Break O'Day Council receives petition against social housing in Fingal

The project, which would create eight social housing units, is led by Break O' Day Council and Centacare Evolve Housing

In May this year, the council said there were more than 100 applicants on the social housing wait list in the municipality with mayor Mick Tucker saying it was an issue he took very seriously.

"These people are already part of our community and we will do all we can to support them in finding reliable and suitable housing for our communities," he said.

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The council received a petition on July 31, 2023 which represent the views of 84 local residents and workers.

"A group of concerned local residents has held a number of informal meetings to discuss the proposal since the council announced its plans at the Fingal Neighbourhood House some months ago," the petition says.

"We firmly believe that additional social housing would place an inappropriate and unnecessary burden on the town."

The community is "already poorly served by essential services," the petition said.

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"If the council is genuinely interested in a duty of care to residents of the municipality, we believe that social housing should be located within easy access of essential services," it said.

"Fingal does not meet this criterion."

Break O'Day councillors heard further arguments against the proposal from local resident Hamish Thompson who spoke during the August council meeting as a representative of those concerned about the development.

He said the group had been meeting and conducting their own research on the viability of the project.

"On the basis of this research, we find it impossible to understand why our town has been identified as the site for these new units," Mr Thompson said.

"Other than a small shop and a post office, the town lacks all essential services. No doctor, no chemist, no cafes, no restaurants, no pubs, no retail, no hospital, no major employers, no newsagent."

"The town is also ill-equipped to accommodate more people with potentially complex needs."

A previous proposal for eight units at Scamander was abandoned after residents in the town complained in 2019.

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Mr Thompson said the group was "not replicating that hostile behaviour".

"Instead, we hope that council will heed our rational, objective concerns and agree that on any objective analysis, locating more social housing units in Fingal would be detrimental," he said.

"We urge council to abandon this proposal."

Councillor Kylie Wright said she was a supporter of social housing, but understood concerns about the remoteness of the location.

"There is limited facilities and infrastructure in place there," she said.

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"But I do also see that we need to do something rather quickly somewhere within the municipality for improving and increasing the social housing because homelessness is a huge problem."

The motion for the council to receive the petition was unanimously approved.

Break O'Day Council has been contacted for further comment.

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