Manningham's housing growth projections have been reduced by more than 25 per cent, following the State Government's decision to scale back its proposed targets.
The revised housing target for Manningham is 28,500 new dwellings by 2051, down 10,500 from the proposed figure released in June 2024.
However, the target is still significantly higher than what Council had been planning for (8,000 dwellings by 2036), increasing Manningham's existing housing stock by more than 50 per cent.
Manningham Mayor, Councillor Deirdre Diamante said: "While the reduced target is positive, we're still concerned about the impact this will have on Manningham's character and liveability, particularly without detailed information and meaningful consultation."
"We're eager to better understand the thinking and data behind the targets, as well as how the state and federal governments will support the market to provide this additional housing.
"We've raised concerns about how the necessary infrastructure and community services will be funded to support these housing targets.
"Our ongoing efforts to engage with the state government, specifically on our draft target number, have been met with silence.
"The state's decisions have progressed without transparent consultation and adequate consideration of their potential impact, and we have no visibility of how the targets will be enacted," Cr Diamante said.
In mid-2024 Council undertook extensive community consultation on both its Residential Discussion Paper and Activity Centre Design Concepts.
"We understand the need for housing development in Manningham and are reviewing our Residential Strategy in response to this need with input from our local community."
The initial phases of engagement aimed to help Council better understand the community's needs and aspirations for the future of housing and managing growth in Manningham.
As part of the Residential Discussion Paper consultation, more than 70 per cent of respondents said the 'look and feel of their suburb' was their main reason for living there.
The community expressed similar values and preferences in their feedback on the Activity Centre Design Concepts. Around half of the survey participants urged the importance of protecting areas in Manningham's green wedge from development because of the sensitive environment, valued character and amenity, and lack of public transport.
These community's insights are now helping inform the preparation of the draft Manningham Residential Strategy and draft Activity Centre Design Guidelines, which will both open for community consultation later this year and will now also consider the final housing target.
"Planning needs to ensure that the housing delivered is diverse and provides for a range of incomes, lifestyles and life stages. It should also consider the impact on core infrastructure, the environment, public transport, traffic and more," Cr Diamante said.
"We're committed to ensuring that our community's values are reflected in the plans for Manningham's housing future, while aligning with the state's requirements."
Planning for the provision of infrastructure and community services is a joint responsibility of both levels of government, with each level of government responsible for different infrastructure and community services.
"Like many councils, Manningham also faces significant challenges to long-term financial sustainability due to cost shifting by the state government, rate capping, rising costs, increasing population and rising community expectations.
"To address this, we need to engage with and seek support from other government levels to find sustainable solutions. Rate capping and funding gaps hinder our ability to meet increasing demands and provide essential services and infrastructure.
"We've reached out to the state government with the goal of collaborative understanding and planning as we plan ahead for housing in Manningham.
We want to achieve best outcomes for our community and will await their response with anticipation," the Mayor added.
