MELBOURNE S To Boom Under A $200 Billion State Government Blueprint To House An Extra One Million People Over The Next 20 Years

John Masanauskas From: Herald Sun November 09, 2011

MELBOURNE’S growth suburbs would become vibrant communities under a $200 billion State Government blueprint to house an extra one million people over the next 20 years.

New railway stations, major road links, well-resourced town centres and job precincts are envisaged under the bold plan to be released today.

The Baillieu Government wants Melbourne’s cherished liveability to be replicated on the city fringe, with residents living in affordable housing close to shopping centres, schools, health services and jobs.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy said yesterday the Growth Corridor Plan could be the nation’s biggest construction project.

“This is about managing Melbourne’s growth into the future … how the city will manage an extra million people over time,” he said.

“And it can be done with improvements to transport, regionalising jobs in our suburban centres and better health and education facilities in those centres.

“You could potentially house up to 1.3 million people, you are looking at a plan the size of Adelaide.”

Major features include:

OPTIONS for new rail stations in growth areas such as Sunbury, Toolern, Clyde, Tarneit, Donnybrook and Wyndham Vale;

POSSIBLE road projects such as the outer metropolitan ring and new arterials;

CONSTRUCTION of 350,000 new homes and jobs for 400,000 people;

A MAJORITY of residents living within walking distance of well-serviced town centres; and

MAJOR new parks and reserves and protection of natural habitats.

Overseeing the plan is the Growth Areas Authority, which will take public submissions from today in a six-week consultation period.

GAA chief executive Peter Seamer said the plan, begun under the previous Labor government, was about opportunity and protecting the best of Melbourne.

“We want a town centre to be a place for employment, for alfresco eating … where you’d like to go on a Saturday morning and have a cup of coffee,” he said.

“We want to be creating Box Hill and Brunswick, we don’t want to be creating a horrible place like Belconnen (in Canberra) with its sprawl and its very low density.”

The growth areas plan will be a key part of a new metropolitan planning strategy being formulated over the next two years for the whole of Melbourne.

Mr Guy said that, while funding for new rail station options was yet to be allocated, he was confident developers would contribute.

“We changed the law to allow the developers’ growth areas tax to be used on state infrastructure,” he said. “The tax may be used now to offset or construct a railway station or interchange.”

Tony De Domenico from the Urban Development Institute Australia Victoria said it was welcome news to those who couldn’t afford housing now.

“Many Victorians have not only found owning a house out of reach, but even renting was getting beyond the reach of many families,” Mr De Domenico said.

He said it would also help ensure the working future of the more than 200,000 people directly and indirectly linked to the development industry.