“Eight years of work” pays off in NSW’s Northern Rivers
Clarence Village finally cracks Grafton’s housing crisis
- Big breakthrough: 32 social housing units approved for older women
- Eight-year grind: Clarence Village secures funding after relentless lobbying
- Modular mega-project: Development set to be Australia’s largest of its kind
- Urgent need: Grafton’s one-bedroom housing waitlist tops 10 years
The waiting list for a one-bedroom social housing property in Grafton, 620km north-northeast of Sydney’s CBD, exceeds 10 years, according to Clarence Village CEO Duncan McKimm.
Duncan has been working to ease the housing shortage, with those efforts now set to come to fruition.
“It’s been eight years of toil but Clarence Village now has a DA (development application) and committed funding partners to construct 32 social housing units for single, older women in South Grafton,” he said on LinkedIn on Thursday, 21 May.
The site is a vacant block of land in South Grafton owned by Clarence Village, which will soon house the largest modular social housing project in the nation.
“Having been close to funding many times it feels a little surreal to now be in a position to build the project, but we’re extremely motivated to get the job done,” Duncan said.
“By co-locating seniors in this development, we can build a community that cares for older people in South Grafton. Being able to keep older people safe and connected to their community as they age is a really important part of a civil society.”
State Nationals MP for Clarence, Richie Williamson, who has backed the project from day one, announced a $5 million funding investment from the NSW Government towards the landmark housing development last Thursday (21 May) alongside Duncan and Clarence Village Board Chair Mark Dougherty.
The project, being delivered by Clarence Village Ltd in partnership with Homes NSW and Housing Australia, represents a total investment of $14.5 million and is expected to have all buildings constructed and installed before Christmas, with residents anticipated to receive keys by Easter 2027.
Mr Williamson MP said the development was a practical response to the growing housing challenges facing regional communities and would help vulnerable residents remain connected to family, friends, and local support networks.
Duncan acknowledged the MP’s support for the project.
“It would have been easy to throw our hands in the air and say getting funding was all too hard. Richie’s help in getting us access to the NSW Minister for Housing, Rose Jackson to advocate for the project and his encouragement to keep going was critical to getting where we are today,” he said.
“We always say we don’t need special treatment, we just need to have our case heard. Richie helped us get that and the results are about to be seen in built form.”
Homes NSW will purchase 16 units off the plan and lease them back to Clarence Village for 25 years, while the project is also being supported through the Housing Australia Future Fund via concessional loans and availability payments over the same period.
The modular homes are being constructed by Uniplan from Armidale.
