City’s solution to population boom and urban sprawl: Boost infill development

The city aims to more than double the amount of subdivisions and new developments in established areas, as it battles a population boom, housing affordability and urban sprawl

Geelong council plans to more than double the amount of subdivisions and new developments in established areas, as the city battles with a booming population, urban sprawl and poor housing affordability.

The city has revealed it is well behind its strategic target of providing half of all new housing developments in established areas by 2047, with 21 per cent of new developments built in existing areas in 2021-22.

An aerial image of the Armstrong Creek urban growth area to the south of Geelong.

Over the past five years “broad-hectare lot construction” in new areas came at an average annual rate of 2950 new lots, compared to about 750 new constructions in infill areas.

City of Greater Geelong city planning and economy director Gareth Smith said the push to encourage a greater proportion of infill housing development was key to helping the city grow while controlling urban sprawl.

“Ensuring that there is a diversity of housing options available to meet our community’s needs, while maintaining what people love about living in this region, is a key priority for us,” Mr Smith said.

“We’re delivering on our strategy to direct growth to locations with access to services and facilities, while protecting neighbourhoods from inappropriate development. That means offering more diverse housing options around rail lines and shopping areas.

“One of our key aims is to increase the share of housing development occurring in established areas to 50 per cent by 2047. In 2021/22, the share was 21 per cent of all lots.

“It’s all about maintaining a mix of greenfield development and urban consolidation to make sure people have greater housing choice and affordability while limiting urban sprawl.”

City director Gareth Smith. Picture: Glenn Ferguson

The city’s 2020 Settlement Strategy found it currently had enough residential housing supply to cater for a 2.5 per cent population growth over more than 25 years, largely boosted by the major Northern and Western Growth Areas.

The plan outlines the opening of 20.9sq km of land in Lovely Banks and 32.41sq km in Batesford, to allow for an estimated 112,078 new residents by 2050.

The city’s push to increase infill housing is key to ensuring Geelong’s urban sprawl doesn’t continue unabated, with strategic planning in central Geelong, South Geelong, Pakington St, Geelong West, the former Geelong Saleyards and the Fyans St and West Fyans St urban renewal area all under way to promote infill development.

But the push for infill development has become contentious for the wider public, with the city facing repeated objections to strategies aiming to direct – and attempting to carefully limit – infill development into existing suburbs.

A city bid to overhaul Pakington St to help realise its “development potential” has caused protests from the community, particularly around a push to encourage residential developments of up to 10 storeys in Gordon Ave and up to eight-storeys on sections of Pakington St.

Another controversial plan to allow for high-density developments of up to seven-storeys in South Geelong was adopted by the council last month, despite a last-ditch attempt to slash preferred building heights.

The community opposition often faced by the city as it moves to direct infill development is one of the key challenges it must juggle while trying to guide the sensible growth of a booming city.

Originally published as City’s solution to population boom and urban sprawl: Boost infill development