Peri Urban Councils call for fast action for fast-growing communities

Peri Urban Councils Victoria (PUCV) has called on the major parties to act promptly and invest in fast-growing peri urban communities as political hopefuls make their pitch to the electorate.

PUCV Chair Cr Moira Berry said with more than 72,000 houses needed to accommodate more than 162,000 new residents in the next 15 years, fast action was required to ensure peri urban communities remained connected and liveable.

“We’ve been advocating strongly over the past 18 months to ensure all major parties understand the unique pressure peri urban councils are under and what they need to grow and prosper in a sustainable way,” Cr Berry said.

“As smaller councils we can’t get the sewerage, water and other services in place to make sure houses can be built,” Cr Berry said.

“Our municipalities want to be part of the solution to the housing crisis but we also want to make sure any growth in our towns is backed up with roads, community centres, pools and libraries,” Cr Berry said. 

“Investment in this sort of liveability infrastructure makes growing communities places where people want to live, not just deserted communities with houses people can afford,” Cr Berry said.

PUCV has called for the next Australian Government to 

• invest $230 million to fund housing enabling and liveability projects in peri urban communities; and

• provide new rounds of funding for the Peri-Urban Mobile Program.

“Peri urban communities deserve a fair share from the Federal Government to ensure the towns and new communities under development remain liveable and grow sustainably, while protecting valuable agricultural land and the character of our towns and smaller communities,” Cr Berry said.

“Putting peri urban communities front and centre in this election will go a long way to achieving this outcome,” Cr Berry concluded.