A reminder, today is the closing date for comments on "housing... a mix for our future." More information available here.

Following is our submission:

We are very lucky in the Wide Bay Burnett to have all this space to spread out. Cheap petrol has allowed us to drive anywhere we need to go, to choose to live in a quiet subdivision twenty or more minutes from work. The number of cars on the roads have increased, and for some people that twenty minute drive has turned in to twenty five or more as they find themselves battling traffic congestion when five years ago there was none. Will they still be enjoying their quiet subdivision in another 5 years? The last few years has seen a boom in the region, and the general consensus seems to be to continue growing.
With the influx of people to the region, building new subdivisions is the only way to accommodate so many, but are housing developers paying attention to the world around us and what future housing needs will be? We are living in times of climate instability and energy and fuel price escalation. These factors need to be considered when we look at building for the future needs of our region.
We need to think differently. We need to build for the people that make up the community, not just their cars. Many new developments have no option to walk or bike to the supermarket, medical centre or school without having to share the road with sugar cane trucks. How close is the fire, police and hospital? New development needs to take into account the whole community, and the links between communities.
A good mix of businesses and housing - apartment blocks, duplexes and family homes - allows greater density of population which will mean better opportunities for residents and local businesses as well as more intelligent transport infrastructure. This will support a good mix of families, professionals, students and seniors and make a strong, vibrant and sustainable community.
Proximity to green space - parks, gardens, sports fields - is essential for people to enjoy living in higher density housing. Families like having a back yard so their children can play cricket or footy and their dogs can run and play. But if a community park with maintained facilities is within a short walk, then a yard isn't as necessary. However, in any given suburb a mix of houses and with large yards and small allows people to make that choice when buying.
Luckily, affordability for this growing population does not have to be a problem. Smaller homes are cheaper to build and easier to own, furnish and clean. The Bundaberg region can easily increase the affordability of new homes, not through government grants or easy interest payment schemes but by making smaller homes a part of the development plan!
Developments today capitalise on cheap energy resources that will not remain cheap. Entire subdivisions of quarter acre blocks, each with an underutilised, emerald green lawn that requires heaps of precious energy and water to maintain; each with a large house, poorly designed for the prevailing weather, need to become a thing of the past - for both affordability and sustainability. Who thought a black metal roof and no verandah was a smart idea? An air conditioner sales man perhaps?
Passive solar housing design is making a come back as architects realise that large north-facing windows are great for light and views, but if the summer sun enters it then the home becomes an oven. Passive solar design incorporates design elements - placement of windows, size of eaves, even landscaping of gardens near the house - to minimise the cost of indoor heating and cooling. What we are seeing now is only one or two homes in a development with good passive solar design principles. It would be better if the entire subdivision was designed to allow maximum passive solar design for every block. This isn't new. The Romans were aware of this, and even large sections of Pompeii had passive solar design - for everyone, from the peasants to the VIPs - to ensure rooms were adequately heated by the sun in winter.
The majority of older homes and the a good portion of new homes in this region are under insulated - old Queenslanders especially. Insulation is seen as expensive, and adding a air conditioner is the cheap option. Again we are seeing a short term mindset. Are the benefits of insulation being under represented when people are looking to improve their current home or buy a new one?
Natural building materials, compressed straw panels, and other low embodied energy choices should become standard available options when designing a new house in the region. Solar Hot Water Systems should be standard. And their location on the roof should be part of initial design. The energy savings provided by a solar hot water system for a family of four would very nearly be enough to power another entire house!
Photovoltaic Solar Panels could be a check box to be included in the build of a new house. With present government rebates and energy company incentives, it would be a very low included cost as opposed to an expensive add-on.
With low air pollution compared to the bigger cities, our region should be doing whatever it can to promote the integration of rainwater tanks for gardens and laundry facilities. The less water that needs to be treated for human consumption the better, as every litre needs to be pumped and costs the council home owners rates.
To summarise, the Wide Bay Burnett has an exciting opportunity to enact systemic change for the long term benefit of its residents. If we do not have the political will to make these changes now, then the residents will continue to pay for poorly designed communities for decades.

Regards,

Dean & Andi Hazelwood
SustainaBundy Inc.