Councillor Marg Hogan open to apartments to increase Bathurst housing supply

The city's population could reach 58,622 by 2041, according to .id Consulting projections, raising questions about whether or not the city will have the infrastructure and housing to cope with an additional 13,500 people.

Cr Hogan said she is already "really concerned" about the level of housing and knows that Bathurst Regional Council will have some big decisions ahead to address the issue.

"Looking ahead as a city, we're going to have to look for imaginative ways to deal with an increasing population," she said.

READ MORE: Population projections for Bathurst raise concerns about water, roads

One of the things she said needs to be considered is whether to continue using land on the outskirts of the city for housing developments, or instead to start building up in established areas.

While she doesn't envision high-rise skyscrapers of the likes in Sydney popping up across Bathurst, modest multi-storey apartment blocks are one option she thinks should be explored.

"I am talking about apartments in the appropriate site and built with the environment in mind so that when people step out of those apartments, they're close to amenities, be that parks or shops or neighbourhood precincts," she said.

Cr Hogan has been increasing her awareness of potential housing solutions by attending seminars.

"I'm just doing my own research because I'm aware of some very exciting projects that are happening," she said.

"If you have a look at groups like Nightingale Housing, which operate out of Victoria, and there's another one called Assemble, they have different models. Some of them are rent-to-buy models, but they're also using best practice in terms of design."

She has been learning about affordable community housing models, where there are communal spaces that residents can share.

They are designed so people develop their own community inside the buildings, which Cr Hogan sees as a benefit.

"If you're going to ask people to share these things, there has to be a community benefit and part of that is about the idea of building community and having shared traffic areas in buildings," she said.

Cr Hogan said its the councillors' job is to drive strategy and she hopes the seminars she's attended will put her in a better position to do that when it comes to housing.

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