Developers believe red tape is holding them back from building at least 1000 new homes in Melbourne’s outer suburbs.
Intrapac Property chief executive Max Shifman told 9News he wanted to transform a 200 hectare parcel of land near Gisborne’s centre into thousands of homes.
He said he was trying to do his bit to reach the state government’s target to build almost 5000 homes in the area over the next 10 years.
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But after pushback from Macedon Ranges Shire Council, that plan has been decreased to just 64 properties on larger lots.
With crucial housing targets looming, council’s bold move has left Shifman scratching his head.
“Developers like us are actually trying to deliver housing for people but everywhere we go we find more roadblocks,” Shifman said.
“I would’ve thought in the midst of a housing crisis you’d actually be finding ways of unlocking more opportunities rather than trying to dictate to people how they’ll live and where they’ll live.”
Across Victoria, the government plans to build 800,000 homes in the next decade to address a housing crisis.
But locals in sleepy areas claim their communities don’t have the infrastructure to cope with the ambitious housing targets and fear overdevelopment could compromise country charm.
In nearby Riddell’s Creek, a similar development proposal is pitching to double the small country town’s population by building 1360 new homes.
“We might be fixing one crisis but we’re creating 10 others,” Riddells Creek Planning Group’s Rob McConville said.
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“Development will occur but it needs to be sensible … and it needs to be sustainable to the environment in which we live.”
With developers, community members and council at loggerheads over a clear path forward, the government is no closer to reaching its housing target.
“The only thing delaying us is the approval,” Shifman said.
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