Scolds

Vol. 18 No. 27Vol. 24 No. 29 FREE PUBLICATION A FREE PUBLICATION FROM YOUR LOCAL RADIO STATIONS 3WM AND MIXXFM Wednesday, January 13, 2016 Wednesday, February 2, 2022

DOUBLE THE WATCH: Lifeguards and twins Jemma and Charli Peters have been keeping watch over recreational water enthusiasts at Stawell Sports and Aquatic Centre this summer. Jemma, left, and Charli are pictured at the ready to provide help and direction if needed. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

Price rise positivity

BY MICHAEL SCALZO

Municipal leaders are confident extraordinary houseprice rises in Ararat district indicate how attractive the area is becoming to people exploring a move to western Victoria.

They believe the trend, which shows a 12-monthly price rise of 32 percent, reflects growing widespread acknowledgement and understanding of the rural city’s opportunities and growth.

Ararat Rural City Council chief executive Tim Harrison said the increase in property investment in the municipality represented a net-positive for the Ararat region.

He said residential house-price increases and accompanying rising demand for homes in Ararat were an opportunity for the community to grow.

“The increased demand means the market is buoyant and people are looking at Ararat as an attractive place to live,” he said.

“The council has been working hard with property developers to deliver this demand for housing. Green Hill Lakes is a great example of these subdivision projects.”

A prominent online property website’s December quarter figures showed Ararat recording the fifthhighest yearly residential house-price increase in regional Victoria – behind coastal destinations including Surfcoast and Warrnambool regions.

The report shows residential house prices in Ararat rose by 32 percent from December 2020, while neighbouring council areas Horsham and Northern Grampians rose by 19 and 20 percent, respectively.

House prices in the Surfcoast and Alpine regions grew by more than 46 percent and 43 percent in 12 months.

Dr Harrison said while house-price rises had the potential to price some buyers out of the market, a major benefit was an opportunity for significant population growth in Ararat.

“We know that towns with more than 10,000 people start to become sustainable and Ararat is just under this number at the moment. So it is a great outcome that people see Ararat as somewhere to live,” he said.

Dr Harrison emphasised the council’s partnership with private developers to establish suitable new land for housing.

“We are working very closely with housing developers to produce more houses to meet that demand and our planning department works extremely hard with ensuring subdivision options,” he said.

Ararat mayor Jo Armstrong echoed Dr Harrison’s sentiment that the increase in house prices reflected the region’s attraction to intra-state migrants.

“There is a great deal of migration across the state at the moment and we want to make sure people understand the wide appeal of Ararat to live and work,” she said.

“We are two hours from Melbourne, we have a great health service and digital connectivity that allows people to ship their career to a rural location and maintain their previous job and lifestyle.

“We have a clear goal to increase our total population over the next three years and we want to facilitate diversity in the housing market.”

Continued page 3

IN THIS ISSUE • Crisis accommodation plan • Quantong residents stand strong • Football-netball actionIN THIS ISSUE • Farm-energy project change • Weather to stabilise • Your football-netball club

Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au

AUDITED: 22,507 COPIES AUDITED: 22,403 COPIES April 2020 to September 2020 October 2020 to September 2021 Source: AMAA; CAB Total Distribution Audit for further information visit www.auditedmedia.org.au