The dream of staying close to family remains a pipe dream for an Australian couple.
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dream → stay → couple
In 2024, Caitlin Holme and Chris Robinson bought into a sprawling 1,840-square-metre block in Bulli, hoping to build a second modular home.
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Holme → buy → home
Ms Holme's sister already occupied one on the rear of the property.
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sister → occupy → property
Their plan was simple: two families, two homes and a shared block.
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plan → share → ?
The sisters could live next door.
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sisters → live → ?
But it has been two years, and the couple is still waiting to build their home.
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couple → wait → home
What’s the problem?
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problem → ’ → ?
According to Wollongong City Council, two modular homes on the property constitute a ‘manufactured housing estate’, which is not allowed under the site’s zoning rules.
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which → accord → rules
I think not many people realise there was this weird thing.
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people → think → ?
Like suddenly two houses means it's a manufactured housing estate?
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it → mean → ?
It's not a caravan park,” Ms Holme told ABC News.
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Holme → tell → News
The city council’s decision has left the couple, who are raising two young children, without a home while still paying rent and a mortgage.
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who → leave → rent
"We don't want to give up on the plan of living next door to my sister and her family; it's too good of a dream to walk away from at the moment.
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it → want → moment
The reality is housing prices are more expensive and our generation has to be a bit more creative about how you make that a reality.
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that → have → ?
But I think [with] everything we've been through in this process, we're not super optimistic anymore; we still just feel so up in the air,” she told the broadcaster.
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she → think → broadcaster
When two homes become an ‘estate’
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homes → become → ?
The couple wanted to be close to their family, so they bought into the 1,840-sq-m block in 2024.
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they → want → 2024
Ms Holme's sister was already living in the modular home at the back of the property.
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sister → live → property
The couple planned to build their modular home at the front.
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couple → plan → front
They were about to live their dream life.
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They → live → life
"It felt like an amazing way we could live in a beautiful spot and make it easier in terms of costs.
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it → feel → costs
This idea was planted when I was pregnant with our first child, who is now four... now we've got our second, and she's just turned one,” Ms Holme said.
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Holme → plant → second
The timing stings because Holme and Robinson were following the NSW government's own playbook.
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Holme → sting → playbook
State and federal policy actively encourages modular construction as a solution to the housing crisis.
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policy → encourage → crisis
In May, the government announced plans to change building laws, citing the Productivity Commission’s estimate that modern construction methods could reduce building costs by up to 20% and cut construction times by half.
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methods → announce → half
The couple was confident that their application would be approved, as the same modular home builder had already completed similar dual-occupancy projects in other parts of NSW, including Port Stephens.
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builder → approve → Stephens
Instead, their application was rejected.
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application → reject → ?
Wollongong City Council said putting two modular homes on the site fell within the definition of a ‘manufactured housing estate’.
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putting → say → estate
"The Wollongong Local Environment Plan permits one such modern method of construction (MMC) development per allotment within the current zoning," a spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → permit → zoning
"More than one MMC home presently constitutes a manufactured housing estate, which is not permissible under the current zoning.
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which → constitute → zoning
Planning legislation does not allow a council to approve a prohibited use."
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council → allow → use
The couple wanted to find a way to make this work.
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this → want → way
After all, they were still paying rent and a mortgage without actually being able to live in their new home.
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they → pay → home
So they consulted a town planner, subdivided the land and resubmitted their application.
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they → consult → application
"It feels like we're still in purgatory.
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we → feel → purgatory
I feel like we did everything that was asked of us.
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that → feel → us
We followed the state and federal government's advice to move out of the city.
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We → follow → city
They're spruiking modular housing.
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They → spruike → housing
We ticked all those boxes and now we're just waiting,” Mr Robinson told the network.
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Robinson → tick → network
Proposed reforms could change the process
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reforms → propose → process
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
