General News
10 July, 2024
MP's push for affordable housing
CONNECTING water and sewerage at Newbridge could help ease Victoria’s affordable housing crisis. Ripon MP Martha Haylett has told State Parliament that hundreds of homes could be built in the Loddon River town. Connection of services was on Loddon...
CONNECTING water and sewerage at Newbridge could help ease Victoria’s affordable housing crisis.
Ripon MP Martha Haylett has told State Parliament that hundreds of homes could be built in the Loddon River town.
Connection of services was on Loddon Shire’s advocacy wish list for the last federal and state elections. A group of residents has been spent a decade calling for water and sewerage infrastructure to open residential zoned blocks for housing development.
The State Government last month set Loddon Shire a draft target of 500 new homes in the next 30 years.
“In Newbridge and Talbot we could build hundreds more affordable homes if we had the enabling infrastructure, including sewerage,” Ms Haylett told Parliament two days after the target was announced.
“The need for more affordable housing (in Ripon) is raised with me by constituents, community groups and stakeholders every single da,” she said.
“Currently there are 58,459 applications for social housing across Victoria, including 432 families in Maryborough, 261 in Ararat, 182 in Creswick, 85 in Beaufort, 51 in Avoca and 33 in Wedderburn, and the list goes on.
“We have limited homelessness outreach services across Ripon and next to no transitional housing or crisis accommodation.
“Communities are calling out for more housing, with many trying to advance local solutions.”
Ms Haylett said solutions included the Wedderburn Lions Club wanting to build housing for older residents,
“They just need investment and an interested service provider,” she said of the club’s push over more than a decade for an aged care facility.Ms Haylett recently met with Newbridge, Arnold and Llanelly Community Planning Group where sewerage in Newbridge was raised as a key issue and she said she was having “ongoing discussion with (Loddon Shire) Council about sewerage for Newbridge”.
Previous Liberal member for Ripon Louise Staley announced before the 2020 Victorian election that the Coalition would sewer Newbridge and Talbot through $40 million small towns water and sewerage fund. Ms Haylett and Labor won the election.
Loddon Shire councillors and executive are expected to finalise the new election wish list before going into to caretaker mode in September.
A federal election is due by next May but could be held before November. An earlier federal election would fall during the local government poll period when councils would be unable to adopt a list of projects to put to government and candidates.
The purchase of 613 acres of farmland on the Wimmera Highway, 4.5km from Newbridge, by Coliban Water for a biosolids facility has raised speculation among some district residents that the land could also house a treatment plant if sewerage was installed for the town.
Loddon Shire towns have been identified as potential growth areas for a decade and the council last year commission a report on unlocking land for residential development.
The State Governments 2014 Loddon Mallee South Regional Growth Plan said: “Although they are only small rural towns at present, Bridgewater and Inglewood in Loddon Shire have the potential to develop as complementary and alternative lifestyle townships in the hinterland of Bendigo.
“Current trends show limited demand for growth, however future directions of this plan, combined with proactive planning, liveability marketing and incentives could promote growth. The growth of these towns would support the sustainability of outlying agricultural areas and provide additional services to the broader community.
“With its charming riverside location, Bridgewater is an attractive village. The town has existing physical infrastructure that can support population growth. Comprehensive planning for growth needs to be undertaken to address flood and environmental impacts, and the interface with agricultural activities. Limited expansion of the town centre or commercial land would be required due to the proximity to Inglewood, which has more extensive services. “Inglewood provides a range of retail, community and social services including a hospital, aged care facilities and schools. Communities serviced in this area include the townships of Bridgewater, Korong Vale, Serpentine, Wedderburn, Newbridge, Tarnagulla and surrounding townships. Inglewood has good physical infrastructure combined with limited growth constraints.”
SInce that plan was released, housing demand has grown in Bridgewater and Inglewood, including the shire’s first sub-division development.