In the midst of a housing shortage, a group of government-owned dwellings in the city's west have sat empty for months, prompting a call for action from the local MP.
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The NSW government confirmed to residents in October 2020 that it was planning to demolish seven homes on Matfen Close and John T Bell Drive to rebuild more social housing on the land. Minister for Homes Anthony Robert confirmed to The Herald that 16 homes will be constructed in replacement.
Four of the homes have been vacated and the residents moved into temporary accommodation while they await the new build, but more than 12 months after the initial announcement, the homes remain empty.
State Member for Wallsend Sonia Hornery moved a Notice of Motion in state parliament last week calling on the minister to get on with building new housing properties or put tenants back in to the empty houses.
She said it was terrible that homes were sitting idle while some in the community don't have a place to live.
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"We have a wait list for housing at an all-time high and a record number of people sleeping rough around Newcastle and the Hunter," Ms Hornery said.
"I have staff in my office who work every minute of their workday just on housing issues, finding people temporary accommodation or finding out from Housing NSW where their application for priority housing is up to.
"Every day we are sending people to local charities to ensure that they can sleep rough safely."
Minister for Planning and Minister for Homes Anthony Robert said updating social housing sites such as these would provide more modern, fit for purpose housing and mean more families have access to housing.
"With our memorandum of understanding in place with Newcastle Council, we're confident that, should the [development application] be approved, work can begin on these 16 new homes by early next year," he said.
However the government doesn't plan on lodging the development application until May.
"This is not good enough," Ms Hornery said. "There are more than 50,000 people on the housing waiting list. People are sleeping rough in the Wallsend electorate every night and the minister needs to move and move quickly on these properties."
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Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
