Bonnyrigg Living Communities Project by Housing NSW, supported by Bonnyrigg Partnerships
The Bonnyrigg Living Communities Project is the first public housing Private Public Partnership in Australia and comprises the comprehensive renewal of the Bonnyrigg public housing estate. Built in the early 1980's, it has 933 dwellings, 833 of which are Radburn styled public housing at the end of their economic life situated in a poor urban environment. The estate has approximately 2,900 people with many residents on very low incomes and or are unemployed. The concentration of disadvantage at Bonnyrigg is manifest in poor social outcomes including very high rates of unemployment, relatively high crime rates and vandalism, poor educational and health outcomes and stigmatisation of social housing in the eyes of the wider communities.
The Bonnyrigg Project is designed to achieve comprehensive, sustainable and integrated social and physical renewal of the estate in partnership with the local community. With a capital cost of approximately $733M, the project comprises the redevelopment of the estate and transforming an existing community over 13 years to provide a total of 2,332 new dwellings in a master planned estate, of which 833 will be new social housing.
The Project is structured as a partnership between Housing NSW and Bonnyrigg Partnerships, a consortium of Hastings Funds Management, Westpac Bank, Becton Property Group, Spotless Facilities Management and St George Community Housing. The consortium has links with the community via Bonnyrigg Management. The project represents a unique partnership between government, private and not for profit sectors, and the community and has established innovative solutions for the delivery of large scale urban renewal and social housing provision. It draws on the strengths of each party in funds management, finance, urban and dwelling design, tenancy and facilities management plus the underpinning strengths of community renewal and engagement required to deliver all facets of the project.
Judges Comments
The Bonnyrigg Living Communities Development led by Housing NSW established a challenging agenda for the renewal of a degraded social and urban environment. The resulting scheme is a unique Public Private Partnership to replace the existing site of 833 aging energy inefficient dwellings into a mixed development of 2332 five star rated dwellings, 70% of which will be privately owned and 30% managed by a community housing association. New community and amenity facilities are also to be provided.
The leadership, innovation and execution by Housing NSW has successfully harnessed the commitment and creativity of the private sector to deliver the scheme. At the same time Housing NSW ensured and maintained a high level of engagement and support with the resident community.
A remarkable achievement which provides important benchmarks and lessons for the future in terms of social inclusion, housing diversity, density and most importantly – community development.