Melbourne Dominates Building Hotspots, Again

Melbourne is again home to 12 of Australia’s top 20 building growth areas with the Rockbank-Mount Cottrell area in Melbourne’s west leading the nation, reveals the latest hotspots report from the Housing Industry Association.

The Rockbank-Mount Cottrell area, located near Melton, has recorded population growth of 59.4 per cent during 2017 -2018 and $224.2 million in building approvals.

“Major infrastructure projects including upgrades to the train station and train lines as well as a new six-lane arterial road connecting the area are expected to maintain the momentum to keep the area as a hotspot next year,” HIA chief economist Tim Reardon said.

The Population & Residential Building Hotspots Report reveals Australia’s strongest markets for home building.

Nationally, an area qualifies as a “hotspot” if at least $150 million worth of residential building work was approved during the 2017-18 financial year, and its rate of population growth is faster than the 1.6 per cent national average.

With 12 locations concentrated around Melbourne, the report says the majority of growth has been seen on Melbourne’s fringes as the city expands.

“Although inner city suburbs such as Southbank and Docklands are also enjoying strong growth as they change to accommodate higher density living,” Reardon said.

Related: Building Construction Shrinking at a ‘Concerning Rate’

National Top 20 Building and Population Hotspots

The remaining areas making the top 20 list are located in Queensland and New South Wales.

“Predominantly in areas surrounding capital cities, Sydney and Brisbane,” Reardon said.

Pimpama took out the top spot for Queensland at third spot on HIA’s list.

Located along the corridor between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Pimpama’s population increased 29.5 per cent between 2017 and 2018, receiving an extra 3674 residents to hit 16,134.

Latest ABS data shows Pimpama recorded the largest growth of any suburb in Queensland.

Because of the cooling residential construction industry, Reardon expects the number of hotspots likely to make the list moving forward to be “centralised” to major capital cities such as Sydney and Melbourne.