A new partnership to drive growth in Victoria’s regions

The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) has committed to strengthening its ties with Regional Cities Victoria (RCV) to help plan for the growth of regional Victoria.

On 26 October the two organisations signed a partnership agreement acknowledging a shared vision for Victoria’s regional cities.

The agreement is based on a spirit of cooperation in delivering the Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 actions.

Specifically, the two organisations will share information, communicate and meet on a regular basis to discuss planning tasks and projects.

The population of Victoria’s regions is projected to increase from 1.5 million in 2015 to 2.2 million by 2051, with 60% of this growth to occur in Victoria’s 10 regional cities.

To help plan for this increase and ensure regional cities share in Victoria’s overall prosperity, the VPA offers regional councils grants and staff assistance through its Streamlining for Growth Program.

This program has a budget of $8.5 million over four years for regional town planning projects that deliver new housing, enhanced amenity and transit-oriented development.

Examples of projects funded under this program include a city-wide growth and infrastructure strategy for Shepparton and a plan for a new residential area in Warrnambool.

Other significant regional projects the VPA is currently completing include the Leneva-Baranduda Precinct Structure Plan, which is on exhibition, and the Bacchus Marsh Urban Growth Framework.

Regional Cities Victoria is an alliance of Victoria’s 10 regional cities. The alliance has a key aim of helping regional cities reach their potential by advocating for land-use planning and investment in transport infrastructure and community services.