Victorian Building Authority data backs Bendigo's building boom

The North Central area had 8752 building permit approvals in 2020-21, compared to 6953 in 2019-20, a 39 per cent year-on-year increase.

Statewide, building permit data collected by the Victorian Building Authority shows there were 123,330 approvals granted in 2020-21, an increase of 18 per cent from the previous financial year (104,560) and 13 per cent more than 2018-19 (109,396).

Related: Proposed Windfall Gains Tax under fire

The largest increase in approvals was in regional Victoria, which saw a 32 per cent spike in the number of building permit approvals.

Of all permits issued, those for domestic building increased more than 22 per cent, with about 19,500 more permits issued in 2020-21 than in 2019-20.

VBA chief executive officer CEO Sue Eddy said the building and construction sector remained strong throughout the pandemic.

Read court news: Bendigo man's hearing adjourned after yelling at magistrate

"It has been a challenging time for all Victorians, however the resilience shown by the building and plumbing industries, and its ability to adapt, has meant Victoria has continued to grow," Ms Eddy said.

"With continued cooperation, collaboration and safety front of mind, we will hopefully see this positive trend continue through 2021-22 and beyond."

New building work accounted for more than 62 per cent of all building permits in 2020-21, with the number of permits issued for this work 24 per cent greater than a year ago. The number of permits issued for residential, retail, hospital/healthcare and public buildings each decreased more than 10 per cent.

Read more court: Man discharged from offences after allegedly driving at Echuca police

As the number of building permits issued increased, so did the cost of building works. In Victoria, the total cost of works increased from $39.1 billion in 2019-20 to $41.9 billion in 2020-21.

By building use, the cost of works for new building work was valued at $34.6 billion, an 11.6 per cent increase compared to 2019-20.

Extension ($1.8 billion) and demolition ($577 million) cost of works increased 14 and 20 per cent respectively in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20.

The Federal Government's HomeBuilder Grant Scheme further supported the building industry, generating more than 35,000 applications from Victoria, with more than 29,000 of these for new builds.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: