Maitland’s population has broken the 80,000 mark and continues to grow.
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The news came this week from the Australian Bureau of Statistics in Canberra who recorded the city’s latest head count at 81,235.
Their data shows the Maitland Local Government Area (LGA) grew by 1900 people in 2016-2017.
A spokesperson for the bureau said the increase is mainly due to “positive net internal migration” with 1100 more people moving into Maitland than moving out to other parts of the country.
These latest figures reinforce Maitland City Council’s calculation that the LGA’s population is on target to hit more than 104,000 in 2036.
Fairfax Media reported in July how 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.
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.
Chisholm, Gillieston Heights, Aberglasslyn and Rutherford are the residential hot spots with Lochinvar, Farley, Anambah and Chisholm set to sprawl further in the future.
The bureau’s figures show that West Maitland (620 new people) was recorded as having one of the State’s largest growth rates outside Sydney. Thornton/Millers Forest had one of the State’s fastest growth rates at 5.3 per cent.
Under the State Government’s Hunter Regional Plan 2036 (the 20-year blueprint for the Hunter's future) Maitland's population would rise from 78,000 in 2016 to 104,850 in 2036. It also forecast that the number of dwellings in the Maitland LGA would jump from 31,650 in 2016, to 44,200 by 2036 – a rise of 12,550 homes.
The bureau’s figures also revealed that for the first time on record, Sydney’s population grew by more than 100,000 people in one year. Sydney’s population hit 5.1 million at June 2017, an increase of 101,600 people since June 2016.
