The state government is being urged to create a priority precinct in Cobblebank to boost housing and local jobs.
Last week, the West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliance (WoMEDA) released a paper titled ‘Western Growth: Unlocking Melbourne’s Economic Engine’, which aims to provide strategic principles on ‘supercharging’ economic and social future of Melbourne’s west.
The paper describes that a core challenge of Melbourne’s west is that “that too high a proportion of workers from the west commute out of the region to work, which in turn places intense pressure on the region’s transport infrastructure”.
According to WoMEDA, two main solutions are more public and private investments in the west’s ’employment precincts’ to grow local jobs and investment in public transport – aiming to reduce the significant commuting times out of the region that many face.
The organisation called on the state government to give ‘serious consideration’ to the establishment of a new ‘priority precinct’ in Cobblebank – along with committing to the ongoing development of priority precinct plans for East Werribee, Footscray, and Sunshine.
A priority precinct is an area earmarked by the state to receive a high concentration of new jobs and homes.
WoMEDA stated that Cobblebank is growing at “breakneck speed” and is already home to large live initiatives including the future Melton Hospital and a new TAFE.
Thornhill Park resident Matt Pearse said he supports the growth for Cobblebank that is already being planned.
“Obviously, with over 75 per cent of the residents of Melton having to leave the [municipality] … to get to work each day, having a … central commercial centre that supports … local jobs, local communities as well as the economic development of [Melton] is a win,” Mr Pearse said.
He said he believes Cobblebank will become the municipality’s new ‘CBD’, and will be the heart of the growth corridor.
“Any calls for investment is good … and investing in the Cobblebank precinct is a win for [Melton] and a win for local residents,” he said.
Melton mayor Steve Abboushi said the council supports and welcomes the call to the state.
“[Cobblebank] will not only be a key centre for health services, education, retail and commercial investment, it also has the capacity to act as a major employment hub that links Melbourne’s west with Ballarat and peri-urban regions including Bacchus Marsh,” Cr Abboushi said.
“[It] must therefore be a place that is capable of significant public and private investment to create thousands of new jobs for Melbourne’s booming western growth corridor.”
A state government spokesperson said that businesses in Melbourne’s west are thriving, with employment growth in the area outpacing the average and “more jobs in emerging industries being created including at Amazon’s new data centre in Cobblebank”.
According to the state, total employment increased by 5.1 per cent in Melbourne’s west in 2024–25, with more than 5000 new businesses created.
