An appeal has been lodged against a social housing development in a Hobart suburb, with neighbours arguing it is poorly designed and does not fit in with the surrounding area, but the housing provider says it is badly needed.
The City of Hobart approved Centacare Evolve Housing's plans for the three-storey apartment building in New Town last month, including 11 one-bedroom and 11 two-bedroom dwellings, to replace two tennis courts.
The proposal received 31 objections based on density, overshadowing, traffic, parking and noise, and on heritage grounds including that the high-density housing "changes the fabric of the area".
Neighbouring resident Paul Jacobs, lodged an appeal in the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on behalf of a group of residents, based on nine grounds.
These included a shortage of parking, the design of the parking, a lack of open space for the dwellings, poor sightlines for traffic, and that it had not been proven the development "provides a specific accommodation need with significant social or community benefit".
Neighbour Dave Brown said they believed their concerns had been ignored by the council.
"It seems like the voice of residents doesn't come into account, when it comes to making decisions like this, which are seen by the government as something much needed in the wider community," he said.
"We all recognise the need for community housing, but there must surely be other alternatives than buying a tennis court and robbing the community of something just to put something else there.
"I'd probably prefer a smaller one than what it proposed."
The development includes parking for 12 cars and two motorbikes.
While this did not comply with an acceptable solution, a council traffic engineer gave advice that social housing developments generally had lower rates of car ownership, while the area has regular public and active transport links.
But neighbours argue this is not sufficient and could result in further use of on-street parking, as well as increased congestion for the New Town Road intersection.
Centacare disappointed with the appeal
Centacare Evolve Housing estimates the apartment building would house between 30 and 40 people.
The community housing organisation planned to start construction around May, with completion by June next year, but will now need to await the outcome of the appeal.
Centacare Evolve Housing CEO Ben Wilson said he believed they had been thorough in their design and consultation phase through council, and he was "disappointed" with the appeal.
"These sorts of projects are absolutely critical, particularly in the type of location that we're talking about — New Town — close to services, transportation, and a great development to be delivered there," he said.
"We hoped that the residents understood what we're trying to achieve as a community housing provider, and the need for people to be housed.
"I would certainly hope that any nimbyism, or concern around social housing, is not a driver for why this appeal has been lodged."
The approvals of several other Centacare social housing developments in Tasmania have been appealed to the planning tribunal.
Mr Wilson said it was difficult to provide the required level of social housing supply as a result.
"Processes we have got through the Planning Act in Tasmania at the moment don't allow for fast-tracked development," he said.
"Particularly where you've got situations where it goes through a process with council, goes through, and then is appealed.
"Those can take considerable time to see that project come to fruition."
Mr Wilson said each of Centacare's social housing developments had ultimately been constructed, despite appeals.
'Not everyone will appreciate housing development', government says
There are 4,556 active applications on the housing register in Tasmania — a figure that has remained steady since reaching a peak in November.
It takes an average of 77.8 weeks to house priority applicants, based on rolling 12-month averages. This figure has steadily risen throughout 2022 and into 2023.
The state government has a target of 10,000 new social and affordable homes by 2032, requiring a significant uptick in social housing approvals.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said all Tasmanians had the right to challenge approvals, but he maintained the government was on track to meet its housing goals.
"It's always important that we have a robust process, planning process, where the community can have their say. That's at arms-length from government," he said.
"Not everyone, of course, will appreciate housing development. But we do as a state government, very much, wanting to invest and continue to invest to ensure we do reach our target of 10,000 homes by 2032."
Homelessness advocacy organisation Shelter Tasmania has repeatedly called on communities to become more accepting of social housing.
The City of Hobart has also placed a significant emphasis on using "in-fill" development — such as the New Town proposal — to help add 60,000 more people to the greater Hobart region by 2050.
Want more Tasmanian news?
Set the ABC News website or the app to "Tasmania Top Stories" from either the homepage or the settings menu in the app to continue getting the same national news but with a sprinkle of more relevant state stories.
Here's a taste of the latest stories from Tasmania 📰
- Julian and Brian were entitled to $6k compensation payment to be paid in 60 days. It took seven years
- Allied health graduates offered a financial incentive to stay or move to Tasmania
- Targa racing in Australia to undergo 'hard reset' with safety, speed changes to be enforced after competitors' deaths
- Politician mocked over 'speech impediment' by Labor opponents praised after Facebook post
