Victoria Funds Plan to Speed Up Housing Approvals

The Victorian government says it is accelerating the delivery of residential land with grants to councils facing population growth issues and land shortages.

The Streamlining for Growth program has been confirmed for a seventh year with more than $3.2 million available for councils via the program.

“The funding will help councils with staffing or financial support to unblock or fast-track strategic planning projects to deliver new homes and jobs faster,” planning minister Richard Wynne said.

The focus of the program last year was on projects helping Victoria’s economy recover as well as addressing land shortages in growth areas in regional Victoria and Melbourne, he said.

“We know regional Victoria is facing land supply and affordability pressures, which is why two thirds of this year’s funding was focused on the regions,” Wynne said.

Seventeen rural and regional councils will receive a share of $2.18 million from the program.

Victoria is currently outperforming NSW in the number of housing approvals, according to the ABS’ Housing Approvals data.

NSW’s housing approvals increased by 32 per cent in December 2021 over November’s total of 4917, lower than Victoria’s 5733 approvals.

Victoria also outperformed NSW for total private sector housing approvals, 3271 to 2368.

“Prices continue to grow—affordability continues to fall,” Urban Taskforce Australia’s chief executive Tom Forrest said.

“It remains confusing and disappointing that Victoria continues to dramatically outperform NSW when it comes to approvals of new homes.”

Golden Plains Shire Council is one of the 17 regional councils that will receive funding with $315,000 for 7000 new housing lots to cater for a projected population growth of 21,000 in the region, which is between Geelong and Ballarat, during the next 15 years.

In Melbourne, the Casey council is among recipients, with $186,000 allocated to help with Narre Warren Village’s growth and investing in the council area.

The funding is also being used to streamline processes and ensure better regulation, including Whittlesea’s $211,000 to streamline heritage protection in growth areas.

In NSW accessible housing remains a major issue, Forrest said.

“The big area of drop-off has been in approvals for entry level apartments,” he said.

“Millennials have suffered most under the planning policies of the past three years.”