Melton City Council

MELTON CITY COUNCIL LOCAL GOVERNMENT

APAC Outlook issue 54 | 2

GUIDING G R OW T H IN MELBOURNE’S OUTER WEST The City of Melton is a significant hub for development and commercial and industrial investment. We speak to members of the region’s local government about its Investment Attraction Strategy aimed at raising liveability, jobs and potential across Melton City Writer: Marcus Kääpä Project Manager: Ryan Gray

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t a time moulded by the collective global trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, Melton City Council reached well beyond the essential, pitching a strategic plan to deliver a place where residents can thrive and where the economy can recover.

With the arrival of COVID-19, many cities across Australia entered lockdown and restrictions to services, activities and centres resulted in social isolation for many people in various communities. As such, local governments had to respond by adjusting how they provided services and adapting to deliver them virtually or personally, as well as supporting the supply of food, housing and welfare of people in urban and rural areas.

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MELTON CITY COUNCIL LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Based in Victoria, the City of Melton is one of the fastest growing local government areas in Australia, located on Melbourne’s western rural–urban fringe.

While responding to the immediate community needs presented by the pandemic, Melton City Council was

INTERNATIONAL GIANTS Already, the City of Melton is becoming well-recognised by global and national major companies as a place to invest and create jobs. Leading international companies such as Amazon, Electolux and Makita, as well as major local companies like Myer, Scalzo Foods and Hello Fresh, are investing in the city because the area offers a prime location, an abundance of affordable commercial and industrial land and a highly skilled local workforce.

When high-profile international companies like Amazon invest in the City of Melton, it demonstrates the value of the area as a place for investment.

also anticipating post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

The council launched its Investment Attraction Strategy, demonstrating how to create 120,000 jobs by 2050 and position the city as a state significant economic hub that could soon return AUD19 billion to the economy each year.

“We have very close connections with the community that we are responsible for,” begins Laura-Jo Mellan, General Manager, Corporate Services at the organisation. “We experienced quite significant lockdowns that led to many changes to the services and activities that we usually deliver with, or on behalf of, the community.

“Community programmes, family services, library activities and access to sport and recreation are all things that we have had to adjust. But the biggest impact that we have had to deal with is helping people adapt to social isolation and the economic impacts created by COVID-19, and this has really resulted in significant deterioration for some people in our community.”

“At the same time, with 73 percent of the local workforce already leaving the area each day for work, we

WestWood Fraser Rise Westwood Fraser Rise continues to be a residential estate success story for the fast growing City of Melton area.

The Melton City Council’s significant Investment Action Strategy plans to return $19 billion to the area and it is projected by 2051 the Investment Action Strategy will deliver 120,000 new jobs to the area.

That’s significant growth! Indeed the City of Melton municipality is one of the fastest growing in all of Australia, and presents a particularly attractive proposition for those looking to purchase a home in the area.

The Melton Council, recognising the benefits that Westwood brings to the City of Melton, has been incredibly supportive of the well-planned Westwood project from inception as the development ticks all the right boxes to support this growth.

Westwood offers quality homes, local amenity and a sense of community to residents in an area that is growing at such a rapid pace.

Designed to encourage a community spirit through landscaped central walkways and the inclusion of sports grounds, parkland and open green space, the Westwood community that is still emerging, is already thriving.

Further to the community-minded layout, Westwood is right in the heart of Melbourne’s West and within walking distance to Plumpton Town Centre. It is also nearby to several schools, an abundance of open active space, and transport hubs, and only a 10 minute drive to education, recreation, parks, retail, public transport connections and more.

It is thanks to the council’s futurethinking that residents of Westwood can already see the community continuing its trajectory and growth for generations to come.

For further information on the fastest growing residential estate in City of Melton, please visit the website below.

www.westwoodland.com.au

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Join the fastest growing land estate in the Melton corridor.

Two vibrant precincts with one spectacular lifestyle.

Westwood Fraser Rise is comprised of two precincts, Westwood Walk and Westwood Place, making up the largest masterplanned development in the Fraser Rise area.

The mix of diverse residential land lots and townhomes cover over 103.45ha (that’s approximately 50 MCG ovals!), ensuring there’s something for every family in this established community.

The two parcels of land are separated by generous green space, a local P-12 school and a sporting reserve, with the future Plumpton town centre located to the north. A wealth of open spaces, wetlands and walking tracks are dotted throughout the estate, promoting healthy and active living.

It’s a community destined to flourish for generations to come; visit our website to discover how you can become part of it.

www.westwoodland.com.au

MELTON CITY COUNCIL LOCAL GOVERNMENT

recognised the need to create more local jobs, respond to unprecedented residential growth, and address the challenge of post-COVID-19 economic recovery,” adds Luke Shannon,

CITY GROWTH AND CREATING OPPORTUNITY The City of Melton is one of the fastest growing areas in Australia.

Its population is set to almost triple in the next 30 years, from 180,000 to almost 500,000. The city has a young population with more than 7,000 people moving to the area to raise families annually and with more than 52 babies born every week.

Growth areas like this are critical to the delivery of federal immigration policies given they provide housing to families that call Australia home. It is up to local government to provide amenities including community centres, sporting and recreational facilities, waste management, local roads and then to advocate to the State and Federal governments to provide public transport, arterial roads, hospitals, schools and allied health services.

General Manager of Planning and Development at Melton City Council.

“In the midst of the pandemic we continued to advocate for the long-term needs of the community.

We launched a strategy focused on partnering with the state and federal governments to fast-track muchneeded infrastructure investment – projects that will create thousands of jobs for Melbourne’s outer west.”

Melton City Council provides services, programmes and infrastructure to residents within the City of Melton. This includes building sports stadiums and playgrounds, constructing and maintaining local roads and paths, running children’s activities, providing health and wellbeing programmes, delivering maternal and child health services, planning and building services, environmental services, waste collection, arts initiatives, business support, library services, support services, animal management and more. The council also advocates to other levels of government to fund high-value projects, including those listed in its Investment Attraction Strategy.

OVERCOMING COVID-19 For the City of Melton, the pandemic has affected many throughout the community. With 11 percent of the

Dexus Accelerated growth in ecommerce drives demand for new premium industrial property.

Strong demand for high-quality logistics facilities to support the needs of ecommerce and other growth Local Governments continues to underpin the activation of Dexus’s industrial developments around Australia. The momentum has resulted in significant leasing at the new Horizon 3023 estate in Ravenhall, Victoria, with over 50 percent of the site now leased across circa one-million square metres (sqm) of developable land.

Located in a key industrial market in Melbourne with convenient access to freight and logistics networks, the site has attracted leading global and national brands including Amazon Australia, which committed to a 37,000sqm fulfilment centre to service the Melbourne market.

Amazon joins HelloFresh, Electrolux, Mitre 10, eStore and Myer who all committed to the estate in FY21.

The online growth story continues to have a profound effect on the Melbourne market with elevated levels of demand from food, furniture and fashion companies looking to expand their online platforms.

Dexus is supporting that demand through the development of up to 450,000sqm GLA of largescale manufacturing, logistics and warehousing facilities at Horizon 3023. During the year, additional land adjacent to the existing industrial estate was acquired, improving the existing masterplan and providing the opportunity to create additional product to respond to an active leasing market.

Dexus and its third-party capital partners are investing an estimated $620 million over the life of the development, and on completion, the estate is expected to support around 5,000-6,000 jobs.

For more information, visit www.dexus.com/Horizon.

www.dexus.com/Horizon

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MELTON CITY COUNCIL LOCAL GOVERNMENT

RESIMAX GROUP There’s no place like Eynesbury.

Located within Melton City Council, Eynesbury is a fully-contained community adjoining 288 hectares of Grey Box Forest. And while it’s a world away from suburbia, it’s only 40 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD. There are so many layers that make Eynesbury special. The rich history and many natural wonders. The distinctive architecture and beautiful streetscapes. And with 50 percent of the community being green open space, the overall feeling of light and abundance is immediately apparent.

population working in the areas of communal and personal services, the virus presented a threat to the active, social susceptibility of people in the area.

The City of Melton also saw a rise in unemployment due to less than 28 percent of the population being able to work from home, and more than one in 10 being unemployed or claiming JobSeeker’s allowance.

