Victoria fast-tracks 2000 homes on underused land

More than 2000 new homes could be delivered across Victoria under a streamlined planning pathway designed to unlock underused land and accelerate housing development in established communities.

Twelve sites spanning metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria have been selected for assessment through the Victorian Government’s Unlocking Strategic Sites program, which aims to fast-track rezoning for land with potential to support new homes, jobs and investment.

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The sites include former industrial land, vacant land, surplus public land, farmland and former livestock yards, with locations ranging from Kialla and Cohuna to Frankston, Oakleigh, Dandenong, Ballarat and Warrnambool.

Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny said the program would prevent suitable sites from remaining unused while lengthy rezoning processes run their course.

“This program is unlocking thousands more homes by making sure suitable sites don’t sit idle for years,” Kilkenny said.

“Instead of suitable sites sitting in the planning system for years, we’re getting them assessed faster so more homes can be built sooner.”

Under the existing council rezoning process, changing the planning controls for suitable land can take two years or more. The streamlined pathway aims to halve that timeframe, helping suitable sites move towards development more quickly.

The latest sites include vacant land surrounding St Anne’s Catholic College in Kialla, farmland at Cohuna, Maryborough and Lang Lang, and vacant land at Lake Tyers. In Melbourne, the program will assess industrial land near Kananook Station in Frankston, surplus council land in Nunawading, commercial and warehouse land in Oakleigh and industrial land in Dandenong.

The former Warrnambool Livestock Exchange and industrial land near the Eureka Centre in Ballarat East are also included, alongside vacant land near existing industrial and commercial precincts in Ballarat.

The new sites follow seven locations announced in April that are already being assessed, with the earlier tranche having the potential to deliver more than 9000 homes.

While the program is intended to accelerate the planning process, each project will still be subject to planning assessment and community consultation. Developments progressing through the pathway will also be required to provide a minimum of 10 per cent affordable housing.

The new pathway will be delivered through the Development Facilitation Program, adding to the Victorian Government’s broader efforts to increase housing supply by making more land available for development.

For communities experiencing housing pressure, the focus is not simply on finding new sites, but on bringing suitable land into productive use. Former industrial areas, vacant parcels and surplus public land can provide opportunities to accommodate new residents while connecting housing to existing infrastructure, employment and services.

The program also provides a mechanism for regional communities to participate in Victoria’s housing growth, with sites outside Melbourne forming a significant part of the latest assessment round.

Kilkenny said the government’s approach represented a clear choice for Victoria’s housing future.

“The choice couldn’t be clearer,” she said. “Labor is unlocking more homes, while the Liberals want to lock them up.”

With the latest 12 sites now entering assessment, the program could help move thousands of potential homes from underused land towards delivery, while retaining planning assessment and community consultation as part of the process.

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