Geelong tops state for building permit approvals in 2020/21

Geelong is officially the building capital of Victoria, with new data showing more building permits were approved here than in any other municipality last financial year.

Geelong is the building capital of Victoria, with new data showing more building permits were approved here than in any other municipality last financial year.

Building permit data collected by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) revealed 7770 building permits were issued in the City of Greater Geelong during 2020/21 – the most for any Victorian municipality during the 12 month period, beating Wyndham (7586), Melton (7160) and Casey (6414).

The data also showed Geelong’s permit approvals jumped by 35 per cent compared to the previous financial year (5729) beating both the statewide growth rate of 18 per cent and regional Victorian rate of 32 per cent.

VBA chief executive Sue Eddy said the building sector had continued to thrive during the pandemic.

Geelong is the building capital of Victoria

“Despite the impacts of COVID-19, Geelong’s building permit approvals shows the strong appetite that exists for building activity in the region,” Ms Eddy said.

“It has been a challenging time for all Victorians, however the resilience shown by the building and plumbing industries, and its ability to adapt, has meant Victoria has continued to grow,” Ms Eddy said.

“With continued co-operation, collaboration and safety front of mind, we will hopefully see this positive trend continue through 2021-22 and beyond.”

The Property Council of Australia’s Geelong chair Nat Anson, who is also a planning director with Urbis, said the city’s building boom had been expected – even in the face of a global pandemic.

“A long term high growth rate for greater Geelong has been identified in the City of Greater Geelong’s recent policy documents, including their settlement strategy,” Mr Anson said. “It’s no surprise Covid has increased Geelong’s growth potential based on our amenity, lifestyle and access to key services.”

“What that means is there will be an increased reliance on allowing a diverse range of developments, and an appropriate mix of infill development in existing Geelong.

“What is needed is a diverse array of development outcomes, which equally rely on infill and green field development, and are delivered in a way that maintains the city's amenity and lifestyle.”

The VBA’s building permit data revealed there were 123,330 building permit approvals in 2020/21, an increase of 18 per cent from the previous financial year (104,560) and 13 per cent more than 2018-19 (109,396).

Domestic building permit approvals increased by 22 per cent, with about 19,500 more permits issued in 2020/21 than in 2019-20.

The total cost of works across the state increased from $39.1b in 2019/20 to $41.9b in 2020/21.

Originally published as Geelong tops state for building permit approvals in 2020/21