Councillor Melinda Lawton said concerns about the area turning into “little boxes on a hillside” was part of her decision to vote against Kiama Council’s Housing Strategy.

Cr Lawton was the lone dissenting voice who voted against the Housing Strategy at this month's Council meeting and she did so because she was concerned about urban sprawl dominating the local government area.

The Strategy confirms Kiama Council will add 900 more homes in the local government area by 2029, to meet NSW Government housing targets.

“I understood where the other Councillors were coming from - this document had been on the table for a long time and people felt it needed to move forward,” Cr Lawton told The Bugle, airing her views as a Councillor rather than on behalf of Council.

“However, I was really disappointed that we included areas that seemed excessive and the community thought they were excessive too.

“There’ll be parklands and green spaces to divide up the housing but the way it was put, to me it seemed like a blanket approach.

“The idea is that we don’t get all the little boxes on a hillside - there’s nothing I would hate to see more than pure urban sprawl of housing and nothing else.

“I think it’s vitally important that we have mini shops, schools and employment areas.

“From my perspective I felt the document could have included some more information about the other critical aspects of what’s going to be required to enforce this Housing Strategy.”

Cr Lawton believes the name of the document should become Growth Strategy “so that we can see all areas that make up the whole.”.

“I’m a big believer in creating a document that takes into account all the issues and then working through timelines, allowing it to be a constantly evolving document rather than a complete, submit and we look at it in five years,” she added.

“Potentially it’s something we need to look at every two years, depending on people moving in and out of the area, what employment becomes available, how the LGA changes over time.

“Yes, I was disappointed but now you’ve got to move on and work with it and I intend on being very instrumental in being part of the Strategy, working in as many benefits for community that are possible. I know everyone out there is really desperate for housing - that’s a given - but ensuring we do it properly.

“It’s always that fine line - you won’t please everybody.”

Many local residents have expressed fears that the area will end up resembling other locations already swamped by urban housing sprawl - vast estates with rows of houses with similar design outcomes.

Previous urban sprawl does appear to be a case of “here’s some land, let’s put as many houses on it as possible,” she added.

“And that comes from demand and developers wanting to maximise their return on investment, which I also understand.

“But I think the time for that kind of urban sprawl is coming to an end. Developers are having to think more innovatively, community expectations are very high.

“We are wanting more from our developments. We don’t want houses upon houses. We want walking tracks, cycling tracks, cornershops.”

Cr Lawton said a community member hit the nail on the head when they told her “we don’t need one of everything in Kiama”.

“We need to work regionally to see what other local councils are doing and see where we can share the load in providing services,” she said.

As someone who grew up in Jamberoo, she was particularly concerned that the rural township could lose its unique character if there is too much development.

“Everyone wants to live there because it’s so beautiful, rural and peaceful, however we need to be careful that it’s not loved to death by overdevelopment.

“Our region is lucky that we have independent towns that bring people in.. The beauty, our friendliness and offerings are different from other places, we need to make sure we don’t wipe them out.”

Cr Lawton is also worried the Strategy will not do enough to make housing more affordable and said it is not as simple as incorporating smaller houses or blocks into planning.

“I’m really concerned that housing will be provided but not at a percentage of affordable housing,” she said.

“We’re in a housing crisis so we need to look at things differently.

“Social housing is a big issue. There’s such a small percentage in the Kiama LGA. This needs to be looked at in quickly. It should be one of our highest priorities. It can’t be an afterthought.

“Part of my ongoing commitment to community is collaborating with various community groups to ensure active engagement during the development of further housing and growth policies.”