Gippsland › Latest news › Gippsland

Peri Urban Councils welcome $5B federal coalition commitment for housing, enabling infrastructure and growth

Peri Urban Councils of Victoria (PUCV) welcomed the Federal Coalition's $5 billion pre-election commitment to fund housing-enabling infrastructure, aiming to unlock 500,000 new homes and support rapidly growing peri-urban communities.

By news@gippsland - 21st October 2024 - Back to News

Peri Urban Councils of Victoria (PUCV) have today welcomed a pre-election commitment from the Federal Liberal-National Coalition to allocate $5 billion to housing enabling infrastructure. The Program is aimed at unlocking 500,000 new homes across the country and will include direct funding for Local Government to get land development ready in communities like those in Victoria's peri urban areas.

Peri Urban Councils of Victoria (PUCV) welcomed the Federal Coalition's $5 billion pledge for housing-enabling infrastructure to unlock 500,000 homes and support local governments in peri-urban communities

Peri-urban growth surge

PUCV spokesperson and CEO of Baw Baw Shire, Mark Dupe said, "Peri-urban communities across the country were growing at a rapid rate due to their proximity to metropolitan centres, relaxed lifestyle and relative affordability.

"We have always known our communities are great places to live, but as the trend for remote work and higher housing prices in metropolitan areas has increased local demand, the secret is out," Mr Dupe said.

A recent report from the Regional Australia Institute, Regional Movers Index (RMI) March 2024 quarter, identified Victoria's peri-urban local government areas among the fastest growing regions in Australia:

• Moorabool Shire Council was the fourth most popular destination in Australia for people moving from capital cities
• Baw Baw Shire Council ranked 3rd in Victoria and 10th in the nation
• Bass Coast Shire Council ranked 5th in Victoria and 18th in the nation
• Golden Plains Shire Council ranked 5th in people moving from other regions
• Surf Coast Shire Council was ranked as the 5th top hotspots for growth in the nation

"Peri Urban councils struggle to meet the cost of getting land development ready in our communities due to smaller rate bases, limited borrowing capacity and more responsibility for essential infrastructure, challenges that metropolitan councils do not have," Mr Dupe said.

Council housing growth

Mr Dupe also said, "Peri Urban Council Victoria members are expected to need an additional 70,000 houses in the next 15 years which will become homes for about 180,000 new residents, this means growing our current communities by as much as 50 percent."

"Peri Urban Councils Victoria members have forecasted an immediate need of $230million for essential infrastructure like drainage, utilities and roads to enable 40,000 new homes to be built," Mr Dupe said.

"We commend the Coalition for making this commitment to address the issue of housing supply in our communities and look forward to working with them on this policy, if they are to take government at the next election," Mr Dupe concluded.

Pictures from Peri Urban Councils Victoria website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com