After consulting with our community, Yarra City Council has adopted a Policy Guidance Note on Affordable Housing in Significant Redevelopments in Yarra.

The Policy Note was accepted by Council at last night’s meeting at Fitzroy Town Hall.

It lays out Yarra Council’s view that developers should seek to dedicate 5% of significant new developments to affordable housing. The Policy applies to rezoned sites within Yarra when they are likely to yield around 50 dwellings or more.

This is one of the ways that Yarra Council can advocate for more affordable housing, which is important as data has shown that rental options for low-to-moderate income households in Yarra have been decreasing.

If we want to maintain social and economic diversity, more housing options suitable for these demographics need to be made available.

By adopting this policy guidance note we are making a statement about Yarra Council’s preferred position and Council will use this note as the basis for negotiations on future significant redevelopments. The goal is to foster effective partnerships between community housing providers and the property development industry to deliver affordable rental housing in the City of Yarra.

With the introduction of this Policy Note we hope to encourage an increase in affordable housing and maintain the diversity which is important to Yarra’s identity.

Find out about other ways that we support social and affordable housing in Yarra.