Victorian councils to be consulted on 2m new homes by 2050s
The Victorian government will look to incorporate the local knowledge of its councils in fulfilling the state’s lofty future housing goals.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny, alongside City of Kingston mayor Jenna Davey-Burns, have revealed the draft housing capacity targets for each Victorian local government area (LGA), with the final targets set to be released by the end of the year.
These draft targets mark the latest development in the state government’s broader initiative to construct 2 million additional homes within the state by 2050s, and pre-emptively reduce the pressure of the population growth to come.
With Victoria having the largest annual population growth of all Australian states, the targets were described as primarily focusing on providing access “to the jobs, transport and services Victorians need”.
As part of the state’s mission to further tailor each target to the specialised needs of each LGA, the state government will look to incorporate the feedback and changes proposed by each LGA into the final targets to be announced later this year.
“We want to work in partnership with councils to build more homes in the areas where people want to live – close to the people and the things they love to do,” said Kilkenny on the initiative’s aims.
The Victorian government also detailed that the draft targets would help to facilitate the Housing Statement goal of “70 per cent of new homes going in established areas and 30 per cent in outer suburban growth areas”.
Through the provision of new homes to regional cities and rural areas, the targets will seek to boost access to the jobs, transport and service within key cities and towns, with the City of Greater Geelong notably proposed to accommodate 139,800 new homes by 2051.
“To give the industry the confidence they need to get on and build, we need government and all councils working towards the same goal: more homes for Victorians – in the right places,” stated Allan.