Towns set to merge

By Paul Dunlop
A SLEEPING giant is preparing to awake between Officer and Pakenham.
Plans for major new developments show just how dramatically the area is to be transformed over the next several years.
Thousands of homes will be built in several residential estates virtually joining the two towns together, with more than 10,000 people moving to the area.
And the winds of change blowing through the area are about to reach gale force.
The VicUrban development at Officer and the AV Jennings development alongside Lakeside at Pakenham are just two of the proposals currently before state, federal and local planning authorities.
Both will significantly reshape the landscape over the next few years.
The VicUrban proposal will see 360 hectares of currently rural land subdivided into 3200 residential lots north of the Princes Highway.
Under the plan, a major activity and retail centre will be built around the Officer train station and a commercial industrial park will be developed south of the highway.
New primary and secondary schools are part of the proposal which will drastically change the face of Officer.
VicUrban director of communications Rose Gigliotti said between 8000 and 10,000 new residents would make the company’s Officer development home over the next decade.
“It will be a huge part of the growth in the area,” Ms Gigliotti said.
“We are still waiting for zoning approval but looking forward to a decision shortly, we hope.
“It will be a great development and we are looking to working in close conjunction with the community and stakeholders.”
Ms Gigliotti said the VicUrban plan featured “lots of open space” with bike and walking trail networks.
An equestrian centre has also been proposed, Ms Gigliotti said.
The AV Jennings ‘Officer Farm’ development incorporates about 700 allotments on the south side of the Princes Highway, west of Cardinia Road.
Work on the 60hectare site is proposed to begin in October with a completion date of March 2011.
The pace of the area’s development is viewed with a mix of enthusiasm and concern by local residents, depending on whether they believe change is to be embraced or viewed with suspicion.
But there is no doubt it is happening. The CaseyCardinia growth area has experienced the most residential development of all Melbourne’s growth areas over the past 10 years.
Up to 169,000 people are expected to move into the two municipalities in the next 25 years.