“But this kind of challenge has also led to a lot of innovation, not just from the council but also from the community members that we work with,” continues Mellan. “Where possible, we delivered programmes online and some of this continues today: library services, citizenship ceremonies, council meetings, maternal health consultations, new parent groups, learning and wellbeing including exercise and cooking, case management for family services and more. A great example is the organisation of CommuKnitty Crafters, a programme where we get together online with senior citizens to participate in crafting activities.

“So, from this period a really strong sense of community developed, and I think that’s a similar story to many 8 | APAC Outlook issue 54

other local governments around the country and the world. Now there is a period of reactivation to help people thrive and help recover businesses in the wake of lockdowns.”

ACTION PLAN In line with this post-lockdown reactivation, Melton City Council launched an Investment Attraction Strategy with its sights set on the development of the job front within Victoria.

“We have an investment strategy to increase the usability of available land in the western region and Melbourne generally, and the target is in essence to secure around 120,000 jobs to ensure that we have local job opportunities for our residents.

Fulfilling this plan will also generate a $19 billion annual contribution to the Victorian economy by 2051,” explains Shannon.

“This relies on financial investment from the state and federal governments and is an outstanding opportunity for us to build an incredibly liveable city with a diversity of jobs and stronger economy, a place where people can work close to home and spend more time with their families.”

With a community of over 3000, there’s many features and amenities on the ground already to make life easy at Eynesbury. There’s the numerous educational facilities including a brand new government primary school, kindergarten and childcare centre, a sports and recreation reserve featuring a sporting oval, tennis and netball courts, adventure play space, off-leash dog park and state-of-the-art pavilion, not to mention the world class 18-hole golf course. Plus the future town centre is set to become an activity hub like no other. Currently in planning, it will comprise a mix of retail, commercial, entertainment and community facilities, and is set to change the way those in Eynesbury, eat, drink, work and shop.

But what makes Eynesbury a truly amazing place is the people that call it home. It’s the sort of place where neighbours become life-long friends.

Where people genuinely know and care about each other, and where kids happily play together in a safe environment.

EYNESBURY.COM.AU

MELTON CITY COUNCIL LOCAL GOVERNMENT

To secure these opportunities in the region, the council is advocating for multiple investments that will contribute to the future Victorian economy. These include commitments from the state and federal governments to fund transformational projects like the Western Intermodal Freight Terminal (WIFT), the Outer Metropolitan Ring (OMR) and the new Melton Hospital.

Botanical Gardens, Melton City

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Each of these are vitally important to Melbourne’s outer west and connected regional centres, to provide a diverse range of quality jobs and leverage commercial investment attraction for long-term economic prosperity.

“It will attract commercial investment that will drive highvalue, high-income employment opportunities,” Shannon elaborates.

“It’s about creating greater

liveability in the suburbs, and it’s also about Melbourne’s outer west being a major player in the state’s economy.

It’s important that the State and Federal governments act now on these key transformational projects.

Our strategy clearly shows how this sort of infrastructure will unlock the local economy, attract commercial investment and provide desperately needed jobs.”

“THE OMR IS A 70-KILOMETRE-LONG H I G H - S P E E D T R A N S P O R T L I N K T H AT W I L L P R OV I D E A R OA D A N D R A I L CO R R I D O R CO N N E C T I O N F R O M I N L A N D R A I L TO RESIDENTIAL GROWTH AREAS, INCLUDING T H O S E I N T H E C I T Y O F M E LT O N ” – LU K E S H A N N O N , G E N E R A L M A N AG E R O F P L A N N I N G A N D D E V E L O P M E N T, M E LT O N C I T Y C O U N C I L

INTERCONNECTING MELTON CITY The WIFT, together with the OMR, will create 2,000 direct jobs and influence another 39,000 jobs.

The OMR is a 70-kilometre-long high-speed transport link that will provide a road and rail corridor connection from Inland Rail to residential growth areas, including those in the City of Melton.

“The OMR is critical to connecting the WIFT with key freight transport hubs such as Melbourne Airport, Avalon Airport, the Port of Geelong and regional centres, as well as completing the Melbourne component of Commonwealth Inland

Rail,” Mellan explains.

