An innovative affordable housing complex in Bomaderry has earned a prestigious planning award, recognising the successful partnership between Shoalhaven City Council, Southern Cross Housing (SCH) and Homes NSW behind its delivery.
Last week, Council won the Culture Change Innovation/Excellence in Planning and Development Services award at the 2026 Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Planning Awards in Sydney for the Coomea Street 39-unit affordable housing development.
“This award is a great honour for Council and shows the excellent outcomes that can be achieved when organisations work together,” Acting Mayor Peter Wilkins said.
“In this case, we combined our resources to solve a problem that affects our community – a shortage of affordable and social housing. The benchmark Coomea Street development is the result of long-term commitment and planning, providing modern, fit-for-purpose housing close to public transport, shops and services.
“We look forward to this collaborative approach being used in future affordable residential developments as we galvanise our efforts to boost housing supply,” Councillor Wilkins said.
“This accolade is a credit to the dedication, skill and professionalism of Council Strategic Planning staff, who collaborated closely with SCH and the NSW Government on the project for many years,” Council CEO Andrew Constance said.
The Coomea St complex opened in February and houses more than 60 people in the 25 new social homes and 14 affordable housing units.
The Council-owned site originally accommodated three old buildings that were being managed by SCH. In 2017, Council purchased two adjacent properties and donated the land to SCH, who then developed the housing complex with the support of the NSW Government $4.8 million investment in the project through its Community Housing Innovation Fund (CHIF).
In its award citation, LGNSW said the project delivered an ‘exemplar’ $22 million + landmark development, transforming well located, underutilised Council land into 39 modern high-quality social and affordable units.
“Co-designed from the earliest stages, it exemplifies how cross-tier collaboration involving local Councils, combined with early proactive community engagement can help solve regional affordable housing shortages, setting a new benchmark for an inclusive planning and development response that has been widely recognised and showcased,”- LGNSW Planning Awards 2026.
Pictured: Council Manager – Strategic Planning Gordon Clark, Southern Cross Housing Group CEO and Managing Director Alex Pontello and Councillor Luciano Casmiri with the Culture Change Innovation/Excellence in Planning and Development Services award.
