Mount Alexander Shire Council is set to revisit one of its bylaws in a move which may end up having significant implications for opportunities to use tiny houses as accommodation shire-wide.
Presenting a special motion to review the council’s local law 13: Camping on private property, Cr Matthew Driscoll made it clear he was motivated by a desire to help tackle the council’s housing affordability crisis.
“Our community has told us they are concerned about housing affordability in our shire,” Cr Driscoll said, moving the motion at Tuesday night’s July council meeting.
“We have approximately 600 households in our shire with unmet needs for affordable housing,” he said.
“Tiny houses are proposed as an affordable, accessible solution to Australia’s homeless situation and the housing market crisis.
“Our council is committed to finding solutions which could help provide more homes for more people.
“But the current laws around tiny houses are too short term and do not go far enough in offering a realistic, affordable more permanent solution to our housing crisis.
“As an additional choice for accommodation, tiny houses can offer dignity to people at risk of homelessness as well as for people who wish to live more sustainably.”
Cr Driscoll’s motion won the support of all councillors and their unanimous decision to support it will now see council officers formally requested to assess and make recommendations on use of caravans or tiny houses as places of temporary residence through the review of local law 13 – and to then provide advice on the subject by the end of next month.
Supporting the motion Cr Rosie Annear described the move as “timely”.
“It seems a lot of people don’t fully understand what the local law says on this at the moment,” Cr Annear said.
“Things are really bad out there. There are lots of people out there with nowhere to live.”