Disability Advisory Committee member Kylie Knight says Shoalhaven City Council is not listening to the committee's recommendations.
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"It is absolutely frustrating," she said.
"It's even harder when the chairperson of the committee votes against a recommendation."
Earlier this year, the committee recommended that the council make inclusive housing mandatory on development applications.
The recommendation was that applications for medium-density residential housing with more than seven properties being built be required to make one in ten properties conform to the highest standard of accessibility and adaptability.
"They're putting the cost back on to people with a disability, and the elderly, instead of developers," Ms Knight said.
"I'm not aware of any reasonable excuse as to why it was voted down. It's so much cheaper to build a bit of reinforcement into a bathroom, for example, than it is to try and retrofit it later."
The council did move for an opt-in program, which would require those who choose to opt-in to build to the lowest standards for accessible and adaptable housing.
Ms Knight said a lack of accessible housing in the region put pressure on those with a disability, the elderly, and even people with a temporary injury that impairs their mobility.
"Somebody who has a mobility impairment, or has an accident and can't go back into the house, if they're renting, they have to give notice and find other accommodation," she said.
"There's none there. One person in a wheelchair said the only property they could find to rent was a three bedroom property out at Sanctuary Point, where the toilet was outside on the verandah.
"The whole time she lived there she had to go down to the pool to have a shower. There's just nothing."
She said the committee wanted the council to take a more proactive stance.
"We want to get on the front foot, make one in ten new homes have a toilet on the ground floor and a wider corridor, and they said it's not going to happen," she said.
"If you look at the building/Development Application code that they have, it talks about having enough housing options in the Shoalhaven to suit everyone.
"Myself and everybody else on the committee would like to see the council go back to the board and be a bit more proactive with their building codes and make a commitment to inclusion of people with a disability and the elderly."