PUCV calls for backing for fast-growing peri urban areas

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

PUCV chair, Moorabool Shire councillor 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.

“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.

“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.”

PUCV – which includes Golden Plains and Moorabool Shire councils, and more – has called for the next Federal Government to allocate $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.”

PUCV is also calling for the establishment of two funding schemes to support sustainable growth in peri urban areas; a federally-administered $90 million Capital Investment Fund providing grants to peri urban councils for community infrastructure, such as sports facilities, libraries and community centres, and a state government-administered $230 million Development Contributions Plan (DCP) Future Fund allowing peri urban municipalities to borrow against DCP agreements to fund early-stage infrastructure projects such as water, sewerage and drainage.

Over the holiday period, the PUCV region’s population of around 198,000 almost doubles, further increasing the pressure on connectivity infrastructure.

PUCV is asking the next Federal Government to provide new rounds of funding for the Peri-Urban Mobile Program, Regional Connectivity Program and the Mobile Blackspot Program, and prioritise Peri Urban Communities in the current round of the Telecommunications Disaster Resilience Innovation (TDRI) grant program.