Victoria has proven to be a very desirable place to live, with more and more people choosing to make our great state their home.
However, while the population of Melbourne is booming, growth in regional Victoria is occurring at a slower pace, with 23% of Victorian residents now living in our regions, down from 28% in 1996.
Ensuring regional Victoria attracts a greater share of new residents is a key initiative in Plan Melbourne that will deliver productivity and social benefits to the whole state. The growth of regional centres will create greater employment opportunities, improved health and education services, and more choices for Victorians about where they live and work.
To ensure our regional towns and cities are successful in attracting new residents, the VPA works closely with local councils to identify development and investment initiatives. Furthermore, we assist with the processing of planning applications for strategic sites, so that development can occur in a timely fashion. In recent times, the VPA has had direct planning involvement in Warragul, Drouin, Wodonga, Shepparton, Bacchus Marsh and Torquay.
Our regional towns and cities add vibrancy to our state and play a key role in boosting tourism. We are confident that with the right planning, Victoria’s regions will undergo strong growth into the future.
Streamlining for Growth
The Streamlining for Growth Program is funded by the Victorian State Government and managed by the Victorian Planning Authority. It aims to provide support and capacity building for councils. You can read more about regional projects funded through the Streamlining for Growth program here.
Infrastructure in regional Victoria
The Victorian Planning Authority is working on two important projects to simplify the way financial contributions towards local infrastructure are identified and to help improve how existing contributions plans are implemented.
Collaborating with 16 local councils, the VPA is supporting the implementation of existing Development Contributions Plans through the Regional DCP Toolkit project.
Working with representatives from local government and industry, the VPA is preparing a new and improved way for councils to collect contributions through the Regional Infrastructure Contributions Plan project.
