This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
IN a bid to tackle the ongoing housing crisis, Jacinta Allan’s government has told inner and middle Melbourne councils to devise plans to double the number of new dwellings every year in established suburbs which is expected to fire up the NIMBYs.
Premier Allan said councils will have the first chance to show where and how they can unlock space for new homes over the coming decades.
The premier said Victoria has the largest annual population growth of all Australian states, and it needs more than two million additional homes by the 2050s but where these homes go matters.
She added that more homes are needed in established suburbs – close to jobs, transport, education, and services – to give more young people the chance to live near where they grew up, and to reduce future growth pressure on families in Melbourne’s booming outer suburbs.
“That’s where the targets come in,” said the premier. “We need government and all councils working towards the same goal: more homes for Victorians – in the right places.”
The draft council housing targets are largely based on access to the jobs, transport and services Victorians need.
By 2051, the well-connected Boroondara local government area (LGA), is proposed to accommodate 67,000 new homes – which would represent a significant increase in new dwelling approvals against its recent average.
The Kingston LGA is proposed to accommodate 59,000 new homes – contributing to a pattern of growth along the Suburban Rail Loop corridor.
Allan said by reaching their targets, many council areas across inner and middle Melbourne would double their number of new dwellings every year – helping deliver the Housing Statement goal of 70% of new homes going in established areas and 30% in outer-suburban growth areas.
In regional cities and rural areas, the targets will also help deliver more new homes in cities and towns to boost key worker and affordable housing. The City of Greater Geelong is proposed to accommodate 139,800 new homes by 2051.
Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny said the government wants to work in partnership with councils to build more homes in the areas where people want to live.
“Victoria’s councils have the powers to unlock space for more homes by proposing changes to local planning rules.
“The government will consult closely with councils to harness their local knowledge, with councils to report back on the draft target and the local changes they propose,”
The final targets will be released by the end of the year.
The government’s announcement comes after housing advocacy group Yimby Melbourne said introducing enforceable housing targets for the 19 local governments in inner Melbourne would free up 781,956 properties for development, which will deliver 11 million new homes.
“Melbourne is growing. Our city’s urgent need for more homes is clear to all Victorians, and yet most of the policy implemented to-date has been edge-tinkering: granny flats, Future Homes, and the scattered beginnings of outer-urban activity centres.
“Since the introduction of Plan Melbourne, the city has relegated new apartments to a tiny number of “activity centres” on the city’s most polluted, noisy, and dangerous roads.
“Meanwhile, the best blocks of land – those located near public transport on quieter side streets – have been locked up under restrictive zoning and overlays, enforced by local governments on behalf of their most wealthy residents,”
The report proposes residential areas with a three-storey height limit should increase to four storeys, while all low-density residential within 1km of train stations and 500m of tram stops should also be rezoned to allow for six-storey developments.
The advocacy group acknowledges that its proposal will not be popular with NIMBYs.
“Land speculators are happy because they can more easily buy up the lion’s share of developable plots, while rich NIMBYs are also happy because their assets are protected. But this status quo is inequitable, it’s eroding our social compact, and it’s making our city worse.
“For Melbourne to remain a city that values the quality of life of its residents, we need to permit gentle density across each and every one of our most amenity-rich and productive regions, enabling new human-scale homes to be built where people want to live.”
