Local Planning Policy Framework - Moreland City Council

2.1 Demographic Analysis
Central Coburg 2020 Background Report [ PHASE 1: Research and Analysis ]
Central Coburg Integrated Plan Demographic Analysis
Prepared by Moreland Strategic Planning Unit, October 2001
The following Snapshot includes demographic information from the Economic and
Community Facilities Analysis papers.
SNAPSHOT
Issues
? The broader Coburg study area has a current population of approximately 22,500.
? Coburg’s population is decreasing, particularly of younger people in the 5-17 age
group and the 18-24 age group.
? Unemployment is rising
? Coburg has the highest number of indigenous residents of any suburb in Moreland
? Coburg has a highly multicultural population with many from Italy, Greece,
Lebanon and Turkey. Following this trend is a high proportion of languages other
than English spoken at home.
? As with Melbourne as a whole, average household size is decreasing and lone
person households are rising.
? Although detached dwellings still dominate there is growth in semi-detached
dwellings, flats and apartments, although are still lower than the Moreland
average. The majority of dwellings have 3 or more bedrooms.
? The proportion of the population in non-private dwellings is slightly higher than the
Melbourne average.
? A demographic review of 1996 and 2001 Census data demonstrates a trend
towards gentrification signalled by increasing professionalisation of the workforce,
increasing polarity of household incomes and increasing property values due to
capital improvement.
? Coburg’s population decreased between 1996 and 2001.
? Coburg is experiencing an ageing population and will result in an increased level
of service needs by older persons particularly of low-cost services.
? The population of frail aged and disabled residents in Moreland is expected to
increase by 22% between 2000 and 2021.
? Moreland is a key destination for new arrivals, many refugees, placing additional
impacts on the need for support services relating to health, housing and
employment.
? There has been a substantial increase in the number of businesses in Coburg
since 1996.
? There are more households with fewer occupants in Coburg with an increase in
‘lone person’ households and a decline in ‘couples and children’ households.
? Moreland households have low incomes across the municipality as a whole
indicative of the fact that many residents receive all or part of their income from
government benefits.
Demographic Characteristics
Coburg residents contribute to the diverse population of the City of Moreland, with
people from all over the world choosing to live in the area. This has created a
successful multicultural community in the area. The diverse nature of the community
leads to an exciting selection of shops, restaurants, community organisations and
businesses. Large numbers of Coburg residents practice a faith and speak a
language other than English reflecting the composition of the community. One and
two person households dominate household sizes while couples with children are the
most common household types. The Coburg community is changing however. The
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