“Bringing forward the OMR will create a range of high-value employment opportunities in sectors such as manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, and professional and technical services in the outer west.

It provides accessibility to jobs and education via a much-needed rail and road connection, unlocking commercial investment along the entire corridor.”

The location for the WIFT boasts proximity to around 50 percent of existing freight customers, which makes it perfectly positioned to meet freight demand, increase productivity and boost regional employment.

“In 2021, the federal government committed $2 billion towards building an Intermodal Freight Terminal in Melbourne without the identification of a preferred location. Melton City Council is requesting the Federal and State governments to commit to building this facility in the west in the City of Melton. The WIFT is the preferred location by industry and the Victorian State Government and we now need the federal government to commit the funding towards it.”

The WIFT can provide capacity for double-stacked 1,800 metre freight trains not available elsewhere in Victoria, reducing congestion, increasing productivity and efficiency, and connecting the Port of Melbourne with the Inland Rail Project, to enable further commercial investment and increased productivity in the area.

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Melton City Hospital artist’s impression

HEALTHCARE COMMITMENT Planning for the new Melton Hospital is now underway following significant advocacy by the council and community.

“The state government has committed to early planning and works, and completed the land acquisition in 2021,” Shannon continues. “However, we are still seeking a funding commitment for the full construction and a commitment for construction to begin this year.

“Building a public hospital in Melton will improve the health outcomes and quality of life for one of Australia’s fastest-growing municipalities and reduce the pressure on other western hospitals which have been particularly strained since the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“ B U I L D I N G A P U B L I C H O S P I TA L I N M E LT O N W I L L I M P R O V E T H E H E A LT H O U T C O M E S A N D Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E F O R O N E O F A U S T R A L I A’ S FA S T E S T- G R O W I N G M U N I C I P A L I T I E S ” – LU K E S H A N N O N , G E N E R A L M A N AG E R O F P L A N N I N G A N D D E V E L O P M E N T, M E LT O N C I T Y C O U N C I L

“The hospital will be a trigger for local jobs and investment and a catalyst for a major health precinct which offers both public and private hospital services. The hospital will also be a trigger for investment by universities and other research organisations. The addition of these health services will create a major health and employment hub for the outer west.”

Melton Hospital will provide residents with access to new employment opportunities in the health and allied services sectors. In the longer term, young people will have new and varied opportunities to learn and work close to home.

SUPPORTING STAFF Melton City Council has grown by 14 percent in the past five years, to 750

MELTON CITY COUNCIL LOCAL GOVERNMENT

staff, with a further projected growth of eight percent over the next five years. In light of this growth, it is key for the organisation to maintain focus on the health and wellbeing of its employees, as well as recognise their dedication and achievements.

Melton City Council offers staff an exciting opportunity to help shape one of Australia’s fastest growing areas.

The organisation rewards and celebrates exemplary performance, teamwork and innovation, and offers its employees multiple training and development opportunities, including a mentoring programme and culture and diversity awareness training.

It’s also committed to developing

actions to support the health and wellbeing, including mental health awareness, and social connection in the workplace.

2022 AND BEYOND During the course of this year, federal and state elections will be held, and this represents an opportunity for these levels of government to make exciting commitments in a significant growth area.

“We’ve done the groundwork with our Investment Attraction Strategy and shown that there’s an incredible opportunity to provide economic recovery and jobs growth by investing in our area,” Mellan adds. “We suspect that following these two elections. there will be a period of austerity in

spending by the State and Federal governments given the impact on expenditure during COVID-19.

“As a result, it is important that significant growth areas like the City of Melton are provided with the opportunity to be economically resilient, by unlocking the great commercial investment that will create long term, ongoing employment opportunities, improve the lives of people in the region, and return billions of dollars to the Australian economy.”

Tel: 9747 7200 csu@melton.vic.gov.au www.melton.vic.gov.au APAC Outlook issue 54 | 13

MELTON CITY COUNCIL City of Melton PO Box 21 Melton Victoria 3337 Tel: 9747 7200 csu@melton.vic.gov.au www.melton.vic.gov.au

PRODUCED BY APAC OUTLOOK MAGAZINE