Mr. Paul Hogan:

The 30% figure came at the request of one of the planning authority representatives from the local government management side. There is a need to provide mixed-use-type developments that are still overwhelmingly residential, but include employment space, offices, shops, commercial outlets and other facilities such as gyms simply because it allows for a more varied environment where people have a choice of things to do, in particular at ground floor level and sometimes in separate or discrete blocks. Large-scale developments that are solely residential can be quite limited. The 30% figure was decided on to try to address that practicality whereby those sort of schemes are still primarily and overwhelmingly residential. The issue was considered by the working group and that is what came out as a reasonable figure.

I will ask one of my colleagues to confirm whether the student accommodation matter was considered. I am not aware that it was but, very simply, the logic is that student accommodation gives rise to a demand for residential accommodation, however that may be, notwithstanding the concentrations the Senator referred to. We believe that should be addressed, perhaps, through other means such as local housing need assessment.

On the question of community consultation, that should be taking place at the development plan stage. I was cut off earlier when explaining that, but the development plans need to be stronger and more directive about certain things. We need to work on strengthening how that might happen so that when an application comes in, the community knows what to expect and has already been engaged. We cannot rely on the developers to do that. It is open to them, but they do not always do it.

Does anybody wish to add anything further on student accommodation?