1 9 6 6 VICTORIA TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT of the HOUSING COMMISSION VICTORIA for the period 1st July, 1965 to 30th June, 1966 together with APPENDICES Presented to both Houses of Parliament pursuant to the Housing Act By Author1iy; A. C. BROOKS, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, MELBOURNE. No. 18.-11219/66.-PRICE 45 cents HOUSING coMMlsSION, VICfORIA MEMBERS 1/7/65 to 23/2/66 V. J. A. BRADLEY, c.E., A.M.I.E. (AUST.), Director J. P. GASKIN, Deputy Director ALAN A. ASHMAN, 9.coM., A.A.S.A., Commissioner 2412166 to 30/6/66 > J. P. GASKIN, Direet<>r " : ' ·" .,· .ALAN A. ASflM.AN, lt.COM:., A.A.S,A., ~\lty Direet()r R. BUI:~JUlT, B.C.E., :A.:M~I.E. (AUST.), A.J.y,c~, .· . · " ··· · · · ··commissioner Secret4r)!: A. L. .B()HN, A.A.S.A~ 179 Queen Street, Melboun:te. VICTORIA PLANNING ANI> CoNsu~': Land ~uii-ed fQI' ~HQU5itlg Land A•red ti.~'K~lamation Land ~uire.d for H~ulin& Elderly Persons Site Engil'.leering · · Reclamation Areas .. Garden Development Architectural .. Construction . Concrete House Project EsTATE AND PltOPERTY MANAGEMENT: Tenancy 15 Analysis of Tenancy operations .. 15 Residential Land .. 15 Shops and Shop Sites 15 Industrial Land .. 16 Estate Management .. 16 Maintenance .. Hi House Sales •. l7 Housing.Standards 17 Slum Reclamation .. 17 FINANCE 19 STAFF 22 TABLES: ''A" Summary of Completions of Dwellings . 24 "B" Shops and Offices Completed at 30th June, 1966 24 "C" Dwelling Unit Construction . 25-28 "D" Summary of Houses Sold . 28 "E" Types of Dwelling Units Completed during year ended 30th June, 1966 29 "F" Location of Flats 29-30 "G" Block Types of Flats .. 31-32 "H" Bedroom Type of Flats 32 "I" Construction Types of Flats 32 "J" Concrete House Project . 33 "K" Lone Person and Low Rental Flats .. 33-34 APPENDICES .. 36-47 TWENTY -EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF HOUSING COMMISSION VICTORIA 1965. 1966 179 Queen Street, Melbourne, C.1 GENERAL COMMENTS The Hon. L. H. S. Thompson, M.L.C., Demand for accommodation provided by the Minister of Housing. Commission has been steady with 9,664 applications received compared with 9,582 last year. Applica­ Sir, tions outstanding at 30th June, 1966 totalled In compliance with the provisions of the Housing l0,799- 7,473 for the metropolitan area and 3,326 Act the Housing Commission submits this report for the country. of its activities together with financial statements incorporating the certificate of the Auditor­ During the year 2,686 flats and houses were General for the year ended 30th June, 1966. completed bringing total completions to 56,690. This level of completions, together with the 1965 Total completions of houses and flats from all level of 2,688, was the direct result of a special sources for the State were 30,435. additional Defence Forces programme spread over Completions for the last five years are as the two years. The number of houses available to follows:- ordinary applicants remained around the 2,300 level. 1961-62 23,039 In the metropolitan area single house construc­ 1962-63 24,l00 tion continued to fall with the emphasis on the 1963-64 27,069 redevelopment of slum areas with flats. For the 1964-65 31,495 current year flats constituted 60.8 per cent of the 1965-66 30,435 metropolitan programme. These flats are mainly in the form of elevator blocks designed by the Com­ This completion figure of 30,435 is considered mission and built by the Concrete House Project. to be some 4.000 units below the level required to Two 20-storey blocks comprising 360 flats at meet the housing needs of this State. The dis­ Carlton, one 12-storey block comprising 108 flats appointing result was not unexpected as the rate of at Prahran and a 12-storey block of 200 elderly monthly approvals for house and flat construction persons flats at St. Kilda were completed during right through 1965 and early 1966 was a cause for the year. great concern. Notwithstanding the release by the Commonwealth of additional funds for housing Expenditure for the year on new construction commencing late in 1965 the rate of approvals did amounted to $29,698,855. not increase significantly for many months. Although approvals are now approaching a satis­ At the new town of Churchill the construction factory level, completions for the coming financial of water and sewerage reticulation systems and year will be adversely affected. roads progressed satisfactorily ahead of house construction. At 30th June, 1966, 37 houses had It is the particular concern of the Commission been completed and 209 were under construction that, whatever the level of completions for the whole with handovers anticipated at the rate of five to six State may be, sufficient houses and flats are made per week. Contracts were let for the first group of available to those sections of the community which 14 shops in the Town Centre. Work has progressed