Last week, I went to a new doctor, the fifth in 10 years. She was young, clever and caring. I asked if she planned to stay and her response was surprising. “I’ve bought a house and want to stay. I just need to see how I survive the winter.” I suspect her house will let us down.
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Unlike my doctor, we have perhaps underestimated the impact of our climate on whether a doctor or other new residents will put down roots. An improved café culture does not make up for a draughty house and rising energy bills.
Council has invited input into a future Housing Strategy and there are two questions to be addressed.
The first is: what standards will the council set to ensure new homes are comfortable all year round and lower energy bills? In 2018, developers should be required to deliver eight star rating homes as the norm. Attention to insulation, aspect, water capture, rooftop solar, sympathetic landscaping and climate-friendly building and design should be the rule, not the exception.
The second question is: what are the limits to growth if quality not quantity is to drive our regional brand? Development should not continue as an assault on nature and built heritage. The new housing strategy must prevent urban sprawl spreading like cancer.
Goulburn’s climate poses a reputational challenge and a more rigorous planning regime can deliver comfortable, energy efficient housing precincts to meet the challenge. When homes are genuinely comfortable and energy costs low, it is likely that new residents like my doctor will choose to make our region her home.
