3. How can we build support for affordable housing?

C. Make sure you have the right site…

The suitability of the site for your proposed development is a crucial consideration in reducing risk, gaining planning approval and ensuring a successful development.

A range of factors related to the ‘risk profile’ of your community, the compatibility of the development with surrounding land uses, and its ability to comply with relevant planning instruments are important.

Assessing the suitability of your site for the development is one of the first things that should be done. Comparing potential sites and selecting the best one is also a good idea to maximise yield and reduce risk.

A range of factors are important when considering whether a particular site is appropriate for your affordable housing development. Ensuring that your site is suitable for the proposed development, and is the best option if there are others available, will reduce the risk of refusal and support an easier pathway through the planning system.

A Strategic Site Selection and Site Suitability Checklist Tool has been developed based on the factors most likely to be more or less favourable to winning community acceptance and gaining approval for your development, based on the research. This can also help proponents assess the likely risk associated with a site, or to choose between a number of potential sites or locations.

Factors included in the Site Selection and Suitability Checklist include:

• Relative need for affordable housing compared with other areas;
• Likelihood of Council acceptance of affordable housing proposals;
• Risk of community opposition to the proposal;
• Potential site constraints – physical, zoning, hazards, etc;
• Potential problems with legislative compliance, e.g. with key provision of SEPP ARH;
• Issues related to case law;
• Basic feasibility considerations; and
• Other issues raised, for example, in pre-DA meetings.

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