One of the modular public housing properties. Photos: Supplied.
A bold new chapter in social housing has begun in Wollongong, with tenants having moved into NSW’s first modular homes – part of a statewide push to fast-track construction of housing for those in need.
NSW’s first three modular homes for Wollongong were brought online in June, with its tenants already calling them home this month.
It’s part of the government’s plan to deliver 90 modular homes over the next year under its record $6.6 billion Building Homes for New South Wales program.
Planning for the additional residences is already well underway, with a further 10 modular social homes expected to be delivered by the end of this year: five in Shellharbour and five in Lake Macquarie.
Modular housing provides a cost-effective and time-efficient alternative to traditional building methods, meaning homes are delivered about 20 per cent faster than usual, with time savings expected to increase as more are made.
Methods include prefabrication and off-site manufacturing, as well as new technologies such as 3D printing, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said housing affordability and availability represented the single-biggest pressure facing people in the state.
“The fact is we need to increase our supply of public housing stock,” Mr Minns said.
“Modular housing allows us to deliver high-quality homes in less time.
“It allows us to build more homes and create more skilled construction and manufacturing jobs.”
The program has already created more than 4000 jobs in factories and on building sites across Sydney and regional NSW.
More homes will be opened in Shellharbour later in the year.
NSW Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness Rose Jackson said it was directly building public housing – and doing it fast.
“These 90 modular homes are just the beginning,” Ms Jackson said.
“We are rebuilding the public housing system after a decade of sell-offs and neglect.
“This is about building homes and creating jobs. It means more work for tradies, manufacturers and apprentices right across the state.”
Each of Wollongong’s first sites features a one-bedroom modular home with a multipurpose room. The structure is installed in the backyard of an existing social housing property, creating extra dwellings for people in need on land already owned by the NSW Government.
Each home aims to be located near the essential infrastructure people rely on.
After forming government, Labor brought together the Modular Housing Taskforce, an expert cross-industry panel that advised on the ways modular housing could be harnessed to deliver more homes sooner in NSW.
In May, Wild Modular co-founder and executive director Tahi Merrilees said modern methods of construction weren’t just about efficiency.
“It’s about innovating with dignity and quality, building a better future for our communities,” he said.
“These homes reflect what’s possible with volumetric modular construction, designed with precision, built under controlled conditions, and installed with minimal disruption.”
In the past year, the State Government has delivered 1711 new social and affordable homes.
