If you think housing development in Maitland is going gangbusters, think again.
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The city's population is set to explode even further with 14,000 new home lots approved and a 20-year supply of land identified for future residential purposes.
Maitland's population has almost doubled in the past 24 years, a trend set to continue with a population of more than 104,000 forecast by 2036.
Maitland City Council's Development and Environment Manager David Simm said there has been significant residential growth over the past 10 years with statistics indicating the city is continuing to grow above pace compared to other Hunter local government areas.
"The trend is still going upwards and at this stage there are no signs of it slowing," Mr Simm said.
He said Chisholm, Gillieston Heights, Aberglasslyn and Rutherford are the residential hot spots with Lochinvar, Farley, Anambah and Chisholm set to sprawl further in the future.
"Under the Maitland Urban Settlement Strategy we try to identify at least a 20-year supply of land," Mr Simm said.
"At this stage, with the current take up rates, we have 20 years of land identified for residential purposes into the future," Mr Simm said.
"The land that has been identified, but not yet rezoned, equates to about 14,000 lots."
Mr Simm believes that under the State Government’s Hunter Regional Plan 2036 (the 20-year blueprint for the Hunter's future) Maitland's growth is above the housing delivery rate.
According to the plan, which was finalised last year, Maitland is only going to continue to grow over the next two decades.
Data in the regional plan predicted that Maitland’s population would rise from 78,000 in 2016 to 104,850 in 2036 (an increase of 26,650 residents).
It also forecast that the number of dwellings in the Maitland Local Government Area would jump from 31,650 in 2016, to 44,200 by 2036 – a rise of 12,550 homes.
"The city's residential growth has stemmed from a combination of things such as the decentralisation of government departments and growth in the mining sector which have both had a significant impact on the city's population," Mr Simm said.
"Maitland’s location, being central to the Upper Hunter and the freeway means people can commute between centre's easily and our land prices are relatively competitive.
"Part of our forward planning takes into consideration what infrastructure is going to be needed and that's the whole basis of council's Section 94 contributions.
"We identify what the demand will need for infrastructure by the projected incoming population and the cost and the additional work will be provided as needed," Mr Simm said.
The 2016 census showed that Maitland was the fastest growing local government area in the Hunter region, with 9827 moving to the lower Hunter hub since 2011.
A veteran council employee of 38 years, Mr Simm said he never envisaged the Maitland of today when he started working there.
"When I started the population was in the high 20,000's. In that time it has grown to almost 80,000.
"In 1993 the population was 46,000 and in 24 years that has almost doubled," Mr Simm said.
"Maitland is certainly well placed to provide the population request of the government."