Maintaining the local character of the neighbourhood is central to the design of this project. The adaptive re-use of the building respects the original 1970s architecture and design and provides new housing for the community.

Affordable housing is not cheap or poor in its quality and design. Well planned affordable housing is close to transport, education and employment and has easy access to shops, services, and green and safe public open spaces.

Affordable housing is designated for those on very low, low, and moderate household incomes. It is priced (whether mortgage repayments or rent) so these households can meet their other essential living costs.

Those seeking housing affordability include workers who provide essential services within the community, such as nurses, paramedics, police, child-care workers and retail staff.

The Queenscliff development will include a mixture of studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom apartments. A minimum of 12 (32%) homes will be delivered as Affordable Rental Housing for women over 55 and at risk of homelessness, through our partnership with Link Wentworth.

A further 12 (32%) homes may also be available as Affordable Housing if grant applications made by Link Wentworth are successful.

Diverse housing is good for the community. A greater diversity of housing allows older people to downsize, younger people to enter the property market, and key workers providing essential services who may not earn sufficient income to afford housing in the Northern Beaches.

The Northern Beaches currently offers few affordable housing options. The Queenscliff project will increase that offering to benefit the local community.

CHPs build and manage safe and affordable homes available to tenants on very low, low, and moderate household incomes. CHPs focus on housing that is environmentally sustainable, requires less maintenance, and reduces living costs for residents.

In NSW, CHPs own or manage more than 51,000 properties.

The NSW Government’s Housing 2041 Strategy outlines the need for a strategic partnership between Government and the community housing sector to meet the housing needs of NSW.

Link Wentworth will manage future tenancies in the Queenscliff development. They aim to promote successful and sustainable tenancies and will choose tenants who are best suited to the property and local area.

Single women aged 55 and over are the fastest growing cohort of homeless Australians.

40% of single retired women live in poverty and the number of older homeless women in Australia increased by more than 30% between the last two censuses.

Without a home, older women are also denied the benefit of home care, neglect which can result in escalated care needs as they age.

The gender pay gap also sees many women earning less than men.

The Queenscliff project will comply with the parking requirements set out in the planning process.

The site’s proximity to regular and well serviced public transport ensures residents will have a range of mobility choices.

In keeping with the cycling culture of the Northern Beaches and its access to cycleways, the site will also provide bike racks for residents.

In addition, we are exploring strategies to reduce the current park-and-ride activity that is occurring around Lakeside Crescent and Palm Avenue.

Landcom is aware the site and surrounding area are flood-prone. During the 1 in 100 year storm event of March 2022 water did not reach the ground floor level of the former Queenscliff Community Health Centre, which is identified in Council flood maps as ‘medium risk’ while many surrounding properties are identified as ‘high risk’.

Through the planning process we have considered the site’s opportunities and constraints, including risk of flooding, with a range of technical investigations carried out to ensure planned development is appropriate. Design features to help manage flooding and prevent water entering the redeveloped community health centre building include:

• installing flood walls within the landscape areas with openings for access as needed
• installing flood barriers across access openings as appropriate
• installing flood doors on any external doors which are not otherwise protected.

Link Wentworth, which is committed to promoting successful and sustainable tenancies, will also ensure that future tenants are best supported during any flood event. They will take into consideration any physical impairments or access needs of potential tenants to ensure they would be able to respond effectively during a flood event either independently or with support from a flood warden.