This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
Growth boundaries will be drawn up for Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo to ensure the 200,000 homes developed over the next 30 years in the regional Victorian cities are closer to the middle of town.
Premier Jacinta Allan and the minister for planning Sonya Kilkenny were in Ballarat to launch Plan for Victoria, a 30-year plan which sets out 22 actions and will see regional city boundaries developed in partnership with regional councils.
The announcement follows a week of several key housing policy announcements, most of which were centred around the Melbourne metropolitan area as the government sets its sights on delivering 2.24 million homes across the state by 2051.
Among the actions are implementing housing targets for every Victorian local government area, implementing new controls to streamline planning in activity centres, incentivising more social and affordable homes across the state, and designing and building better quality homes and apartments; and protecting tree canopies and introducing minimum open space requirements in planning.
The Plan has five “pillars”: “housing for all Victorians, accessible jobs and services, great places, sustainable environments, and self-determination and caring for Country”.
It replaces the existing metropolitan strategy Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 and regional growth plans. It was developed following the “most extensive community-led consultation ever”, with more than 110,000 Victorians engaging either online or in person, producing hundreds of submissions and more than 15,000 items of feedback, the government said.
One of the key actions in Plan for Victoria is a commitment to “carefully manage the outward sprawl of regional cities and towns.”
Regional boundaries will be developed in partnership with councils, and they will “only expand outward if this is consistent with the vision for these places and if and when councils and other authorities can provide the necessary infrastructure (such as water and sewerage) for more people.”
“Regional boundaries will make sure growing areas can keep growing in a sustainable way. Regional councils know their community best – that’s why we’ll be working with them,” Kilkenny said.
Melbourne has a defined boundary, and the Bass Coast, the Surf Coast, the Bellarine Peninsula and Macedon Ranges have or will soon have protected settlement boundaries.
“But it’s only fair that the boundaries of regional cities get recognition to help them grow sustainably – starting with Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, where more than 200,000 additional homes will go over the next 30 years,” the government said.
Michaela Settle, Member for the district of Eureka, which takes in parts of Ballarat, said, “We can deliver more homes in the regions, but how the regions grow matters. We’ll protect what’s great about it.”
“Regional boundaries will also direct more homes where they’re needed – close to jobs, transport, shops, schools, healthcare, and services – and produce more affordable housing options for the next generation of young people who want to stay and buy in the city where they grew up,” the government said in a statement.
“We need to do everything to give our kids a shot at living, working and raising a family locally. That starts with making sure there’s enough affordable housing choices everywhere in town,” Premier Jacinta Allan said.
Meanwhile, in the regional town of Wangaratta, Minister for Housing Harriet Shing welcomed the 90 residents into 44 new homes at Templeton Street. The Labor government invested $13.5 million in this project, partnering with Uniting Vic. Tas to more than double the number of homes at the site.
The new homes meet the Silver Liveability Housing Standard, are 4 star certified Green Star and have a 7-star NatHERS rating.
The government’s $6.3 billion investment in housing is targeting delivery of more than 13,300 new social and affordable homes right across Victoria. In regional Victoria, more than 4,800 homes are already completed or underway.
