Mike Cains and Marcus Hewitt, the lead candidates of the independent party A Fresh Start for Kiama Council, have proposed a program which would allow tiny homes to be built on existing farmland in an effort to ease the housing problems in Kiama.

This program would allow a streamlined approval process for tiny homes on farms in the Kiama LGA which they believe would both make family farms more viable and provide affordable housing for low income earners.

In a media release on September 9, Hewitt said, “Farming is still an important part of the beautiful place we call Kiama. 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.”

In the same media release the two council candidates revealed the story of local farmer Ray Foster to illustrate the current issues with the tiny home approval process.

According to the media release Ray Foster agreed to host a resident and their $100k tiny home on his farm for modest weekly rent. However, Mr Foster was advised that to comply with planning laws he had to submit a Development Application with the attendant expert reports. A process that is estimated to cost Mr Foster $50k, something he couldn’t afford.

Both council candidates believe their idea is one that will fix this issue and 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 region's family farms,” says Cains.

This proposal came out the same day that Master Builders NSW announced that industry forecasts project NSW to be 73,700 homes behind the Housing Accord target of 377,000 new homes for the period from 1 July 2024 until 30 June 2029.

Master Builders Association of NSW Executive Director Brian Seidler said, in a press release, that the forecast downgrade reflects the ongoing struggle to control inflation, persistently high interest rates, and ongoing supply constraints in the residential building sector.

“While we expect a gradual market recovery in the coming years as broader economic conditions improve, more needs to be done to address the housing shortfall.

“All levels of government have acknowledged the challenges around planning, workforce, and productivity. We must ensure that momentum is maintained in these critical areas.

“Industry productivity has declined by 18 per cent over the last decade. State governments must expedite planning reforms to cut the excessive costs and long timelines associated with construction,” said Sedler.