State expands growth corridor

By Melissa Grant
THE Casey-Cardinia region is set to boom again with the State Government planning to snap up the last substantial area of vacant land in the growth corridor.
At least 2,900 hectares between Cranbourne and Officer will be utilised to help the government accommodate Melbourne’s growing population which is expected to reach five million earlier than anticipated.
The State Government last week announced that 600,000 additional dwellings would need to be built over the next 20 years.
Although Spring Street will mainly focus on developing land in Melbourne’s west and north, it will further extend its Urban Growth Boundary (UBG) in the south-east.
The State Government is looking at developing land north-east of the South Gippsland Highway, past Ballarto and Pound roads all the way out to the back of Officer.
It is also considering using a small portion of land west of the South Gippsland Highway and Manks Rd.
Victoria Premier John Brumby said work would begin immediately on expanding the UGB to accommodate 134,000 more dwellings.
“The new UGB will be in place by September 2009 after the government has consulted with the community, councils and developers on where the new boundary will be drawn,” he said.
Landowners in the new area of the UGB will pay a one-off Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution (GAIC) to assist with the cost of building community infrastructure.
“This will be a simple, flat rate charge of $95,000 per hectare and will apply to land brought into the new UGB. As previously announced, a contribution of $80,000 a hectare will apply to land which was brought into the UGB in 2005,” Mr Brumby said.
As a result of a review of the 2005 state developer contribution the government would remove the infrastructure contribution for land that was within the boundary prior to 2005, he said.