Apartment construction hits new record in Melbourne

Homes built in Melbourne

Melbourne has never seen a building boom quite like it, with new skyscrapers sprouting from virtually every city street.

But that's not necessarily all a good thing, says the head of planning at Melbourne City Council.

On Thursday, the council released data showing the apartment boom sparked by a flood of international money flowing into Melbourne has helped the city record the largest jump in apartment construction since data started being kept in 2002.

Cr Ken Ong

With more than 6300 new apartments completed in the first 10 months of the year, it is already triple the long-term average of 2100 a year and more than twice the amount finished last year.

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"We have a spike at the moment and the question is whether the spike is sustainable," said Ken Ong, the council's chair of planning.

"Whether we grow too fast in the short term, that's the question. We would prefer a steady managed growth rather than a sharp growth."

Still, Cr Ong and others at the council aren't necessarily complaining, because the boom, given a kick-along by former planning minister and now Opposition leader Matthew Guy's many tower approvals, has led to a huge growth in jobs in the construction sector.

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Apartment construction hits new record in Melbourne