Welcome to the City of Moreland Population Forecasts

The City of Moreland is an established municipality in the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne. The municipality's land uses are relatively diverse with a large industrial base and residential areas stretching from the mid nineteenth century in Brunswick to current residential developments in Gowanbrae and at Pentridge in Coburg. The commercial areas of the municipality are heavily concentrated along the Sydney Road spine in both Brunswick and Coburg, as well as on Lygon Street, East Brunswick and the Glenroy shopping precinct. Urban development in the City dates back to the nineteenth century, with development in Brunswick and in the Coburg township. Yet, it was not until the twentieth century that significant urban expansion occurred, with growth centred on the southern parts of the City. By the post-war period, development was focused on areas such as Fawkner, Hadfield and Glenroy. The primary housing market role that the City of Moreland played during this period was to provide home owning opportunities for families and prospective families from the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne as well as recent overseas migrants. The 1980s and 1990s were a period of population loss in the City as a number of areas matured, with children leaving the family home, as well as comparatively little residential development to provide housing opportunities. During the 1990s, new development opportunities were taken, with the conversion of industrial sites and surplus government, utility and school land to residential purposes, a pattern that is continuing with the Hoffman's Brickworks, Pentridge Prison, the development of the greenfield site at Gowanbrae and a range of industrial sites scattered throughout the City. There is significant pressure for residential expansion within the City of Moreland from both existing residents and from external migrants, most notably from overseas, as well as areas to the south (the Cities of Melbourne and Yarra), although affordability issues have resulted in the loss of people to the outer north. It is assumed that a number of these patterns will continue into the future, notably the large overseas flows into the City.

With the residential development of the City over more than a century and the large size of the municipality, areas have developed different roles within the housing market. These roles generally fall under three categories: 1. Young adults and tertiary students; 2. Established and mature families and; 3. Young to mature adults and families. The first pattern tends to affect areas in the south and central areas of the municipality, such as the 'Brunswicks', Coburg and Pascoe Vale South, due to the proximity of Melbourne University and RMIT, as well as the private education providers in the City. The second pattern is noteworthy in selected areas of the City, such as Fawkner and Oak Park, where the housing stock, the amenity and attractiveness of the areas attract mature families. The third pattern is unique to Gowanbrae and reflects patterns occurring in the Cities of Hume and Whittlesea. This difference in function and role of the small areas in the City of Moreland means that population outcomes differ significantly across the municipality.

There are also significant differences in the supply of residential property within the City which will also have a major influence in structuring different population and household futures over the next five to twenty years. The major source of additional dwellings and households in the City will be in the larger redevelopment sites and through infill and medium density development in existing residential areas. The larger redevelopment sites include Pentridge and the Coburg Initiative (Coburg), the Gowanbrae greenfield area (Gowanbrae) and various sites in the 'Brunswicks'. The Brunswick Strategy Plan has identified opportunities for significant numbers of new dwellings in Brunswick and Brunswick East. Higher rates of residential redevelopment are expected in Coburg, Glenroy, Pascoe Vale and Fawkner due to high rates of demand in these areas and the fact that these areas have significant opportunities for redevelopment (larger lot sizes, ageing dwelling stock etc.).