"A nice sized block" - VY. How's 150sq m sound?

VY hinted at the true problem behind affordable housing; he’s an investor looking for a deal.

Between himself and the 300,000 other Canberrans looking for a nice deal, life’s not so rosy for the poor little first home buyer with a knocked up missus looking at a lifetime of ass lard development, and a part time job at maccy d’s.

Compared with, for strictly examples sakes, VY who already owns a property and has oodles of disposable income…

What we really need, is for the old coots to give up the ghost, move to the coast, or otherwise bugger off elsewhere. They’re holding up natural sequence and causing the current cancer.

If the Government released the land for full open-market development, but also directed an appropriately leveled campaign, one that I call the ‘Canberra’s-a-shit-place-to-retire-in’ campaign, would be no different, if not more successful, than releasing land targeted at ‘first home buyers’.

And Canberra wouldn’t look like coronation street either. Funnily enough, it’s on the telly where I am at the moment, I’m finding it quite ironic, although I’d love to see a Rovers Return in Canberra…

I think you’ll find it is a house AND land package for between $200,000 and $300,000

Well, it would be poor of me not make a comment here I think, so here’s a couple:
1) No way would I choose this for myself. I currently live on something over 700sqm, so no way would I be paying more for a smaller piece of land.
2) They could still be good investment properties, as I’m sure there’d be strong rental demand for a nicely appointed and well located townhouse, and the depreciation schedule on a new property looks nice too, so I might still buy a few of them.

But just because it isn’t my cup of tea, don’t think I’m bagging them: they could be really nice for people who aren’t interested in gardens or large homes.

@Gungahlin Al:

I am in Ngunnawal. I have a 3 bedroom, single garage (town)house, which has a living area of 125 m2. My block is 268.7 m2. (my immediate neighbours have blocks of 260.7 m2 and 260.6 m2 respectively and a similar though not identical floorplan).

The houses are separate titled (no body corporate), with an “air gap” of 10mm between each of the properties (i.e no shared walls), but we do share common tiling on the roof… difficult to explain but it works. I can not hear my neighbours and they can not hear me (even with their stereo pumped)

It works and it works well mainly because there is a good mix of housing in the street (a range of modest housing types and no mansions built on postage stamp sized blocks).

Another reason why it works is it is not the Gungahlin Town Centre “Coronation Street”, entire block cookie cutter development.

What I do find scary is that I am sure I heard correctly on the Friday ABC TV news (and I’d have to sit down and replay Friday’s edition to confirm that I heard correctly…) is that these blocks will sell for between $200,00-$300,000. Now if that is without the house then that is hardly affordable housing.

Finally unless sensible common-sense planning is used to ensure that these smaller blocks are well distributed in newer estates and vast areas do not end up being identical smaller block (as per the “Coronation Street” mistakes already perpetuated in Gungahlin), future residents will be able to congratulate the ACT Government and bureaucrats on the creation of planned slums.

With Gunghalin, we saw the emergence of smallish blocks, with huge houses on them, and the prices are horrific. Maybe this kind of development, especially with “normal” places all around, will see them cheap enough for lower income earners, single people, old people and the many who cannot service a $300k loan.

The above is in reference to the below.

compact blocks shall be located opposite high quality open space. If this is not possible, then located
within the vicinity of 100m from high quality open space or parkland or alternatively adjacent to a wide
verge with high quality landscaping and medium sized street trees;

Reply

I reckon the ugliest housing in Canberra is a little enclave of the type of townhouses the plan is advocating in the middle of Nicholls, it’s a little loop street on its own with… shall we say ‘distinctive’ look… of fugly dwellings all jammed in together. Krantzcke Cct is the place, rather apt for a dog’s breakfast all jammed in like sausages…

How would it work – terrace style housing might be ok. As long as there aren’t whole suburbs of it, to become slums later on. If it is like units, but you own the land and have street access that would probably be ok. They’d want to be cheap. And have good sound insulation, with the neghbours right there.

This is an interesting idea, and one I’d like to hear more about. If managed well and constructed properly I can immediately think of two types of people this type of housing might suit – young people trying to get into their first home, and retired people who want to remain in their suburb but in a smaller house without a large garden. I’ve had a look through the policy. One thing I don’t understand at this stage are the rules relating to cars and car parking. Thinking of some older relatives, I know their preference would be to have car parking access from the street (close to their front door) rather than round some back alley which can be scary at night. But as terrace housing I think this could be quite attractive.