Tuesday, 15 October 2019

In reply to  Dr RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (28 August 2019)

Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Equality, Minister for Creative Industries):

The Victorian Government is committed to providing better homes and stronger communities for all Victorians.

The Director of Housing has a number of commercial approaches available for delivering new and redeveloped public housing. This includes renovations, purchasing ready-built dwellings, direct delivery/construction, development agreements and other partnership models which do not include sale of government land. Not all nine estates will be redeveloped under the same commercial approach. It will depend on the characteristics of each site.

All redeveloped estates will have a mix of social, private and affordable housing that will meet the housing needs of a greater number and range of Victorians. The mix of housing options is key to creating a diverse community which is facilitated by the private and affordable housing sectors buying or renting dwellings at the redeveloped estates.

Public land is not being sold to private developers. After renewal, the Gronn Place estate will be made up of a mixture of social and private housing with private sales being managed directly between the Director of Housing and the end purchaser. The property developers, AVJennings, will not own the land but receives a development fee for redeveloping the estate. The profits from the sale of private homes will be reinvested in building the new public housing dwellings on the site.

The integrated development at Gronn Place, Brunswick West will deliver a 60:40 ratio of social to private dwellings which will include public housing, community housing and affordable housing.

The Director of Housing will own the 111 public housing dwellings at Gronn Place. Community housing provider Women’s Housing Limited will own 8 community housing dwellings at Gronn Place. An additional 79 private homes built on the site will be made available for sale to individual purchasers, such as First Home Buyers.

The Director of Housing has provided a legally binding Deed Poll to all tenants guaranteeing their right to return to their estate after redevelopment, with the same security of tenure and to have their rent calculated in the same manner as other public housing tenants.