JOBS, schools, roads and more are needed as the City of Whittlesea’s population explodes, according to a report on Melbourne’s outer growth areas.
Whittlesea was one of 10 outer councils that commissioned the report One Melbourne or Two, which stated $10 billion needed to be invested in these areas over the next 15 years or risk dividing Melbourne into the “haves and have nots”.
Whittlesea’s population of 170,000 residents was expected to hit 300,000 in 15 years, while the 10 councils that commissioned the report were expected to get 650,000 more people in the same period, according to a Whittlesea council spokesman. This created an urgent need for schools, the council’s advocacy and communications director Griff Davis said.
He said the council had met Education Minister Martin Dixon who acknowledged the need and said the government was negotiating to acquire sites.
Mr Davis said there was only one job available for every two job seekers in the outer municipalities of Whittlesea, Wyndham, Melton, Hume, Yarra Ranges, Casey, Cardinia, Mitchell, Mornington Peninsula and Nillumbik, compared to one job per unemployed person elsewhere.
He said inadequate roads meant residents in Epping North faced traffic delays on High Street or Epping Road, taking up to 30 minutes to travel a few kilometres.
“We have to invest in roads before you can get an effective bus system, or the buses will be hit by traffic delays,” he said.
“We need a combination of road and bus improvements and a train extension to Mernda.”
