Kiama farmland could be dotted with tiny houses as a way of dealing with the housing crisis, council candidates have said. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading Mike Cains and Marcus Hewitt - the lead candidates for A Fresh Start for Kiama Council - have suggested the council could follow the lead of Shellharbour City Council, which this year launched a tiny homes trial.
The Shellharbour trial allows people to install a mobile tiny home on their property and rent it out - without needing to lodge a development application. The council regulations had classed these homes as exempt developments, but only if they are used by a member of the household and not put on the rental market. Mr Hewitt said Kiama, with its farmland, could be better suited to such a trial by changing regulations to allow land owners to build rental properties.
"Farming is still an important part of the beautiful place we call Kiama," Mr Hewitt said. "Local families taking up affordable rentals on our farmland not only solves desperate housing needs, but it also generates farm income and brings together different elements of our community under a common goal." Mr Cains said a "streamlined approval process" should be adopted in the next term of council.
"If elected, we will work with other councillors to ensure that we don't miss this opportunity to provide affordable accommodation and help the viability of our regions family farms," he said. I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide.
If I'm not writing, I'm reading. I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide.
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