ASR Research director Robert Panozzo, who presented findings from the Wodonga housing needs assessment study, said a key challenge for the city would be meeting affordable housing going forward.

“Historically, Wodonga has had quite a high proportion of social, public housing stock, but that proportion is gradually diminishing as the city grows,” he said. 

“That is one of the key challenges – how to maintain supply of social housing, public housing stock going forward whilst there’s a decrease in federal, state government investment.”

Mr Panozzo said a lack of housing diversity was a barrier to affordability.

“(Having) one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom stock is really important,” he said.

“To be able to offer choice to a whole range of different demographic audiences: one-person households, larger families, older people – ensuring supply of appropriate stock is quite important.”

But the most common type of housing in Wodonga was separate houses at 82 per cent, with the largest number of stand-alone homes in Baranduda, Wodonga West and Wodonga South.

Deakin University academic Steven Allender, Geelong-based co-director of the Population Health Strategic Research Centre, said the city’s population growth was “huge”.

Wodonga’s population is tipped to reach 54,000 by 2031, representing a growth rate of 2.2 per cent every year.

Mr Allender was confident the forum would lead to a coherent plan to meet this changing demographic.

“The housing strategy that will evolve from this will be able to find the middle ground between different interests,” he said. 

Wodonga mayor Anna Speedie said collaboration between council, developers, real estate agents and community services would be important.