Macedon Ranges Shire Council is seeking clarity on how it will achieve its Victorian Government imposed housing target of 13,200 new homes by 2051.
The state government set targets for each municipality last year and warned councils they would need to unlock land for housing or it would “do it for you”.
At MRSC’s ordinary meeting last month, councillors revealed they were still unclear on what types of housing would count towards the target.
Cr Cassy Borthwick moved a motion seeking clarity from Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny on the target “to ensure mandated growth is measurable, trackable and constrained within available and planned infrastructure capacity”.
“We need clarity on counting rules, which housing categories can contribute to the target… and critically how infrastructure will keep pace with the mandated growth, so that we are not disadvantaged,” she said.
“There is definitely an element of angst and anxiety that exists within our communities, not just about how their lives are going to be shaped, but about what it means for what makes the Macedon Ranges truly beautiful and special.”
The council is seeking details on the “activation date for MRSC’s housing target” and the baseline for the council and each township on that date.
MRSC also wants a clear definition of ‘housing’ and whether retirement living, aged care, land-lease communities, apartments, build-to-rent, tiny homes, townhouses and stand-alone houses count towards the target.
Cr Jennifer Anderson said the definition of ‘housing’ would change expectations for population.
“We are now getting a whole lot of retirement villages in the Macedon Ranges, and these are not counted as dwellings in the planning scheme – so, are they counted as a house? If they’re not, we’re getting a much bigger population than the housing targets,” she said.
Council has also asked how “state-intervened developments” will be considered such as the proposed 2000+ homes for Clarkefield. That development has now entered the state government’s Development Facilitation Program to be determined by the planning minister.
MRSC CEO Bernie O’Sullivan will write to the planning minister and provide a report to the council by July.
