Divide and conquer

Andrew Mathieson
DEMAND for more blocks of land has seen the Geelong region lead Victoria for the most subdivided properties.
Geelong’s council planning portfolio-holder Andrew Katos said City Hall’s recent direction to relax planning policies have given thousands of families the chance of affordable housing.
“If we can do anything, or in particular to come up with ways to help facilitate and speed up the opening of green filled sites, we should encourage that and remove the red tape,” Cr Katos said.
“We’re not talking about urban in-fill or buying several blocks in the heart of town, knocking buildings down and putting up a development.”
Large subdivisions of 10 or more lots jumped by nearly 35 per cent in 2008/09 from the previous 12 months.
Geelong also topped the market in smaller subdivided properties despite a drop from previous record highs.
Cr Katos said new estates in Wandana Heights, Waurn Ponds, Clifton Springs and Lara helped buck the state trends.
“We are a growth area and that sort of statistics is in line with what I would expect too,” he said.
The City has been planning for several years to carve up land at Armstrong Creek, south of Grovedale, to house 60,000 residents in Geelong’s newest super suburb.
Councillors last year sanctioned Planning Minister Justin Madden to have autonomous planning authority over structure plans at Armstrong Creek so to fast-track the development and fill a housing shortfall.
“So that knocked six months off to speed things up, at least,” Cr Katos said.
Cr Katos claimed Melbourne sea-changers have turned their backs on the big smoke.
He said several homebuyers that still commute to work in Melbourne were saving hundreds of thousands buying in the Geelong region.
“The price of land because it is cheaper, when the purse strings tighten up, has become more attractive to a first homebuyer,” Cr Katos said.
While the new home market has been buzzing, planning applications with Geelong’s council has slumped in line with the rest of Victoria.
Permits to build or extend had fallen markedly by almost 20 per cent.
Cr Katos suggested the 2009 global financial crisis hit Geelong hard but expected a significant rise.