Donnybrook and Woodstock approved

Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne, has announced the approval of plans for two new suburbs in Melbourne’s north.

The communities, Donnybrook and Woodstock, will be backed by first-class infrastructure – much of it funded by developers.

Developers will be charged $345 million to fund local roads, community centres and parks and $115 in Growth Area Infrastructure Contributions (GAIC) for state projects.

GAIC funding will be used to acquire land for Hayes Hill Primary School and help pay for its construction when the population reaches the trigger point for development.

Furthermore, GAIC will help pay for upgrades to Donnybrook Station around 2020 and help fund the acquisition of land for a new CFA station and ambulance station.

Donnybrook and Woodstock will consist of 1785 hectares of land bounded by the future Outer Metropolitan Ring Road to the North, Merriang Road to the east and Donnybrook Road to the South.

Collectively, the plans will allow for an additional 17,000 new homes and new 2,100 jobs, with the suburbs being developed gradually, over a 30-year period.

Other features of note include five local town centres, six government schools, four non-government schools and 46 hectares of parkland.

Donnybrook and Woodstock are the fourth and fifth new suburbs approved under the Homes for Victorians strategy, which commits to planning an additional 17 Melbourne communities by the end of 2018. This will result in a long-term capacity for an additional 100,000 lots.

After today’s approvals, enough land will have been zoned for an additional 40,000 lots – putting downward pressure on the housing market and helping people achieve their dream of buying a home.

For more on Donnybrook and Woodstock, click here.