Council approves 213-home lifestyle village to tackle housing crisis

A MAJOR residential development has been approved for North Wonthaggi with 213 new medium to high-density dwellings designed to combat the region's acute housing shortage.

The ambitious project, situated on Oates Road, will include a central community hub, dedicated recreational facilities, integrated landscaping, and prominent business identification signage at the estate's main entrance.

Council sees the development as a strategic expansion for North Wonthaggi, specifically tailored to meet the surging demand for accessible, community-oriented housing within the rapidly growing Bass Coast region.

While developments of this scale can often trigger community friction over the strain on existing infrastructure, council’s own assessment noted that essential environmental and safety concerns including bushfire management risks, stormwater drainage, ecological protections, and local amenity preservation would be rigorously controlled through strict, legally binding permit conditions.

The planning application was legally exempt from the standard public notification process. Despite this council received and formally addressed one community submission during its rigorous assessment phase, ensuring local feedback was factored into the final decision.

Councillors strongly backed the initiative, citing the immediate economic and social relief it promised to deliver. Speaking in support of the development Cr Mat Morgan emphasised that the high-density project had arrived at a critical tipping point for local families struggling to secure accommodation.

"I've taken my due diligence to go around North Wonthaggi quite a few times, and I'm happy to see some development progressing," Cr Morgan stated. "An extra couple of hundred dwellings is desperately needed in a housing crisis."

Beyond providing long-term housing diversity it was highlighted that the project would deliver an immediate shot in the arm for the local economy. The multi-phase construction timeline is expected to generate substantial employment opportunities for local tradespeople, sub-contractors, and material and service suppliers.

The 7.78-hectare master-planned estate represents a structured shift in local housing, delivering a density of roughly 27.38 dwellings per hectare. Operating under a manufactured home estate (MHE) model, the developer will retain ownership of the overall land and infrastructure. Incoming residents will purchase or lease off-site fabricated housing units while renting their individual plots through formal site agreements.

The community has been designed with compact plot sizes ranging from 171 to 297 square metres, specifically aimed at minimising ongoing maintenance. Offering a diverse configuration of one, two, and three-bedroom layouts, the project targets over-50s downsizers and affordable community housing buyers providing accommodation for up to 462 residents.

To foster an active neighbourhood lifestyle, the village will feature a central community centre complete with a dining hall, cinema, pool, gym, library, and billiards room. Outdoor recreational amenities will include a lawn bowls green, pickleball and bocce courts, alongside communal garden dining areas.

While the site currently lacks strong access to Wonthaggi’s commercial centre, the proposal includes a dedicated community bus service to bridge the gap. Council ultimately acknowledged that the proposal carries considerable merit, aligning well with broader regional housing, environmental, and bushfire safety policies.

The Oates Road development marks a significant, proactive step by local government to bolster housing supply, diversify the property market, and foster a connected neighbourhood for future North Wonthaggi residents.