Affordable Housing Supply in Focus as Victorian Government Progresses Cohuna Site

The Victorian Government’s focus on unlocking new housing opportunities across regional Victoria has been welcomed by national developer Wel.Co, after its proposed 430-plus lot residential community in Cohuna was identified as one of the sites to progress to assessment through the Government’s Unlocking Strategic Sites pathway.  

The pathway is designed to accelerate the assessment and rezoning of suitable sites that can support new housing, jobs and investment, including in regional communities where access to housing can be an important constraint on future growth.  

Founder and Managing Director of Wel.Co Andrew Welsh said the Cohuna project reflected the important role regional communities could play in Victoria’s future housing supply. 

“We support the Victorian Government’s focus on finding practical ways to unlock housing supply, and we think regional Victoria has an important part to play in that. 

“Regional communities can provide people with an opportunity to enter the housing market, raise their families and build a life in places where they can live, work and thrive. Cohuna is a strong example. Increasing housing supply can give local families and new residents more choice, help employers attract and retain workers, and support the long-term growth of the local economy.  

“By working together, industry, government and councils can help bring appropriate housing supply forward in the areas where it is needed, creating more opportunities for people to call our regions home.”  

Regional Victoria continues to provide a comparatively affordable alternative for many home buyers. Recent REIV data puts the Cohuna median house price at $380,000, materially lower than Melbourne’s median at $900,000. 

However, that affordability advantage is coming under increasing pressure. Regional Victorian house prices increased  8.9 per cent over the year, compared to 2.9 per cent in Melbourne, highlighting the importance of ensuring housing supply can respond as demand grows. 

Increasing housing supply has been identified as an important priority for Gannawarra Shire, with access to more housing supporting workforce attraction and retention, population growth and the long-term sustainability of the region.  

“Council welcomes the Victorian Government’s recognition of the importance of this project and the role it can play in addressing housing demand in Cohuna and across the Gannawarra Shire,” Council Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Rollinson said. 

“Local employers consistently identify housing availability as a barrier to attracting and retaining workers. Projects such as this help create the housing options needed to support local industry, businesses and essential services.” 

The proposed Cohuna community forms part of Wel.Co’s broader regional Victorian development pipeline of more than 4,500 homesites, which includes Bendigo and Echuca, the 850-plus lot Arndell community in Ballan and proposed projects in Warrnambool and other regional centres. 

Andrew said Wel.Co would continue working with the Victorian Government, councils and regional communities to identify opportunities where new housing could support both affordability and sustainable regional growth. 

“We see enormous potential in regional Victoria and support initiatives that bring Government, councils and the private sector together to get appropriate housing delivered sooner,” Andrew said. 

“For us, it’s about creating well-planned communities that give more people the opportunity to call regional Victoria home.” 

For more information on Wel.Co, please visit https://welcogroup.com.au/.