The government says the 10 suburban centres have been chosen for their potential to accommodate more homes, while ensuring access to train stations, tram services, town centres, job opportunities, and public services.
Planning Institute of Australia Victorian president Patrick Fensham warned the government not to focus so strongly on meeting its housing target that it loses sight of future liveability in the 10 activity centres.
“The ambition for the activity centre planning is 60,000 additional dwellings, or 6000 on average,” Fensham said.
“For some centres, this will represent a step change in density and intensity. A sole focus on the number of dwellings – ‘hitting a dwelling KPI’ – runs the risk of poor development outcomes, pressure on infrastructure, and incomplete future communities, while possibly alienating the people already living in these centres.”
The maps indicate which streets will fall under the control of the state under planning amendments made last year to speed up approvals for projects with construction costs of at least $50 million in Melbourne or $15 million in the regions, provided they include at least 10 per cent affordable housing.
Camberwell Junction is one of 10 places the state government is targeting for increased housing density.Credit: Wayne Taylor
Fensham said there were places on the fringe of the 10 activity centres, such as railway stations, that are good candidates for significantly increased density.
A simple tapering of density away from the heart of each activity centre may not always be appropriate, he said.
Figures released this week by the Bureau of Statistics show Melbourne’s population surged by a record 166,000 in 2022-23, equivalent to 3185 extra people a week. The previous one-year record increase in population was in 2016, when it added 126,000 residents.
Victoria has not been building anywhere enough houses to meet the demands of population growth, nor has the state ever managed to build 80,000 homes in a single year.
The latest figures, for example, show Victorian councils granted approvals to build a total 51,068 houses, flats and townhouses over the year to January – down 17.6 per cent on the same 12-month period a year earlier.
The government’s own estimates suggest the state will need to build at least 57,000 dwellings a year to keep up with population growth, with the number of Victorians expected to swell by about half to 10.3 million by 2051, up from about 6.8 million currently.
The government says it is planning to work closely with local communities and councils to review design requirements and building heights, stressing there will be no single approach, with its consultation process expected to consider a range of factors, including the amount of public open space and community facilities available.
It says the extra population in particular areas could be accommodated in a range of ways, for example, through more social housing, changing height limits or building more apartments and townhouses.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.