Ararat housing target: 2051 target vs approvals
Ararat’s official 2051 housing target, the yearly pace it implies, and how ABS building approvals in the council compare, month by month.
Ararat’s final 2051 housing target is 1,000 additional homes (Victorian Government (Department of Transport and Planning), verified 27 Sep 2026). Spread evenly over the 28 years from 2023, that is about 36 homes a year.
In the 12 months to Jul 2026, the ABS recorded 54 dwelling approvals in Ararat: approvals are running at 151% of the pace needed. That is up 38% on the 12 months before.
Updated to Jul 2026 (ABS building approvals), data refreshed 2026-10-07. Targets as set in Plan for Victoria’s final targets, 24 February 2025.
The state counts about 5,600 homes in Ararat in 2023 (Victorian Government (Department of Transport and Planning), verified 27 Sep 2026), so the target would add roughly 18% to the housing stock.
Region: Regional Victoria.
Monthly approvals in Ararat
Since January 2024, 149 dwellings have been approved in Ararat, about 58 a year, and the three-year average is 62 a year (173% of the pace needed). Extrapolation only: if approvals continued at the last 12 months' pace and every approval became a home (not all do), the remaining target would be reached in about 16 years, around 2042.
Of the last 12 months’ approvals, 87% were houses and 13% were other dwellings such as townhouses and apartments.
| Financial year | Houses | Other dwellings | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | 30 | 0 | 30 |
| 2019–20 | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| 2020–21 | 45 | 5 | 50 |
| 2021–22 | 34 | 3 | 37 |
| 2022–23 | 51 | 5 | 56 |
| 2023–24 | 75 | 21 | 96 |
| 2024–25 | 43 | 0 | 43 |
| 2025–26 | 42 | 7 | 49 |
| 2026–27 (Jul–Jul, 1 months) | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Last 24 months, month by month
| Month | Houses | Other dwellings | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Jun 2026 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| May 2026 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Apr 2026 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Mar 2026 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 2025 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 2025 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Aug 2025 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Jul 2025 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Jun 2025 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| May 2025 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Apr 2025 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Mar 2025 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Feb 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 2025 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Dec 2024 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Nov 2024 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Oct 2024 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Sep 2024 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Aug 2024 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Similar councils
Councils in Regional Victoria with the closest target sizes.
| Council | 2051 target | Needed a year | Approved, last 12 months | Share of pace needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pyrenees | 1,300 | 46 | 44 | 95% |
| Alpine | 1,250 | 45 | 36 | 81% |
| Southern Grampians | 1,250 | 45 | 38 | 85% |
| Ararat | 1,000 | 36 | 54 | 151% |
| Gannawarra | 850 | 30 | 19 | 63% |
Where in Ararat the approvals are
Suburbs with the most dwelling approvals since July 2021, when the ABS small-area series starts. Suburb figures are apportioned from ABS SA2 areas, so treat them as indicative.
| Suburb | Dwellings approved since Jul 2021 |
|---|---|
| Ararat | 216 |
What the target means
The target is the number of additional homes the Victorian Government expects Ararat to make room for by 2051 (Victorian Government (Department of Transport and Planning), verified 27 Sep 2026). Councils do that through their planning controls (Victorian Government (Department of Transport and Planning), verified 27 Sep 2026), and the state says it will intervene, including by rezoning, where councils don’t (Premier of Victoria, verified 27 Sep 2026). The targets were set using access to jobs, services and transport, hazards such as flood and bushfire, and development trends (Victorian Government (Department of Transport and Planning), verified 27 Sep 2026).
- Approvals are not completions. A building approval is the permit that allows construction to begin (Australian Bureau of Statistics, verified 27 Sep 2026). Some approved homes are built years later and some never are. This tracker compares the pace of approvals, not the number of homes finished.
- Demolitions aren’t netted off. The ABS records demolitions as a separate type of work (Australian Bureau of Statistics, verified 27 Sep 2026). The counts here are new dwelling units approved, so a knock-down-rebuild counts as one new home even though the net change is zero.
- Recent months get revised. ABS revises earlier months as late records arrive (Australian Bureau of Statistics, verified 27 Sep 2026). The newest published month, Aug 2026, is left out of the pace figures because some approving authorities report a month late.
- Council boundaries. Approvals are ABS Local Government Area series (Australian Bureau of Statistics, verified 27 Sep 2026), one dataflow per financial year from July 2018, each on that year’s ABS council boundaries. Moreland’s series continues as Merri-bek after its 2022 rename. The few approvals in areas outside any council (the ABS “Unincorporated Vic.” area, a handful a year) are not counted in any council or in the statewide total shown here.
- The target is a long-run total, not a yearly quota. Each target is the additional homes to 2051 (Victorian Government (Department of Transport and Planning), verified 27 Sep 2026), counted from 2023 (Victorian Government (Department of Transport and Planning), verified 27 Sep 2026). The “pace needed” spreads it evenly over those years. Councils are expected to provide capacity for the homes through planning controls (Victorian Government (Department of Transport and Planning), verified 27 Sep 2026); they don’t build them.
- Data to Jul 2026. Pace figures use complete months only. “Last 12 months” and “3-year average” are dwelling units approved per year; “since 2024” annualises approvals from January 2024, the first full year after the targets’ 2023 count.
Frequently asked
What is Ararat's housing target?
Ararat's final housing target, set by the Victorian Government in February 2025, is 1,000 additional homes by 2051.
How many homes are being approved in Ararat?
In the 12 months to Jul 2026, the ABS recorded 54 dwelling approvals in Ararat. The even pace the target implies is about 36 a year, so approvals are running at 151% of the pace needed.
Does Ararat have to approve 36 homes every year?
No. The target is a long-run total to 2051, not a yearly quota, and councils meet it by providing capacity in their planning controls. The even yearly pace is a yardstick for comparison, not a legal requirement.
Are building approvals the same as new homes?
No. An approval is the permit that lets construction start. Some approved homes are built years later, some never are, and demolished homes aren't subtracted.
Suburbs in Ararat
Ararat council overview: median prices for every suburb →
Sources and methodology
- Statewide housing targets | Plan for Victoria | Engage Victoria — Victorian Government (Department of Transport and Planning) (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- More Homes In Every Corner Of Our State | Premier of Victoria — Premier of Victoria (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Building Approvals, Australia methodology, July 2026 | Australian Bureau of Statistics — Australian Bureau of Statistics (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
Figures on this page are drawn from Delora's local knowledge graph, refreshed from these primary sources and checked for changes on a regular schedule. If a figure here looks out of date, the official source above is always the authority — please let us know.
Sources on this page last verified against the primary source each figure cites. What “verified” means