Tara Murray
Brimbank council approved more than $110 million worth of development for new planning applications in October alone.
After a tough 12 months, the value of planning applications which were approved in Brimbank skyrocketed.
The council received 88 applications in October and approved 78 permits and gave notice of decision to grant a permit to the other 10 permits.
The cost of the development for new applications is $110.5 million.
In October 2020, the cost of the development for new applications was just $28.5 million, while the average for the past 12 months was $52 million.
At a recent council meeting, councillor Bruce Lancashire said this turnaround was huge and significant for the community, as it will likely translate into construction jobs in the area.
Meanwhile, Victorian Building Authority data shows building permit approvals in Victoria during the last financial year were at their highest level in the past decade.
The data shows that approvals totalled 123,330 in 2020-21, an increase of 18 per cent from the previous financial year (104,560) and 13 per cent more than 2018-19 (109,396).
Of all permits issued, those for domestic building increased more than 22 per cent, with about 19,500 more permits issued in 2020-21 than in 2019-20.
The VBA’s chief executive Sue Eddy said the building and construction sector remained strong throughout the pandemic.
“It has been a challenging time for all Victorians, however the resilience shown by the building and plumbing industries, and its ability to adapt, has meant Victoria has continued to grow,” Ms Eddy said.
“With continued cooperation, collaboration and safety front of mind, we will hopefully see this positive trend continue through 2021-22 and beyond.”
New building work accounted for more than 62 per cent of all building permits in 2020-21, with the number of permits issued for this work 24 per cent greater than a year ago.
As the number of building permits issued increased, so did the cost of building works.
