Shiers Street Housing Redevelopment

The Northern Territory Government (NTG) is redeveloping the public housing complex on Shiers Street in The Narrows in partnership with the community housing sector.

The NTG has invested $14 million to start the process of transforming this legacy site into a modern, fit for purpose precinct with a mix of social and affordable housing.

The new housing will be designed to promote liveability in tropical climatic conditions, improve the look and features of the neighbourhood and make living in the area more enjoyable for tenants and residents.

Demolition

A tender has been awarded to NTEX to undertake demolition of the existing buildings and associated infrastructure and conduct site remediation.

The contractor has taken possession of site on 22 August 2023 with works expected to take up to 40 weeks.

Works will talk place Monday to Friday between 8:00am and 4:30pm. Some weekend work may be required.

The contractor will take all practicable measures to reduce impacts to nearby residents such as noise and dust.

There will be no changes to traffic or detours in place.

Demolition and environmental requirements will include the removal of trees on site. The project team will consult with neighbouring houses to understand preferences for replanting or screening to make the area look nice for locals when the redevelopment is complete.

Construction

Construction of the new housing is not part of the current phase of works.

It is proposed that Shiers Street will be redeveloped through a two-staged process. The second stage of the process will include identifying a Community Housing Provider (CHP), or consortium who will undertake construction and manage the housing on site.

Further background

The Shiers Street housing was built in the 1970s and is no longer fit for purpose. Refurbishing existing buildings at the site does not represent a value for money outcome for government.

Residents at Shiers Street have been progressively transferred to alternative public housing accommodation since 2021 to prepare for the site’s redevelopment.

Redeveloping Shiers Street in partnership with the community housing sector was identified as a commitment under the Northern Territory Community Housing Growth Strategy 2022-32 launched in April 2022. Read more about the community housing  growth strategy on the Territory Families, Housing and Community website.

The project will build upon the ongoing transition of management of social and affordable housing from the Northern Territory Government to registered Community Housing Providers. This aligns the Territory with best practice housing approaches from other Australian and international jurisdictions.

The benefits of social and affordable housing managed by Community Housing Providers includes:

• access to revenue not available to the Northern Territory Government, such as Commonwealth Rent Assistance and low cost finance
• improved tenancy and asset management – required by rigorous key performance indicators under the National Regulatory Scheme for Community Housing
• more tailored supports for people with complex needs or experiencing major life events
• leveraging options which allow providers to grow their portfolios while increasing the number of available, social and affordable dwellings.