A WYNDHAM council plan to cap residential growth has been slammed by Planning Minister Matthew Guy.
As reported by the Weekly, the council last week approved a strategy which would limit growth to 3000 houses a year.
The council believes the cap is necessary because the city has reached the point where residential growth cannot continue without the provision of adequate infrastructure.
But Mr Guy labelled the plan “silly”, saying there were better ways to ease Wyndham’s population pressures.
“No state government or local government can limit population growth as suggested. To suggest that any form of government could limit the number of children people can have is silly.
“They should be looking at other measures like greater density [living] in the Werribee town centre.”
Mr Guy said the council should focus its attention on things it could control and guarantee.
He said precinct structure plans had already been approved for Wyndham, allowing the development of “vastly more” than 3000 houses each year.
Mayor Heather Marcus said the council was determined to slow down population increases and limit the number of growth fronts in the city.
“Economic and employment growth has not kept pace with residential growth and our residents are telling us very loudly and clearly that this can’t continue.
“The community has every right to expect that Wyndham City and the government have a detailed strategy in place for residential development and the provision of infrastructure and local employment for these areas.”
The strategy also called for future land releases to be conditional on infrastructure being delivered and the creation of local jobs. The council estimates that 55 per cent of residents work outside the municipality.
Mr Guy said changes to how critical infrastructure was funded would make it easier for infrastructure to be delivered when areas are developed. He said the development of the Werribee Employment Centre would also ease population pressures.
