Faster approvals for housing in Victoria.

The Victorian government is taking on the State's housing growth challenge with gusto. Yesterday it released the long awaited housing strategy. Among the many important reforms to support home buyers, renters and the homeless, the strategy also contains initiatives aimed at increasing housing supply across the State:

• Social housing redevelopment projects will be fast tracked.

• The Fast Tracked Government Land Service will be used to amend planning controls on underutilised government land holdings.

• The Streamlining for Growth program will reduce delays in the approval of developments in growth areas and the rezoning of strategic sites in established areas.

• The Vicsmart program will be extended, with the aim that 30% of permits are fast tracked. The program will be extended to cover new categories of residential and non-residential developments.

• The planning scheme amendment processes will be improved via online systems.

These reforms are on top of the substantial greenfields program being overseen by the Victorian Planning Authority, which will result in 100,000 new residential lots being made available in 17 new precincts across Melbourne’s growth areas.

(Next task - finalising the review of of Melbourne's residential zones !)

Read more here