Where hundreds of thousands of extra people will fit in city’s north

A home building blitz will reshape this area in Melbourne’s outer north. Here’s what else locals say is needed in the growth corridor.

A major activity centre called Cloverton in Kalkallo will house up to 380,000 new residents.

Tens of thousands of new homes are set to be built in Melbourne’s outer north over the following decade as new job hubs are created and the population soars.

Planning for new precincts and activity centres in Hume, Whittlesea and Mitchell is gathering pace in a bid to cater to growing demand, with proposals for new high schools and tertiary education facilities, as well as for a potential hospital and justice centre.

Council chiefs in those areas have signed a historic agreement to work together on a major activity centre called Cloverton in Kalkallo, which will cater to 380,000 nearby residents and aims to generate 50,000 jobs long-term.
Further north, on the outskirts of Melbourne near Beveridge and Wallan, precincts are being planned for a population swelling from about 50,000 to 234,000 within two decades.

A masterplan for Cloverton has been created by Stockland.

A masterplan for Cloverton has been created by developer Stockland, which will soon open a display village showcasing 15 energy efficient homes billed as “net zero” options.

Other homes in the community have 6-star green building ratings and general manager of Stockland’s Communities Development Victoria, David Allington, said there would be a range of styles that would “play an important role in providing accessible home ownership options”.

This includes townhouses and various land sizes aimed everyone from first homebuyers through to young families and downsizers.

“As part of the Metropolitan Activity Centre, plans are underway for a future high school, a future tertiary education facility, a proposed train station, a future retail centre, and future health facilities,” he said.

Mitchell council chief executive, Brett Luxford, said the growth corridor in the north has massive potential but required significant infrastructure upgrades such as new links to the Hume Fwy and extra services.

He said Cloverton as one piece of the puzzle had enormous potential and would help create jobs, which was crucial given a population of 50,000 people in Mitchell was expected to soar past 234,000 by 2040.

There are also plans for a hospital, justice precinct and commercial facilities.

“It’s a real challenge for us, because you like to have one job for every house,” he said.

“Cloverton is a really interesting piece of work that will hopefully be a site for a hospital, a site for a justice precinct, a whole range of larger commercial facilities, opportunities for employment,” he said.

He said the Beveridge Interstate Freight Terminal due to open this decade would be a game-changer for the region, but would also accelerate the need for freeway interchange upgrades.

The work in the north is separate to the 10 new activity centres recently announced by the Allan Government in its Housing Statement, which is designed to add 60,000 homes closer to jobs and services.

Those areas that have special planning controls are designed to create more 20 minute neighbourhoods where residents have what they need within walking or cycling distance.