Boom town

By LACHLAN MOORHEAD

THE City of Casey has topped the list for the most domestic building permits in 2015, according to the latest statistics released by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA).
Casey was the top municipality for domestic (housing) building permits last year, with the cost of building works reaching $961 million – 23 per cent higher than the $779 million recorded in 2014.
VBA chief executive officer Prue Digby said the$ 29.77 billion in building work reported to the VBA was a record for a calendar year.
The data highlighted that eight Victorian local government areas, including Casey, reported more than $1 billion in building permits for the 12-month period.
“Overall, the City of Casey contributed $1.25 billion, up from $982 million in 2014, which represents an increase of 28 per cent,” Ms Digby said.
“The number one municipality in 2015 was the City of Melbourne where $4.16 billion of building work was reported.”
The top three building permits in Casey in 2015 were alterations to and the extension of an existing shopping centre at Narre Warren with a reported cost $27.7 million, alterations to and the extension of an existing shopping centre at Narre Warren with a reported cost of $20.7 million, and the first stage of a shopping centre at Cranbourne East with a reported cost of $12.1 million.
The other billion dollar municipalities in 2015 were Boroondara ($1.27 billion), Wyndham ($1.22billion), Monash ($1.21 billion), Whittlesea ($1.07 billion), Geelong ($1.06 billion) and Stonnington ($1.05 billion).
All building work valued at more than $5000 requires a permit to be issued by a building surveyor.