Housing Trust and partners proudly won the Affordable Residential Development prize for Correa Gardens at the Urban Taskforce Australia 2022 Development Excellence Awards.
Correa Gardens is the first partnership between Housing Trust, Traders and Purple and NSW Land and Housing Corporation funded under NSW Government’s Communities Plus initiative. The $22m project completed in October 2021 is now home to 34 local households ensuring them safe, secure and affordable rental housing.
Correa Gardens, located in Robert Street, Corrimal is within walking distance to public transport, shopping centres and schools and recreational facilities. The project maximises its surroundings with plenty of natural light, cross ventilation and incredible views of the Illawarra escarpment. Dwellings include a mix of one and two-bedroom units and four-bedroom townhouses with outdoor living spaces. Electric vehicle charging stations and other environmental features ensure that energy costs are lower for residents already facing cost of living pressures.
This national recognition from the construction industry is helping change community attitudes towards affordable housing. Housing Trust CEO Michele Adair said “It proves, once again, that affordable rental housing can be recognised by industry peers as being beautiful and functional places that add quality to communities as well as being available to people on low to moderate incomes.”
“It really does help break down the stigma that affordable rental housing is no longer the hideous red brick buildings of the 50s and 60s,” Ms Adair said. “That hasn’t been the case for many decades and winning awards like this continues to prove that.”
This win illustrates the great potential of public, private and not for profit partnerships. Ms Adair said “It starts with the attitudes and courage that our local councils have to embrace design ideas and buildings that enhance both the local area and precinct but also foster diversity of built form and style.”
Work is already underway on a second project between Traders in Purple, Land and Housing Corporation and Housing Trust at “Northsea” located in an iconic Wollongong CBD beachside location. The $65 million complex is one of the first single core mixed tenure developments comprising of social, affordable and market sales in the State. Northsea is due for completion late 2023.
