Mitchell, Kathryn (1999) Dual Occupancy and its Impact on Metropolitan Growth in Melbourne (1986 - 1992). Research Master thesis, Victoria University.

Abstract

Dual occupancy, the development of two dwellings on a single allotment, was initially formulated by the Victorian Ministry of Housing in the late 1970s as a housing policy. In the 1980s it became a planning issue and was then developed as a key plank of metropolitan planning policy by the (then) Ministry for Planning and Environment, resulting in specific controls being introduced into metropolitan planning schemes in 1985. By 1987 it had become a major mechanism for the implementation of the government's urban consolidation policy. This thesis traces the evolution of dual occupancy policy and discusses its impact on urban consolidation of metropolitan Melbourne. It explores three major questions: - How did dual occupancy become part of metropolitan planning policy? - What impact did dual occupancy have on housing and building options from its inception (1985/86 to 1991/92)? - Did dual occupancy contribute to increased growth rates in the established municipalities of the metropolitan area? This thesis involved the application of a number of different research methodologies, including interviews, analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data and some literature reviews. Interviews were conducted with several key people who were involved in formulation of dual occupancy policy. This enabled the policy to be put into its proper metropolitan context. A central element of the thesis involved a detailed analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics census data for years 1985/86 through to 1991/92, including analysis of building approval statistics, population data, household size and household numbers for all municipalities within the designated metropolitan area of Melbourne. This allowed a number of trends to be established and observations to be made about the impact of dual occupancy developments on overall housing and population characteristics. The research represented in this thesis demonstrates that although dual occupancy was successful as a form of housing, it had little success as a contributor to urban consolidation. The data in this thesis shows that a large number of dual occupancies proportionate to other types of dwellings were built in the established and growth municipalities, but this form of development had a cost. Dual occupancy did not contribute to stabilising the population of established areas, nor did it contribute to reducing the rate of growth of developing (outer) municipalities.

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