NEW SOCIAL AND AFFORDABLE HOMES IN PIPELINE FOR WESTERN SYDNEY

The revitalisation of the old Telopea housing estate is a step closer, with Frasers Property and Hume Community Housing announced as the successful proponents to transform the ageing 13 hectare site into a new, integrated community and vibrant town centre.

Minister for Water, Property and Housing, Melinda Pavey, said Telopea would be transformed into a master-planned neighbourhood with new community amenities, more transport links, a mixture of high quality housing types and improved access to health, education, and jobs.

“The renewal of the Telopea site will set the standard for our new integrated communities under the Communities Plus program, delivering more social, private and affordable housing, in partnership with the private sector,” Mrs Pavey said.

“The proposal will see the current site redeveloped to create about 4500 homes, with a target of 1000 new, fit-for-purpose affordable and social housing dwellings.”

Mrs Pavey said Hume Community Housing will work with public housing tenants to break the cycle of disadvantage by providing access to education, training opportunities and wrap-around support.

“We are increasing the supply of social and affordable housing but at the same time we’re focused on providing opportunities to our tenants to create an aspiration to leave social housing.”

Member for Parramatta, Geoff Lee, said the partnership with the NSW government, Frasers Property and Hume Community Housing provided great opportunities for the community.

“This project will rejuvenate Telopea and has a focus on connecting people, ranging from enhanced mobility, community service access, creating places of congregation, and enhancing economic opportunities that arise when a community has the confidence to pursue its aspirations,” Dr Lee said.

Fraser Property AHL CEO, Rod Fehring, said forging long-term partnerships between Government, the private sector and specialist community housing providers was essential to extract the benefits of combining agile capital with place-making capabilities to build a balanced and resilient sense of belonging for residents.

Hume Community Housing CEO, Nicola Lemon, said: “The partnership brings together a shared passion for delivering and supporting a vibrant and welcoming Telopea of- the- future.”

The NSW Government’s $22 billion Communities Plus program has a target of 23,000 new and replacement social housing dwellings, 500 affordable housing units and up to 40,000 private homes across the greater Sydney, Illawarra, Newcastle and North coastal areas.