Forum Recap: Housing on the Ground in the Northern Rivers

On Friday 7 November,  over 80 leaders from across government, business and community came together at the Lennox Head Cultural Centre for a packed day of sharp insights, housing on the ground showcases and serious talk about the housing crisis across our region with the top 10 solutions to unlock housing for the next generation on the table for feedback.  

The Housing on the Ground Forum, delivered by Business NSW Northern Rivers as part of our Regional Leaders program, focused on what’s needed to get homes built now, and what must change to secure housing for future generations. 

This was a room full of doers: developers, councils, housing providers, financiers, planners and policymakers. 

What we covered 

Opening remarks and ministerial address 

Jane Laverty, Regional Director at Business NSW Northern Rivers, opened the day with acknowledgement to the traditional custodians and put the call out early for sharing, listending and a solutions focused discussion. 

The Hon. Janelle Saffin MP followed with a strong message on recovery, resilience and coordination across agencies. Her remarks set a collaborative tone that carried through the day. 

Planning reform and enabling infrastructure
 Leah Tucker, Senior Ploicy Manager, Energy & Infrastucture at Business NSW, broke down the NSW Government’s proposed planning reforms, including the shift to targeted assessment pathways and the removal of regional panels. She also highlighted the $2.5 billion+ infrastructure backlog choking delivery across local government areas, and the urgent need for a State–Local Infrastructure Partnership Fund. 

Housing market insights 
Peter Bell, Founder of Par8o Property Advisory, walked us through the numbers that matter: 

• Housing approvals are down
• Vacancy rates are critically low
• The demand for smaller, affordable dwellings is rising — and unmet
• Median house prices have risen 9% over the past year
  The data made it clear: the marketisn’tjust tight.It’sgridlocked.

Elizabeth Mossop, Professor of Urban Resilience, Academic Director Living Lab Northern Rivers, challenged the room to rethink how we design housing in regional Australia, with a focus on climate resilience, liveability and the immediate urgency for key worker housing. 
On-the-ground projects

 The forum also showcased projects that are moving dirt and delivering homes, including: 

• Casino and Grafton modular housing developmentsled by Northern Rivers Housing
• Stockland’s Kings Forest master planned community, one of the most significant housing developments in the region
• Reconstruction Authority’s Resilient Lands Program, unlocking thousands of new lots across Lismore, Ballina, Byron and more
• Homes NSW’s regional pipeline, now delivering 355 new social homes by 2027, plus a growing list of meanwhile use, modular and key worker housing assets
• Clarence Property’s EPIQ live-work modelin Lennox Head, exploring how commercial and residential can be co-located for real affordability

A panel of project leaders wrapped the day by tackling feasibility, approvals, funding for enabling infrastructure and the need for a reliable build pipeline to support the next wave of housing. 

Top 10 Solutions
 Throughout the day, attendees helped shape a draft list of 10 key solutions to unlock housing supply by 2040. Feedback is now invited from attendees and other stakeholders. Please send comments to Jane Laverty so the list can be refined and finalised for presentation to Minister for Housing, Rose Jackson. This work builds on the original manifesto developed by the Regional Leaders Housing Now Group. 
Download: Top 10 Solutions to Unlock More Homes in the Northern Rivers

Thank you to our partners and speakers
 This event wouldn’t have happened without the backing of our event partners, strategic partners, Clarence Property, Northern Rivers Housing, Southern Cross University and Winslow and the support of Regional Leaders. Your investment in this work is part of what’s helping shift the dial on housing in the Northern Rivers. 

A sincere thank you to every speaker who brought honesty, urgency and insight to the stage: 

• The Hon. Janelle Saffin MP, Minister for Small Business,Recoveryand the North Coast
• Leah Tucker, Business NSW
• Peter Bell, Par8o Property Advisory
• Elizabeth Mossop, Professor of UrbanResilience, Academic Director Living Lab Northern Rivers
• Ray Mackeen, Northern Rivers Housing
• Alex Koerber, Stockland
• Stephen Timms, NSW Reconstruction Authority
• Paul Rippon, Clarence Property
• Liz Collyer, Homes NSW
• Vaughan Macdonald, Richmond Valley Council

Your leadership on the day helped us move from good intentions to shared priorities.