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Future Housing Needs
Accommodating the future housing needs of a changing population is a major challenge within metropolitan Melbourne. By 2030 the population in the eastern region of Melbourne, which includes the City of Whitehorse, is expected to grow by 111,000 to a total population of 1.1 million people.
About 91,000 new houses will be needed to accommodate this population growth. Existing residents, especially adult children leaving the family home, generate most of the demand for new housing.
It is projected that almost 90 per cent of additional households over the next 30 years will be made up of only one or two people. By 2030, one in four Melbournians will be older than 60. By planning for future housing needs we can cater for our ageing and changing population while preserving our livability.
Building on two key Government policies known as Melbourne 2030 and Melbourne @5 Million, the State Government has embarked upon a new program known as the Housing Growth Requirements Program, to determine the capacity of the Metropolitan Melbourne area to accommodate the predicted future housing needs. The stated outcomes of this program are as follows:
- Inform policy development and planning
- Ensure efficient and appropriate use of land
- Coordinate the provision of infrastructure and services
- Measure the potential benefits of new infrastructure
- Be the first step in facilitating an increase in net dwellings.
Council, together with all other metropolitan councils, is participating in the first key stage of the Housing Growth Requirements Program, this being the Capacity Assessment Project. This component of the program seeks to undertake a systematic assessment of the housing capacity of established areas and provide detailed housing information in support of state and local government planning for housing. The Housing Capacity Assessment will provide key information on housing opportunities in established areas and ways to facilitate improved housing outcomes. This assessment is also to provide tools to:
- Identify, track and model patterns of housing development
- Integrate infrastructure to support housing provision
- Better inform the community of issues and opportunities for housing.
The outcomes of this state government project will complement Whitehorse City Council’s own housing strategy which seeks to locate housing close to major shopping centres and public transport facilities, while protecting our sensitive landscapes and neighbourhood character.
For More Information
For more information contact Council’s Planning Department on 9262 6303 or visit Council Offices at 379-397 Whitehorse Road, Nunawading, between 8.30am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday. Please note that Planning Officers are available by appointment only, so it is best to call first and arrange a time. Alternatively, email customer.service@whitehorse.vic.gov.au