detailed asset review and opportunity analysis for AHO assets within the town.

The intention of the strategy was to guide AHO in the renewal and delivery of new dwellings across the Tweed UCL portfolio. The strategy reflects the changing social needs of the resident Aboriginal community, intends to provide newer dwellings that ensure improved living conditions and provides increased economic and social opportunities.

Sites were measured against a three tier development process:

• Tier 1: basic development – can be undertaken as an AHO project without a third party and has less development risk
• Tier 2: complex development – likely to be undertaken as a joint venture with LAHC or private developer and holds more development risk
• Tier 3: identification of assets that require redevelopment.

The difficulty facing asset renewal within rural townships is the relative low value of the dwellings or land compared to redevelopment costs or acquisitions within local major towns. Variations in land value and cost of construction can make it more difficult to achieve required economies of scale across the different regions. Therefore, economics and social benefit were considered hand in hand when determining areas of investment.

Services:

• Market research & appraisal
• Demographic analysis
• Portfolio analysis
• Market demand and supply analysis
• Housing affordability modelling

Client: Aboriginal Housing Office
Project date: 2017

For more information, contact Elle Clouston, Associate