We support landowners, developers, governments and not-for-profit organisations to determine and deliver the right affordable housing strategy for their organisation and site and planning context.
Affordable Development Outcomes service encompasses a diverse range of project areas including planning approvals, council and site strategies and action plans, and funding applications and partnering agreements.
We bring a sound knowledge of government, residential development, the planning system, and social and affordable housing delivery and management.
Kate Breen is an accomplished communicator with experience presenting at international and national conferences and as an expert witness in front of planning committees assessing major planning amendments across Victoria.
A snapshot of some of the Projects, Presentations and Publications we have worked on are outlined below.
We love working with a diversity of clients on new and challenging problems.
Contact Kate to discuss your project and how we can assist you to make a contribution to affordable housing delivery.
Projects
We have developed numerous Affordable Housing site-specific strategies to support planning amendments and permit applications. Our work encomasses client education, modelling of options, collation and analysis of affordable housing need, analysis and preperation of strategy documents, negotiation with councils, drafting of permit controls and section 173 agreement terms.
We have worked with some of Australia’s largest property developers as well as smaller boutique landowners and developers, helping them secure a planning amendment and permit whilst setting the framework for a realisable Affordable Housing strategy.
Developers and investors seeking to apply Federal Government Managed Investment Scheme (MIT) taxation benefits need to provide 10% affordable housing for a 15-year period. We have assisted with developer-investor understanding of these requirements at the design and planning stage to ensure alignment with regulations and planning requirements. Developing a strategy early supports compliance with the MIT obligations – avoiding penalties in the future.
Director Kate Breen has presented as an Expert Witness to Planning Panels Victoria and Standing Advisory Committees specifically in relation to proposed Affordable Housing inclusions as part of planning scheme amendments. We have represented both Councils and developers in these processes. Our advice has been adopted on major sites such as Preston Markets.
We have developed a number of Social and Affordable Housing Strategies and Action Plans for local councils across Greater Melbourne and regional Victoria. This work includes undertaking detaliled research and analysis on Affordable Housing need in the area, undertaking stakeholder engagement, identifying priority locations and housing typologies required to address demand, and tailoring actions that align with Council roles and responsibilities and locational specific demand and opportunities.
Director Kate Breen has extensive experience presenting to Councils and the community to support understanding of the challenge and how local council’s can respond. Many of our action plans have gone to to be implemented with developments subsequently delivered.
We have applied our understanding of Social and Affordable Housing delivery and worked with architects, planners and developer managers to support Local Councils and NFP organisations to investigate the potential of their underutilised or vacant land for an Affordable Housing purpose.
Our expetise includes coordinating planning and design consultancies, supporting feasibility assessments and providing advice on options to release the land such as gifting or leasing. We have developed tender documentation for Councils to then release the site/s for community housing sector consideration.
We have worked closely with a number of community housing organisations to assist in strategy development and preparation of submissions for State Government funding or government land opportunities.
We have developed tender documentation of Local Council’s seeking to include an Affordable Housing requirement within their land release and assessed and provided advice on applicant responses to the criteria. We have also supported clients to respond to Council tender processes for land – supporting the applicants to ensure the address criteria and maximise chances of securing the opportunity.
Our work has included support for large consortia of private sector finance and developers partnering with registered housing agencies to develop large scale Affordable Housing proposals for government.
We have worked with a number of not-for-profit organisations, including, but not limited to community housing organisations, to support the development of organisational strategies and create site-specific project plans to deliver Affordable Housing.
Working with CHIA-Vic and Municipal Association of Victoria, and in partnership with Moores Legal, we developed a resource kit to support local councils understand and assess options for releasing land for social and affordable housing.
Working with CHIA-Vic and Municipal Association of Victoria, and in partnership with Moores Legal, we developed resources designed to assist local councils, landowners / developers and community housing organisations to negotiate and structure successful social and affordable housing agreements through the planning system.
We have reviewed and provide advice on Council developed Social and Affordable Housing Strategies, providing expert support to ensure strategies are up-to-date with government funding programs and criteria, accurately reflect the data on demand, and capture the range of actions local councils could take to address this issue.
Client: Infrastructure Victoria
Project: Development of an Affordable Housing needs assessment to meet the identified infrastructure need to ‘provide better access to affordable housing for vulnerable Victorians’.
Affordable Development Outcomes Report to Infrastructure Victoria
Infrastructure Victoria Strategy greatly informed Infrastructure Victoria’s work with Affordable Housing supply considered a top three priority for the State in its first infrastructure strategy.
Director Kate Breen has presented at major conferences nationally and internationally over many years. She tailors presentations to the audience and topic. Kate has also sat on a range of panel discussions for major industry bodies such as the UDIA and Property Council of Victoria and facilitated panels and conference workshops.
Client: Department of Health and Human Services
Project: Development of a framework to achieve affordable housing outcomes on surplus government owned land.
Publications
In 2015 Kate Breen undertook a Churchill Fellowship to investitage the use of inclusionary zoning / planning system requirements to support the delivery of affordable housing inparts of the US, UK, and Canada.
See publication
Article on “Planning for Liveable Cities” published in the Australasian Housing Institute HousingWorks Journal, December 2015
See article
Article for the Community Housing Federation of Victoria News on inclusionary zoning practice internationally and how the learnings can be applied in Victoria
See article
Presentations
Kate has presented at the AHURI National Housing Conference in 2015, 2017 and 2022.
Kate has presented to a number of housing conferences both in Australia and internationally.
Kate has presented to and participated as a panel member for a number of industry events, including for the UDIA, Property Council, and Planning Institute of Australia.
Kate has prepared and given evidence as an Expert Witness for planning panels/standing advisory committees in relation to major planning amendments in Victoria.