By Parker McKenzie
Yarra Ranges Shire and the City of Knox saw a surge in new building projects as Victoria reached the highest amount of approved building permits in the past decade.
2315 building permits were approved in the Shire of the Yarra Ranges and 1764 in the City of Knox in the last financial year according to data collected by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA).
VBA chief executive officer 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 the 2020-21 financial year, with the number of permits issued increasing by 24 per cent compared to the previous year.
The number of permits issued for residential, retail, healthcare and public buildings each decreased by more than 10 per cent.
Approved building permits in Victoria totaled 123,330 in the 2020-21 financial year, which is an 18 per cent increase upon the 109,396 permits approved in the previous financial year.
