Cobar Shire Council has been investigating a range of options to help address the town’s housing shortage, one of which is the potential development of a 106-home residential estate on the former Cobar Hospital site in Woodiwiss Avenue.
Council purchased the now vacant land in 2022 and has prepared a masterplan concept for the site, that includes a mix of modular dwellings and temporary accommodation, with larger sites for multi-dwelling developments, dual occupancies as well as single dwelling-house allotments.
The proposed development would include 78 modular dwellings in a range of sizes and formats, including 47 four-bedroom homes, 19 two-bedroom homes and 12 one-bedroom homes.
A further 28 temporary residences are also included in the concept, with these initially designed to provide an immediate housing solution and accommodation for workers during the construction phase.
The estate would be accessed from Woodiwiss Avenue and include sealed internal roads, drainage infrastructure, active transport pathways and a public open space/park.
Cobar Shire Council Mayor Jarrod Marsden said Council had already held discussions with a land lease-style company interested in delivering the project, however the investment return did not meet their requirements.
“They were looking at a return of between two and three per cent, but they need to be at seven to eight per cent for that sort of investment,” Mayor Marsden told The Cobar Weekly.
He said the company remained interested in building the homes but was seeking Council support with essential infrastructure, including roads, kerb and guttering, power, water and sewer connections.
“The infrastructure component is about $10.4 million, so we are now starting the process of approaching state and federal governments to look for that sort of funding,” Mayor Marsden said.
He said there was strong interest from mining companies for additional housing to attract more workers to Cobar and they had shown interest in a potential developer constructing the dwellings which could then be leased or purchased by the mining companies, or by local residents.
Mayor Marsden said Council had already undertaken preliminary subdivision designs for the former hospital block to ensure the project was as “shovel ready” as possible should funding opportunities become available.
While the project would take several years to progress, Cr Marsden said he was confident demand for housing would remain strong, with ongoing activity in the mining sector and other developments in the region expected to continue driving demand.
“The mines are looking out to 2037 and beyond, and with other projects happening in the area, I don’t think a lack of demand will be the issue,” he said.
