11 April 2024
Vacant office space in the CBD should be converted to affordable housing to help ease the rental crisis, say the Greens, as new data shows Adelaide nearing record low vacancy rates for houses and units.
“It’s pure insanity that we have almost 20 per cent of office space in the city vacant, while people sleep on the street,” said Greens Housing Spokesperson Robert Simms MLC.
“Vacant office space in the city will only be exacerbated by the second Walker Tower which will surely concentrate commercial tenants and leave more old office stock empty. The Government should amend planning laws to ensure that vacant office space can be more easily converted into affordable rental accommodation.”
“We are experiencing the worst housing crisis in generations, we simply cannot afford to see buildings laying dormant.”
The Greens have also called for a rent freeze, changes to planning laws to increase supply of social and public homes and new taxes to be applied on vacant residential property.