The undeveloped housing land (90ha) on the Defence Housing Australia (DHA) Lee Point site should be swapped with the Defence Establishment Berrimah (DEB) site. The DEB site is to be sold off.

The current DHA housing project at Lee Point aims to deliver 800 housing lots, 200 for defence with the rest to be sold on the private market. DHA is wholly owned by the Australian Taxpayer and currently represented by two federal ministers.

Problems with Lee Point as a location

Housing thousands of people at Lee Point will harm Darwin because it;

does not deliver any affordable housing
increases traffic congestion, fuel costs/CO2 emissions,
threatens endangered species, and
significantly impacts on Darwin’s last functional wildlife corridor.

There is an urgent need to increase the supply of affordable homes in Darwin. The Australian Government’s Help to Buy scheme assists people in the low-medium income bracket to buy a house. To qualify for this scheme, a Darwin house/lot price must not exceed $0.6M.

A basic new Darwin house is worth $0.4M, hence a lot needs to be valued at $0.2M or less. The Lee Point defence housing project has lots starting at $0.3M with house/lot typically valued at over $0.8M.

Developing housing lots at Lee Point is highly unlikely to indirectly deliver any affordable housing in the broader Darwin community, refer Independent Housing Report on Lee Point.

Government housing developers should be making efficient use of land, infrastructure and services, and house people near to jobs and public transport – the Lee Point defence housing project does none of these things. Planning for Lee Point has further information.

Action needed

Relocate the DHA housing project at Lee Point to the Defence Establishment Berrimah (DEB) site, refer Fig 1.

Reasons are:

DEB is owned by Defence and is to be sold off
located close to existing services, frequent public transport and defence bases.
Lee Point has only produced expensive lots – refer Alternative sites for defence housing

Fig 1. Map showing DEB and other housing sites (white dots)

Approved housing/infrastructure projects are currently underway at Berrimah (Northcrest), Holtze, Marrara and Zuccoli. DHA houses could be built at these sites while the DEB site is being developed.

Rescoping – The relocated project could be rescoped to include some low-cost lots to help address Darwin’s housing affordability crisis.

In terms of the existing Lee Point location (refer Fig 2), Stage 2 & 3 would be abandoned allowing the area to continue to naturally regenerate (with invasive weed control treatment).

The major investment to date in Stage 2 & 3 has been in a stormwater pipe stockpile – these pipes could be reused at a new location or sold off.

Timing – It is important that action is taken immediately to avoid further disruption to Darwin’s last wildlife corridor refer Fig 1, and Lee Point Biodiversity Corridor, refer Fig 2.

Fig 2. Map showing Lee Point peninsula. Stage 1 is near completion, Stage 2&3 is regenerating after bulldozing occurred in May 2024, future clearing has a red border.

Benefits from relocating and rescoping the Lee Point defence housing project

These benefits assume the new defence housing location will be at Berrimah or a similar area near the Stuart Highway/Darwin defence bases:

Cost of Living – Defence personnel will have reduced travel costs (up to 50% fuel savings). They will have greater access to public transport, be able to cycle to work and have less need for a second car.
Affordable housing – It increases the supply of affordable homes and with the Australian Government’s “Help to Buy” scheme allow more people in low-medium income bracket to buy a home.
Climate Change – CO2 emissions are reduced from less car travel and retaining old-growth forests.
Community health and wellbeing – respects the Larrakia people’s wishes (traditional owners) to have the housing located elsewhere. Avoids a severe impact on people’s enjoyment of Lee Point and problems of biting insects and sewage odours at Lee Point. There is also no school near Lee Point.
Traffic congestion – avoids increased traffic congestion due to more car use and expensive upgrades such as Vanderlin Drive roundabout and duplication of Lee Point Road.
Tourism – does not compromise Lee Point’s significant eco-tourism potential.
Savings for taxpayer – avoids the high infrastructure and services costs associated with an urban sprawl.
Darwin’s biodiversity – avoids a significant environmental impact at Lee Point and a significant loss of old-growth trees in Darwin’s last wildlife corridor.
Threatened species – avoids threatening endangered species at Lee Point.
Community concern – addresses the concern about why Territorians are supporting high-cost infrastructure/housing lots at Lee Point when Darwin has a housing affordability crisis.

Please send an email to government about having the DHA housing project relocated to the DEB site – refer Government Contacts