By Laura Michell
Hume councillors have slammed the state Coalition’s plan to release close to 300,000 housing lots in growth areas by 2020, saying it will have no benefit for Hume residents.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy recently announced plans to fast track the release of 290,000 blocks of land in growth areas including Hume and Whittlesea in a bid to improve housing affordability if the Coalition wins the state election.
But Hume councillors are concerned the plan will exacerbate the municipality’s infrastructure problems.
Cr Naim Kurt said Mr Guy’s plan lacked detail. He has asked the council to write to Mr Guy to ask for an urgent meeting to find out how the Coalition would resource local councils to deal with the growth and how the Coalition will finance the roll-out of infrastructure.
“How many of these houses will we be expected to deliver? We know that from our end, we are almost at capacity in trying to deal with planning for infrastructure that is required,” Cr Kurt said.
“Growth should be in the inner city where the services and infrastructure exist.”
Cr Joseph Haweil said he was “gobsmacked” when he heard about the Coalition’s plans.
“This man wants to put hundreds of thousands of lots on the market. We struggle to get infrastructure funding in the north of our municipality,” he said.
“[It is] a very disappointing plan that will bring no benefit to the residents of this city.”
Mr Guy said the fast-tracking of 290,000 housing lots was part of a five-point plan to tackle housing affordability.
