Sensible Coastal Planning a Win for the Community  

 

Tony De Domenico, Executive Director UDIA (VIC)

Coastal communities will benefit from the new planning guidelines announced by the Victorian Government which provides for a sensible approach to the risks of rising sea levels, the Urban Development Institute of Australia (Victoria) said today.

 

Executive Director of the UDIA (VIC), Tony De Domenico said, "the revised standards in relation to floor height levels being staged over a period of time to allow the community to adjust to planning changes  is both a commonsense and humane way in dealing with the issue."

 

"The previous scheme, designed on the worst case scenario and introduced immediately by the former State Government, did not allow for the immediate social and economic impact on coastal towns."   

 

"The revising of Victoria's coastal planning scheme, which in the past had created uncertainty for individuals trapped and unable to develop their land, now allows for the orderly expansion of coastal townships to create long term sustainable communities and is a major win for the community."

 

Mr De Domenico said the certainty in the planning process would create more confidence in the development industry to consider investing in appropriate styles of development for coastal areas, ultimately leading to the creation of jobs and services.

 

"This announcement comes at a time when there is an urgent need to streamline the development process, provide councils and the industry with certainty to process applications in a timely manner to re-ignite the building industry in Victoria to create jobs in regional and coastal areas."

 

"Home ownership in Australia is one of the cornerstones of economic and social stability as well as a major employment driver and with low interest rates the timing to renew development in coastal areas is well aligned with monetary policy."

 

"The recent release of the projected Victoria in Future 2012 figures by the Victorian Government showing an average growth rate of .3 per cent between 2011 and 2031 seeing Victoria's population grow from 5.6 million to 7.3 million will underpin demand in the property industry long term."

 

 "In Victoria the industry directly employs around 310,000 full time employees, contributes around 12 per cent of the state's gross domestic product and contributes $4.6 billion in taxes to all tiers of government," Mr De Domenico said. 

 

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