look to the Commission to meet their housing on the grade separation giving access to the Town needs because they are not able to finance their Centre, an ornamental pond and the preparation of housing requirements on the terms offering to the various reserve areas. Preparation of a specific area public at large. This accommodation needs to be to be set aside for private sale to home builders is either in the form of rental or purchase but, if the nearing completion. These sites will be fully roaded latter, only where minimum deposits, long terms and sewered and will be made available in the new and low interest rates are available. To arbitrarily financial year. confine this demand the Commission has continued to adopt maximum limits for applicants of $50 per The Commonwealth/State Housing Agreement week for rental and $60 per week for purchase. ex pi red at 30th .I une, 1966 and a new Agreement has Currently, the Commission has 33.995 dwellings been negotiated with little amendment to the exist­ let on weekly tenancies, and of the tenants 5,173 ing provisions. It was expected that at this juncture are on reb:lted rents because they are unable to pay the Commonwealth would have given consideration the comparatively low rents charged by the to the provision of additional finance for the specific Commission. needs of housing for elderly persons and the 7 acquisition and clearance of slum areas. This did The General Revenue Account discloses a loss not happen but the Commonwealth has indicated on rental operations of $383,787 compared with a that it is still prepared to consider these matters, loss of $476,896 for the previous year. In April, possibly as an amendment to the Agreement at 1966 minimum rents chargeable under the averaging some later date. scheme were increased by $1.25 accounting largely for the reduction in the loss for the current year. This was the second year of an expanded three Tt is estimated that this increase will dispose of the year slum reclamation programme which provides rental loss in a full year. for an expenditure of the order of $2,600,000 per annum on acquisition and clearance. Expenditure Expenditure on all of the variable items of cost for the year was $2,426,843. In addition $7,669,144 - municipal rates, maintenance, administration, was spent on the redevelopment of these areas. rental rebates rose during the year and will continue to rise. Rental rebates amounted to To 30th June, 1966 a total of $54,279,208 had $963,537 --a rise of $87,333. This was the direct been spent on the acquisition and redevelopment of result of the Commission's continuing elderly slum areas. Although this constitutes a substantial persons building programme. expenditure and has allowed some 200 acres to be acquired and 130 acres to be redeveloped fully, the The rental loss has been offset by profits on rate of clearance is far from satisfactory. Funds at house sales aHd interest received leaving the General the present annual level allow clearance to proceed Revenue Account with a loss on all operation.;; of at the rate of approximately 20 acres per annum $82,329. against the known requirement that at least 800 acres should be cleared without delay. The Commission records its appreciation of the Redevelopment can be accelerated by the par­ outstanding contribution made by Mr. V. J. A. ticipation of private enterprise in such projects and Bradley to housing in the State of Victoria over the there is evidence of growing interest in this direction. 13 years of his membership of the Commission. However, a task of this magnitude cannot be undertaken without adequate finance and no Mr. Bradley was appointed in 1953 as a part realistic progress will be made until funds are pro­ time member of the Commission, as Deputy vided by the Commonwealth Government following Director in February, 1955 and as Director of a pattern so clearly established in the United States Housing and Chairman of the Commission in June, of America, Canada and the United Kingdom. 1956, the last office being held by him until his retirement on 23rd February, 1966. As the tempo of redevelopment increases interest has arisen as to which authority should be During his term of office he set out to improve responsible for planning and carrying out the re­ the standard of low cost housing believing that this development of urban areas. The Commission is could be achieved from the proceeds of more the logical authority to carry out this task for the economical forms of construction. following reasons. It was constituted primarily as a Slum Reclamation Authority and housing will still As emphasis moved from the building of villa constitute the major part of the broader concept of urban renewaL Existing legislation with some minor estates to high density flat estates on slum recla­ mation land, this same search for improved con­ amendments would be adequate.